If you are a Range Safety Officer or member of EMS / Fire then the newly introduced Red color for FirstSpear’s Sleeper soft armor carrier might be just the ticket.
Designed in conjunction with Crye Precision, the Sleeper SOCOM’s SPEAR BALCS soft armor as well as Hard Armor plates cut to SAPI/ESAPI/SPEAR as well as Swimmer cut. The Sleeper is also available in Black, Coyote, Ranger Green and MultiCam sizes Small – XLarge.
Magpul Dynamics has a new Director. Duane Liptak Jr is a former Marine Corps Major. According to a Magpul Dynamics press release he is a decorated combat veteran with experience in Tactical Aviation and Special Operations. He also brings a vast knowledge of the shooting industry as well as experience developing, managing, and executing training programs from his previous position at Brownells Inc, where he held the position of Director of Government Programs and Training
Duane’s military achievements include stints as a Squadron XO, FAC(A) (Forward Air Controller-Airborne) Instructor, Pilot and Flight Lead for a USMC F/A-18D Squadron deployed to Iraq, and Plank Owner in Marine Special Operations Command, where he stood up the first operational Marine Special Operations Company as Air Officer, Operations Officer, Team FAC, and Weapons, Lasers, Night Vision, and Communications subject matter expert.
‘Every Other Chest Rig On The Planet Is Now Too Heavy’ – That’s a pretty bold statement made recently by gear manufacturer High Ground as they introduced The Chest Rig. Even the name implies that there can be no other.
The rig is reversible – MultiCam to Coyote and features integrated ITW buckles to allow instant transition from H-Harness Shoulder Straps to Plate Carrier integration. As you can see it’s PALS compatible and relies as much on the pouches for structural support as they do upon The Chest Rig. It’s as bare bones as it gets.
Yes, some of us have seen a similar product in the past from Crye Precision where users obtained extra AirLite cummerbund panels for the Jumpable Plate Carrier and attached them to the front in order to rapidly reconfigure loads. It wasn’t by design as much by user adaption and its difficult to obtain a JPC let alone an AirLite cummerbund. The major difference here is that this was designed to work this way from the outset and includes a chest rig H harness with articulated shoulder straps seen here. I’m sure it’s going to be popular but I’m just as sure that there will be detractors based on its similarity to the Crye design.
www.highgroundgear.com/products/chest-rig
The new Aegis Echo from Smith Optics Elite Division was designed specifically to be compatible with hearing protection/ communications systems. As you can see from this photo, the earpieces are the secret to the design and are a scant .6mm thick. This is the lowest profile temple in the industry and crafted from stainless steel making them rigid yet adjustable. These earpieces allow you to get as close to the head as possible without breaking the seal on the headset or causing a hotspot or worse yet, a headache.
Look for the Aegis Echo coming early May 2012.
BAE Systems (and others) has been working on liquid body armor for some time. It’s a very promising, low weight ballistic solution. They are using a shear thickening fluid which hardens as force is violently applied against it. You can make some up with cornstarch and water. Pour it out on a flat surface and then hit it with a hammer.
Unfortunately, you aren’t going to get much out of this video other than seeing body armor do what it is designed to do; act like a catchers mitt.
Part 1 shows 10 layers liquid armor in a durable casing
Part 2 shows 31 layers of untreated Kevlar
When I was in industry and we were working on the Explosive Formed Penetrator threat, one of my team’s engineers suggested using a non-newtonian fluid. While the technology shows promise, we decided that for our application, the material itself might compromise its ability to work when needed. Based on the magnitude of teh threat we’d need to go with a true shear thickening fluid. Form our standpoint, the issue was ensuring that the material would be in place when needed. A combat vehicle such as an MRAP is exposed to a wide variety of threats and environmental hazards any one of which might compromise the armor’s integrity and result in the fluid leaking from its section in the armor array. Instead we came up with another way to dissipate the energy of an EFP.
Body armor will present its own set of challenges in maintaining the proper amount of ballistic material in the proper place on the panel. Gravity tends to work against you with liquids in non-rigid containers, even in the case of thickened fluids or in this case coatings. Additionally, the fluid coating might dry out over time. What BAE has done to mitigate this effect is to use their “fluid” to treat woven Kevlar. Not only does this give the coating “body” but gives the material even more surface area to spread the energy of a ballistic threat across.
BAE testing has indicated that they can maintain ballistic protection at a 45% reduction in the thickness of the armor which results in increased mobility.
Many iPhone users use iPhone covers from Magpul, Otter Box and Strike Industries to protect their investment. Unfortunately, these covers aren’t designed to be worn on the belt and commercially available holsters won’t accommodate these covers. Blade Tech saw what was going on and introduced the smartphone holster. It accepts your iPhone, case and all.
You get a customized holster based on your selection of belt loop width or Tek-Lock alternative and type of iPhone case. To order visit www.blade-tech.com.
Product Manager – Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) has issued a Sources Sought Notice for companies capable of producing the Tier II – Protective Over Garment (POG). Actually, this name is some what of a misnomer as it envisions a CBRNE garment rather than what it truly is; the outer component to the Pelvic Protection System which is used in conjunction with the Tier 1 Protective Under Garment (PUG).
According to the RFI, “The POG is worn over the Army Combat Uniform trousers and provides protection of the pelvis, femoral arteries, and lower abdominal organs in a blast or fragmentation event. The POG will also reduce the penetration of dirt and fine debris into a wound area to prevent infections.”
For those of you unfamiliar with PPS, there are several variants currently in use from a variety of manufacturers.
At a minimum, the Tier II Protective Over Garment (POG):
– Shall consist of three (3) distinct areas of ballistic protection to provide an optimum balance of protection and mobility. The front section shall provide at least 69 in2 of ballistic protection, the center section shall fit between the legs and provide at least 50 in2 of ballistic protection, and rear section shall provide at least 52 in2 of ballistic protection for a size medium system.
– Front and rear sections shall provide ballistic protection which conforms to the base vest requirements of FQ/PD 07-05E. Center section shall provide ballistic resistance (V50) of at least 1120 ft/s against 17gr Fragment Simulating Projectile (FSP). Wherever there is no continuous ballistic material, a minimum 1 in. overlap shall be maintained to prevent gaps in coverage.
– Front, center, and rear ballistic materials shall be removable/replaceable.
– Ballistic filler areal density of front and rear sections shall not exceed 1.10 lb/ft2 with a maximum 0.30 in. thickness. Ballistic filler weight of center section shall not exceed 0.40 lb/ft2 with a maximum 0.10 in. thickness.
– Shall provide a secure fastening mechanism to prevent flapping or shifting during use. The system shall be compatible with currently fielded personal protective equipment and combat uniform and shall attach either to the body armor and/or the belt loops of the trousers.
– Front section shall be capable of being disconnected from the center/rear section and worn as a standalone item, with the option of fastening to the belt or Improved Outer Tactical Vest. Shall provide a secure fastening mechanism to prevent flapping or shifting during use.
– Attachment point(s) connecting the front section to center section must be able to withstand a peak load of 150 lbs break strength in accordance with ASTM D-5043
– Attachment points/seams connecting the rear panel to center section must be able to withstand a peak load of 600 lbs break strength in accordance with ASTM D-5043
– Shall be capable of donning and doffing without removing the belt from the Army Combat Uniform trousers
– Must be available in multiple sizes to fit 5th percentile female through 95th percentile male waist circumference.
– Outer facing cloth shall be constructed with the following camouflage pattern: US Army Operational Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP)
This is a short turn around on this Request for Information. Interested parties must reply no later than 4:00 pm eastern standard time on Wednesday, April 11 2012.
Primary Weapons Systems produced this video highlighting their Triad compensator designed for use with 5.56mm weapons. A lot of folks are claiming that they have developed compensators that also reduce muzzle flash. Conventional wisdom says that you can do one or the other well.
After seeing this video what do you think?
