We received this notice regarding our story earlier this week on the ATK 5.56mm ammo award – CORRECTION: April 3, 2012 — Due to a processing error in the Army’s automated reporting system, the award amount for contract W52P1J-09-D-0027, awarded to Alliant Techsystems Operations, L.L.C., is corrected from $2,541,000,000 to $122,601,783.
That’s a BIG difference. We were wondering how much ammo $2.5 Billion would buy.
Beez Combat Systems is sponsoring an A-TACS FG photo contest. The winner will receive a prize pack worth about $500 of FG gear from BCS and PredatorBDU.
Who: FG camouflage fans.
What: take a picture with a piece of BCS A-TACS FG gear and a Propper FG uniform.
Where: Foliage area, forest, swamp, or jungle.
When: – Last call for pictures is May 25th,2012, Winner is to be announced May 28th, 2012 (Memorial Day).
Why: To see A-TACS FG camo pattern in action and to win some FG gear.
What do you win?
$250 credit in Beez Combat Systems FG gear and an ACU FG Coat/Pants/Combat Shirt/Boonie from PredatorBDU.
Winning picture will be posted on A-TACS home page.
We are offering 10% off on FG gear.
BCS coupon code – FGPHOTO
PredatorBDU will also provide free shipping for any order of $95 plus in CONUS/APO
Post pics on Beez Combat System’s Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Beez-Combat-Systems
or
send pictures to FG@beezcombatsystems.com
Looking for a job in the knife industry? Benchmade has several open positions in various departments.
Benchmade provided us with some basic information.
Positions open include:
About Benchmade
Benchmade Knife Company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and sales of hand-held specialty folding and fixed blade cutlery for the outdoor sports, military, law enforcement, and gift markets. Benchmade is committed to innovation, performance, and the highest standards of quality. Every day, around the globe, sportsmen and professionals alike rely on Benchmade products to get the job done. Benchmade’s state of the art facility and headquarters is located in Oregon City, 30 minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon.
Last week was a big week for those in the Soldier Systems industry. Not only was there a panel of Congressmen who spoke on the subject organized by the WPRC, but there were also meetings between industry and members of Congress to discuss the importance of individual protection initiatives in light of the current federal budget.
Silynx Communications, Inc also had the privilege of welcoming Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, for a tour of its research and development facilities. The meeting included a discussion on ways to ensure the men and women in uniform are equipped with the best tactical communications systems available.
“Congressman Bartlett has a long history as an advocate for the men and women in uniform, and the small businesses that support them,” said Gil Limonchik, CEO, Silynx Communications. “We were honored to host the Congressman for a tour of our R&D facilities, and a discussion on what industry and policymakers can do to best equip and protect American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. It is Silynx’s mission to do so to the best of our ability, and we are grateful for the Congressman’s support in our efforts.”
Congressman Bartlett said, “Silynx has developed a critical combat capability to provide our Special Operations Forces with a state of the art modification of their radios so that they will maintain audio operational awareness as well as protection for their hearing from potential damage. I am hopeful that this protection can be rapidly extended to all of our military during deployment as well as training. This would be important even if hearing loss was not among the most common injury our troops have been experiencing. Standard issue ear protection is not sufficient.”
Silynx’s combat-proven C4OPS and Micro C4OPS have been widely used in the past 3 years and adopted by US Special Operations Forces (US SOF), NATO Special Forces, FBI SWAT, and the US Army Rapid Fielding Initiative.
For an April Fool’s Day goof, 5.11 Tactical came up with a great scheme. They would tell everyone that they were going to manufacture a tactical kilt. They went all out and produced a fantasy product called the 5.11 Tactical Duty Kilt. They even recruited spokesman Kyle Lamb to get in on the act. The video and gag product page went viral and it was such a big hit that they decided to go ahead and produce a run…for real. Nothing like capitalism in action. The market demands a product and they make it. Here is 5.11 Tactical’s full response to the phenomenon.
Friends in the 5.11 Tactical Community,
About a month ago our lead designer, Cory Nykoluk, came to me with the idea to have some fun on April 1st with a 5.11 Tactical Duty Kilt. “We’ve had a number of requests for kilts, so why not make one?” Cory had enlisted our creative services director, Matt Frederick and our director of ecommerce, Brian Rogers. I gave the project a green light with the commander’s guidance to make the “TDK” a true 5.11 product supported by a proper launch. Operational security was strict as only about 6 people inside 5.11 knew about this project. In fact, the only reference in meetings and e-mails was to “Project Caber.” Our close friend Kyle Lamb, President of Viking Tactics, was briefed and signed on immediately. It turned out he was about to attend a Dropkick Murphys concert. Perfect timing as band member, Scruffy Wallace, is a kiltsman who plays bagpipes and the tin whistle in a VTAC T-shirt. The final piece needed was an athlete/first responder to demonstrate the mobility of the TDK. Matt Frederick called Roman, a veteran duty sheriff and Parkour athlete and we were rolling.
Last week, when we reviewed the video footage of Roman leaping walls in the TDK – it was clear – we had achieved the goal of making a Kilt true to the 5.11 brand. There was a collective “uh-oh, we only have one kilt in inventory!” On Saturday, March 31st, I called 5.11 Tactical founder, Dan Costa, to tip him off. His response: “Be ready, you’re going to sell some kilts!”
Indeed, the Tactical Duty Kilt launch was a success, so it seems the April Fool’s Day joke is on us! Due to your positive response, we are pleased to announce that the Tactical Duty Kilt will become available for pre-orders soon on the following web page: http://www.511tactical.com/Tactical-Duty-Kilt.html. We don’t plan to make the TDK an “in-line” product, so this is a limited time, web only offer. If you haven’t already signed up for notifications on when this product becomes available for purchase, please do so now at http://www.511tactical.com/Tactical-Duty-Kilt.html and give us your name and e-mail address in the form located on the right-hand side of the page. We plan on sending out 1 more email to those that have given us their information to confirm size and color and other important ordering details.
5.11 Tactical Duty Kilts will be available in Black, Khaki, and OD Green (MultiCam will be offered at a slightly higher price) in even waist sizes 30- 40 for a very limited time – don’t miss out. Remember we only have one in inventory today, so we’ll need some time to make them for you!
Thanks for your friendship, sense of humor and support of 5.11 Tactical. I’m signing off to place my Tactical Duty Kilt order!
Tom Davin
CEO, 5.11 Tactical
Thanks CK!
Bravo Company Manufacturing introduces their new Gunfighter’s Grip which was designed based on modern carbine manipulation techniques. It offers a reduced angle over the standard issue grip and does away with finger grooves which may or may not fit your hand. As you can see in this graphic, the M16A2 grip was designed for use in a range setting whereas the new GFG was optimized for a modern gunfighting stance.
Haley Strategic Partners consulted on the development of the GFG and offered SSD a few observations –
“Modern weapon manipulation techniques have been informed by years of conflict overseas and at home, with technology complimenting natural biomechanics to create a more lethal platform.
In the past stance and grip were something created from doctrine and not science. Today we understand the science and priority in gunfighting:
1: Solid recoil control dramatically increases the shooters ability to balance speed and precision. This improves efficiency, hit probability, effectiveness which leads to improves shooter survivability.
2: The modern shooting platform forces the shooters armor towards the direct threat he’s engaging, reducing lateral vulnerability to the chest and abdomen otherwise exposed in a bladed stance towards the direct threat.”
The BCM GFG is offered in two configurations. The MOD 0 features a slim design, similar in size to the A1 and A2 pistol grips, while the MOD 1 features a high rise back strap for those of you with bigger hands or who like to get a higher grip on their gun. Additionally, it comes with two Modular Trigger Guard Inserts that fill that annoying gap between the trigger guard and the pistol grip. One version is extended and the other is smooth. The GFG also features a water resistant hinged trap door with rubber gasket that offers internal storage for batteries or other small items.
The GFG is available in Black, OD and Flat Dark Earth.
SSD has written about the Army’s Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble in the past and our only criticism is the basis of issue. Designed specifically for Aircrew and Mounted Crewmen, FREE is a skin-out FR environmental clothing system that protects down to -40 deg F. Unfortunately, FREE is not issued to dismounted troops. However, they do get the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System Gen III which is a great clothing system but it’s not FR. The problem is that the dismounts ride around in aircraft, trucks and armored vehicles getting from point A to B and are just as much at risk of IED and other flame threats as the troops who are issued FREE. And that’s not to mention the risks of dismounted patrolling and attacks on FOBs.
If you are already using ECWCS Gen III then Dismounted FREE will be very familiar to you. It has been optimized for ground operations and consists of Light-Weight Undershirt and Drawers, Mid-Weight Shirt and Drawers, High-Loft Fleece Jacket, Soft Shell Jacket and Trousers, Extreme Cold/Wet Weather Jacket and Trousers. And, like Gen III it is available in Top and Bottom kits in addition to two optional items not included in either kit; the Parka and Overtrouser. As you can see, it is a very streamlined kit and sticks with FR versions of the most commonly used garments.
Additionally, unlike ECWCS Gen III, Dismounted FREE is designed to integrate the FR ACU, Army Combat Shirt, or other FR level 9 garments into the system. Considering that the Soldier is always going to be wearing a combat uniform, it only makes sense that the environmental layers integrate with it.
Dismounted FREE is available in UCP or OCP camo patterns in sizes XS – XXL in short, regular, and long lengths. All of the clothing in the kit is Berry compliant and FR. Dismounted FREE drastically increases the protection of the ground Soldier and offers a cost effective alternative to issuing FREE to everyone. It’s important to note that this is not an Army program and that ADS developed Dismounted FREE internally as a solution for the Soldier protection issues we identified above. We are impressed with what we see and hope that the military takes a serious look at this option which leverages proven technologies and is available now as a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf solution.
Tags: ADS Inc, FREE
Posted in Clothing, FR | Comments Off on ADS Introduces Dismounted FREE
According toe Colt Defense LLC press release, Local 376 of the United Auto Workers and Colt management have come to an agreement on a new labor contract with a two-year term. This new contract will replace one that expired on March 31, 2012 and which was in place for five years. Terms of the new contract were not disclosed.
The parties have been meeting since February to negotiate the new contract terms. The management negotiating committee presented their last, best and final offer to the union shortly before midnight on Saturday, just before an existing contract covering Local 376 workers expired. At a meeting with its membership at 10:00 on April1st the union negotiating committee recommended the contract’s ratification and approval and the membership affirmed it.
These measures averted the possibility of labor action at the Colt Defense manufacturing facility on New Park Avenue and allowed over 250 workers to return to work yesterday after a weekend of uncertainty. Management believes that the terms of the new contract will help make Colt Defense more competitive in the market while continuing to ensure high quality jobs for our employees.
