Ensign Bickford has developed a new Man Portable Line Charge for those times when you run across a danger area that looks a little iffy. In order to clear a path through a mine laden or booby trapped areas, you simple remove the pack, open it, align the rocket and let ‘er rip. The charge clears a path 84 feet long by 1 foot wide. Just enough to get you out of danger.
The MPLC comes in its own pack, weighs 27 lbs and best of all, produces no frag.
Oakley is introducing the M-frame 3.0 which features ultra low profile temples to accommodate hearing protection and improved low profile nose piece as well as an enhanced coating for anti-fog and increased scratch resistance.
Additionally, they have a new Ballistic 2.0 goggle which offers increased lower and side peripheral vision and facilitates a reduced stand off for night vision systems. The straps are also easily removed thanks to a new fastener. The lens features the same new coatings as the M-frame 3.0 along with increased venting to help mitigate fogging.
Look for these new styles in December.
Wilcox Industries has developed a mount for the Mini-N/SEAS night vision monocular manufactured by ITL Optronics to combine two of them into a binocular. While this sample is Black they are also available in Tan.
Here you can see how low the NODs can be stored. It is connected to a Wilcox G24 mount.
Look for AUSA coverage live from the annual meeting. AUSA is generally a challenging cellular environment so this will be a good test to see how SHOT show will go.
The one secret we kept during and after Modern Day Marine was the new series of Weapon Tools from Ontario Knife. We saw them sitting there in Ontario’s display case and asked what they were. They resembled breaker bars or entry tools more than traditional Ontario products. Over the years we’ve seen various armorer’s tools, but there are meant for use by the actual gunner and were designed specifically for the MK 19 Grenade Machine Gun, M2 .50 Heavy Machine Gun and M240 Machine Gun. They are parkarized and look to be very durable.
Ms Sue Green told us that the tools were, “Designed by Soldiers, for Soldiers, each tool serves to assist the operator in performing critical functions on the weapons.” She then discussed what each of the tools was designed to do. We agreed that we would present the new products here on SSD for AUSA so that they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd of MDM. As you can remember, there was a lot going on. Here is a run down of what each tool is capable of:
The MK 19 Grenade Machine Gun operator maintenance tool facilitates the daily operator functions of operating, maintaining and safely clearing the weapon. This tool provides an operator, armorer and weapons repairman an effective, time saving multi-tool that facilitates the rapid break down and clearing of the weapon. This tool’s effectiveness is compounded by the fact that use of this tool minimizes the wear and tear of the actual weapon and provides the Soldier a specifically designed multi-tool to complete the operator functions on the weapon.
The M2 tool is designed to assist the operator in setting the head space and timing and disassembling and assembling the weapon. It also significantly reduces the time it takes to set the head-space and timing and facilitates the rapid disassembly and assembly of the weapon for daily preventative maintenance and critical operator functions.
Finally, the M240 tool was designed at the request of Soldiers who’ve experience the frequent problem of hard to remove spring pins. This tool allows the operator to quickly remove a bent or defective spring pin from the weapon. It will also prevents spring pins from being bent by efficiently extracting the pin, thus eliminating undue wear and tear on the pin.
Look for our photos beginning later today. These tools will be available for your inspection at AUSA in booth #643, Ontario Knife Company.
When the big, heavy, cable-laden Nett Warrior went away it took the Helmet Mounted Display along with it. But, with technologies like this new Sunlight Readable See-Through HMD from Vuzix they may remain an option in the future. Vuzix just delivered two different sets of the technology to the Army’s Natick Soldier RD&E Center (NSRDEC). Unlike previously used HMDs these are see-through. The monocular design clips on to ballistic glasses or helmets and are compatible with any device featuring a VGA or composite video out capability. They use a Liquid Crystal light shutter as a means to control the level of translucency.
According to a press release from Vuzix:
Each of Vuzix’ waveguide and quantum beamsplitter optical systems delivered to NSRDEC demonstrate various performance characteristics. The first design affords a smaller form factor, and the second, a super high brightness system achieving a display screen outputting 2400 nits for use in direct sunlight.
It’s been awhile since we last mentioned N-Vision. We saw them at Modern Day Marine where they had their new Dual Mount PVS which converts two single tube AN/PVS14 night vision devices into a binocular system.
Check it, as well as other N-Vision products out at AUSA booth #3314.
McNett has announced the promotion of Liz Mathias to Vice President of Sales. Prior to her promotion, Mathias worked as sales manager where she guided business development and directed domestic and international distribution across McNett’s many brands including OutGo and GearAid. Mathias was also responsible for implementing effective sales systems and achieved significant account growth across numerous industries including outdoor, sporting goods, dive and travel.
“Liz’s promotion is a result of her significant contributions to the Company on many levels. She has earned a high level of respect from the McNett staff, her peers, customers and partners within our industries,†said Karen Robins, HR manager at McNett. “We are excited for Liz to move forward in her new role as she continues to provide outstanding leadership both in sales and at a management level.â€
In her new position, Mathias will focus on coordinating the outdoor, sporting goods and dive divisions of the sales team, forging strategic partnerships with retailers and aligning the company for global growth.
“I could not be more thrilled and excited about where this shift will take us,†said Mathias. “We are stepping our game up in the international arena on both the business to business and business to consumer levels. This should translate to more opportunities with retailers, distributors and OEMs so that McNett can one day dominate the entire gear care and repair world.â€
