We received this announcement from Kyle Defoor. We’re sure you know who Arc’teryx is, but for those of you who aren’t yet familiar with Kyle, he is a world class shooter, athlete, and trainer and he gets our highest recommendation.
Beginning March 2012, Arc’teryx LEAF division will be providing gear prizes to the top performers in my open enrollment classes. This kit will be won, not given, to the students who pass my shooting tests, sometimes cold, and the students who consistently perform well under pressure from the timer and the scoring rings.
I’m humbled that the Dead Bird asked me first to come on board for this idea. Combining the best outdoor gear on the planet with my training is a no brainer. I hope that this will up the ante even more in performance at my classes, and from it we’ll get to see and learn a lot from each other.
DuPont Protection Technologies is pleased to announce the winners of the DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards, which showcase ideas, methods, technologies, applications, products and services using DuPont Kevlar in a new way. This year’s U.S. awards were bestowed in three categories: innovation, protection and collaboration to QinetiQ North America, TYR Tactical and UNEQUAL Technologies, respectively.
They’re excited to announce the winners of these awards that recognize not only incredible ingenuity in uses for DuPont Kevlar, but our partners commitment to industry collaboration to help make the world a better, safer place, said William F. Weber, vice president of DuPont Protection Technologies, North America. DuPont Kevlar is most commonly known for ballistic protection, but its light-weight strength is used for a myriad of other purposes; these award winners showcase some of the best of the wide range of innovative uses of DuPont Kevlar in the industry.
Innovation award criteria focused on the use of DuPont Kevlar with new materials and/or new processing technologies, creativity in the use of DuPont Kevlar in new applications and general uniqueness or impressiveness of the product. The protection award was based on the best demonstration of an innovation that enhances protection of people, processes or the environment using DuPont Kevlar. The collaboration award was given to the entry that best demonstrated ways in which the company worked with DuPont or other organizations to develop a product using Kevlar that provides commercial significance and benefit to others.
QinetiQ North America’s rocket propelled grenade (RPG) protection solution, Q-Net, is the winner in the innovation category. Q-Net provides superior RPG defeat capabilities, is adaptable to a variety of platforms, and is low-cost and ultra-lightweight. QinetiQ worked in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop the Q-Net system, which is based on nets rather than traditional armor. The system leverages DuPont Kevlar in the netting in combination with metal points at net junctions to create the configuration. DuPont Kevlar was chosen for the netting for its strength, weight and low stretch characteristics. The resulting system offers an innovative solution to vehicle light-weighting and performance challenges, as reducing weight decreases the overall wear and tear of vehicle operating systems and fuel consumption.
QinetiQ North America Q-Net
TYR Tactical is honored with the protection award for its PV Nylon, a hybrid laminate that is significantly stronger and lighter-weight than standard nylon. TYR Tactical’s PV Nylon demonstrates how scientific innovation can yield incredible hybrid materials that address market challenges. By incorporating DuPont Kevlar to provide increased strength and ballistic resistance at a lighter-weight, TYR Tactical decreased the amount of nylon needed in a protection system, in turn reducing the weight of protection systems overall and increasing the life cycle of each product. This provides the market with a much needed solution for longer-wearing, more resistant and lighter-weight armor.
TYR Tactical PV
The collaboration award goes to UNEQUAL Technologies for its EXO pads, which offer body protection to soldiers and athletes. UNEQUAL worked with DuPont to incorporate DuPont Kevlar into its layered pad systems, yielding the first multi-threat, all-fabric solution that reduced fabric thickness, weight and cost. Collaboration with the sports industry allowed UNEQUAL to create padding that protects against blunt force trauma significantly better than traditional foam pads. UNEQUAL relied on Villanova University, Drexel University, Southern Impact Research Center and Safariland/BAE Systems, as well as other industry and academic partners to conduct extensive testing of its EXO Skeleton technology. EXO pads are now used by multiple NFL and NHL teams to help protect players. The different systems are light-weight, thin, and flexible to increase comfort without sacrificing protection on the sports field or battlefield.
UNEQUAL Technologies
The DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards were judged by a prestigious panel of experts: Professor Philip Brown of Clemson University; Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; Eric Lin, Ph.D., Chief of the Polymers division at National Institute of Standards and Technology; Adam Rogers, senior editor at Wired; and Doug Muzyka, Chief Science & Technology Officer at DuPont. Each award winner received $10,000 to donate to a charitable organization that benefits education, science, technology and/or government service. QinetiQ donated its award to the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members as they recover and transition back to civilian life. TYR Tactical donated its award to Fisher House Foundation, which provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. UNEQUAL donated its award to the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education and is expected to open in 2014.
This contest is particularly timely, as DuPont recently opened its new Cooper River plant near Charleston, S.C. the single largest investment in the fiber since its invention. Overall global production capacity for DuPont Kevlar will increase initially by 25 percent and is expected to grow by 40 percent, creating the supply essential to further DuPont Kevlar innovation and new applications by both DuPont and its partners.
Michael Match, the owner of Ashland Sales & Service was interviewed on Fox News about contracts being handed over to Federal Prison Industries (Unicor). Ashland produces clothing for DoD but they are in danger of losing the contract for manufacturing jackets like the one worn by the Commander in Chief. Please watch the video.
Both Jonathon Long and we have talked about Unicor’s advantage over small businesses as a Government directed source for many commodities. It’s a travesty that they are given no-bid contracts. There are several bills in Congress that would help curb the influence Unicor exerts over the procurement system. Hopefully, we will see some changes soon.
SORD’s new Combat Shirt is constructed from an FR knit fabric (71% Modacrylic/24% FR Rayon/5% Spandex) that features both a permanent finish to increase wicking performance as well as an anti-microbial treatment helps prevent odor after prolonged field use. The design layout puts seams where they will irritate the least under armor and relies on flat seam construction to take it the rest of the way. It also incorporates a 10†chest zipper with an inside flap with chin guard, Gusseted side panels for a complete range of motion, as well as pleated zippered bicep pockets with ample Velcro for IFF and patches. Finally, they remembered to reinforce the elbows. Looks good guys!
Made in USA! from US materials in any color as long as it is MultiCam in sizes Med – XLge.
Swiss firm Navatiq has developed a new compact Unmanned Ground Vehicle called the Scorp which can pull double duty as a recce as well as EOD asset. It is a lightweight (~2.5 kg), throwable bot that boasts day/night 360° omnidirectional panoramic vision via 4 cameras mounted 1 per side. As you can see from the photo below, it also incorporates a built in microphone as well as Picatinny rails to mount additional accessories or sensors. Planned enhancements include biochemical detector, disruptor, encryption, manipulator with pincer, autonomous navigation, firing explosive charges, thermal imaging, etc.
The tracked Scorp also features articulating flipper arms to right itself in the event of a tumble or to aid in climbing. The control unit offers full recording capability as well as a range of 500 meters outdoors (line of sight) and 100 meters indoors (line of sight). Additionally, by utilizing alternative frequencies you can operate up to four robots within the same zone.
The Scorp is now available from the Polish form SPECOPS.
Mil-Spec Monkey alerted us to the new TI-7 Tactical Buttstock for AR-style carbines available exclusively from Accurate Armory. It looks like they have eliminated all of the edges that will catch on stuff and have included storage tubes beneath the sloped sides. Additionally, it features a “Rubber-Like” butt pad for a non-slip contact surface as well as a ambi socket for quick release sling swivels.
Available in Black, Flat Dark Earth, Olive Drab, Foliage Green for both Mil-Spec and commercial extension tubes. Monkey shared this photo with us and told us that you can also get the stock with a Flag print as well. Pretty cool. Overall, it’s another option for those who are looking for something different.
By his own admission, Army Special Operations Veteran Scot Spooner has faced challenges in his life. The difference for him is that he didn’t let them beat him. In his new book, “Your Life” he offers simple solutions to life’s common difficulties. These days, Scot Spooner works with his brother Tom to run Labyrinth Guides Consulting and Invictus Alliance Group.
About once a year, for the past few years the Air Force’s Battlefield Airman Branch of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB releases a new requirement for a battlefield truck for their Guardian Angel Weapon System. GAWS is made up of the Combat Rescue Officer (CRO), Pararescue (PJ), and SERE careerfields. Obviously, the vehicle would mainly be used by the PJs. Unfortunately, they’ve never actually purchased any vehicles. In fact, we’ve even written about one of the candidate vehicles from past attempts; the SRTV.
This year is no different and a pre-solicitation for the Guardian Angel Air-Deployable Rescue Vehicle (GAARV) was released last week. They’ve included a System Requirements Document (SRD) that spells out the vehicle characteristics they are looking for. According to this document, PJs currently rely on ATVs to aid in the recovery of Isolated Personnel who may be injured. Unfortunately, these have limited speed, agility, range and payload.
The proposed GAARV will be airdroppable from fixed wing aircraft and be able to carry medical, rescue, and survival equipment to an incident site and be able to exfiltrate the rescue team and isolated personnel over adverse terrain. It is envisioned that these same capabilities will make it a shoe in for use in disaster recovery and other humanitarian relief operations.
Specifically they want a vehicle that can be airdropped, features a comms and datalink package, integrates M240 and M249 for defense, capable of on and off-road operation and a minimum payload of 4000 lbs. It must also have mounts compatible with Stokes, Talon, Israeli, and NATO Pole litters. Obviously, as a rescue vehicle, it’s going to need external power outlets, an air compressor and a winch. Additionally, it must be able to travel 350 miles at 45 mph and then loiter for 2 hours once on the objective. Interestingly, there’s no mention of exfil meaning it’s got a 175 mile range.
There are also a couple of other “interesting” requirements such as:
“The GAARV shall be steerable and stoppable by at least one RT member other than the driver”
“The GAARV engine shall run using standard gasoline, 87 Octane or higher, diesel, or JP-8″
“The GAARV fuel tank shall not require a purge prior to adding a different type of fuel than is already in use”
Something you may feel is missing is an armor requirement. They haven’t quite worked out those requirements yet and understandably so. I used to be in the armored vehicle business and armor is anathema to the offroad agility capabilities required by GAWS.
Interested parties have until March 6 to tell the Air Force about their capabilities. Unfortunately, that leaves little time for the Air Force to integrate any ground breaking capabilities discovered in this pre-solicitation into their actual solicitation planned for release on 16 March.
The Air Force has done a lot to upgrade other rescue capabilities, hopefully this year, we’ll see them buy a new truck.
