OffHand Gear is a concept for women’s tactical design. Having already developed graphics including those shown below, OffHand Gear is looking for a little help raising funds to launch a website and complete a first run of shirts and sweatshirts. Considering how little there is out there for the ladies, we think they are going to be a big hit.
Help OffHand Gear get off the ground via Kickstarter.
-Thanks DE
Used by every branch of the US military, the IZLID family of IR laser pointers and illuminators produced by BE Meyers. You’re probably quite familiar with their use by Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) but these IR lasers provide a single solution for weapons aiming, target illumination, and communicating intent with other fire elements on the ground as well as in the air. The video above showcases footage from Iraq along with training ranges in the Southwestern US to highlight the IZLID 200P and the IZLID Ultra and how they enhance accuracy at longer ranges for crew served weapons in low light and night conditions. It also demonstrates the use of the IZLID family of products on helicopters for both door guns and installed weapons, and how the lasers can be used to communicate and coordinate Air Ground Integration.
Standard equipment for SOF elements and all JTACs, the IZLID line of IR lasers provides a critical tool to support long range weapon aiming, delivers unparalleled illumination for night time reconnaissance and surveillance, and is the standard tool for coordinating close air support.
Many JTACs carry two different IZLID products, the 195 mW IZLID 200P for immediate coordination with helicopters, and the 1,000 mW IZLID Ultra or IZLID 1000 for communication and directing aviation assets at greater distances.
Rugged enough to be used for weapon aiming on the M2 .50 Cal Machine Gun and mini guns, but light enough to be mounted on individual weapons or used by hand, the IZLID 200P and IZLID Ultra are versatile, dependable, and powerful IR lasers “battle field proven and ready to deliver a tactical advantage today.”
IZLIDs are also being used by both military and law enforcement Reconnaissance and Surveillance elements to illuminate targets of interest. The beam can be opened up to a flood and used to paint and illuminate an item for an IR camera system ground based or airborne.
For more information on BE Meyers IZLID aiming lasers visit www.bemeyers.com/izlid_weapon_aiming.html or www.bemeyers.com/izlid_target_marking.html. For unit and agency orders contact www.ADSinc.com/be-meyers.
Granite Tactical Gear is selling out their stock of prototypes. This means there aren’t a lot available but some are one of a kind versions of their standard product line. They’ve got everything from Chief Patrol Packs to four different grenade pouch variants and more. Get it before it is gone!
Volume 2 of Black Powder Red Earth is out and available on Amazon.com. As we’ve reported before, BPRE has been described as “Syriana meets Blackhawk Down”, though you won’t really get the full effect of that until the series is complete. (It was written and plotted in a cinematic fashion, so each successive issue will be faster paced and more dynamic than the one before.)
Jon Chang of Echelon Software is one of the creators of BPRE, and helped design the Facebook game of the same name. “The Facebook game was the first project, then the graphic novel,” he advises. “What’s interesting is that a lot of what you see in those first installments, events we wrote as likely, has occurred. It was originally projected theoretically, now it’s really happened. This is hard military fiction…there’s no overtly heroic actions or larger than life stuff, it’s as close as we can get to the complexities of what day to day operations are like in southern Iraq. So there’s a really realistic angle, it’s a compelling piece of work because it’s so believable and so accurate..”
The writing and artwork are excellent. You should consider checking it out.
You can check up on BPRE developments on their Facebook page or watch their homepage if you’d like.
-DR
NavExFor 2012 will be held March 13-14, 2012 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, VA. It is the only event focused specifically on Naval Expeditionary Forces. See you there!
Elite Defense will be at IWA in Nuremberg Germany in booth #7A-309. They’ll be highlighting products from L3 EOtech, L3 Insight (white lights), FirstSpear, Velcro, Smith Optics, Slip2000, TangoDown, GemTech, Diamonhead USA, and many more. Make sure you stop by and say ‘hi’! Don’t forget to say you saw them on SSD.
We recently wrote about the temporary closure at Ops-Core’s Boston facility. We just received this statement from them. Bottom line is that Ops-Core is working through the issues, still answering the phones and supporting contracts.
Thanks to all for your support of Ops-Core. Though we are having some issues with our Boston space, rest assured we are working to get them resolved as soon as possible and have steps in place to assure that our commitments to our customers are met in a timely manner. Should you have specific questions about your order, contact support@ops-core.com. In the meantime, please know that we value your business and look forward to continued partnerships with all who share our goal of creating safe, effective equipment for our protectors.
