Tactical Tailor

Archive for July, 2012

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Haley Strategic Partners Disruptive Industries AAR

Friday, July 27th, 2012

Disruptive Industries is a unique, invitation-only event bringing together Haley Strategic Partners’ industry affiliates with military and law enforcement representatives. Many in the defense sector do not have military or LE backgrounds and this event gives them a little taste of what it’s like. For industry, experiences like this are invaluable.

Disruptive Industries is designed to teach, inspire, build relationships, open communications and create new channels for innovation in the defense sector. Every experience has been devised to accomplish each of these tasks in one way or another, from training classes to meals and other organized social events. And they did all of that. Feedback from the participants was that the experience really opened their eyes. The operational side of things got to learn about what it takes to develop new products and the industry reps learned quite a bit about how their products are used and received direct feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Literally every company that participated walked away with with new thoughts on what and how they build as well as a new appreciation for who they build for.

During an ice breaker the first evening we went around the room introducing ourselves and Travis Haley set the tone. He talked about “why” he does what he does and explained that he is in the business of helping people. That really resonated with me seeing as how that is exactly why SSD was created. In fact, my original site, The Gear Guru was created for exactly the same reason. What followed was four days of learning, fun, friendship and inspiration.


(more…)

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Posted in Disruptive Tech, Industry, Training | 6 Comments »

Elite Defense Quick Release Vertical Grip featuring the Battlegrip by TangoDown

Friday, July 27th, 2012

We first encountered these Quick Release versions of the TangoDown Battlegrip foregrip at SHOT Show. It retains all of the TangoDown goodness with the addition of the Elite Defense QR mechanism making them easy to mount and dismount. This is a lot easier to prepare your weapon for storage in weapon racks. Additionally, it’s a great accessory for use with machine guns.

www.elitedefense.com/products/elite-defense-tangodown-quick-release-for-battlegrip

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Posted in weapons | Comments Off on Elite Defense Quick Release Vertical Grip featuring the Battlegrip by TangoDown

Purnell – A New Brand of Workwear for Industrial Athletes to Debut at Outdoor Retailer

Friday, July 27th, 2012

This is exciting news. Originally developed for windmill techs, Purnell’s new line of performance workwear is targeted at a new audience; the Industrial Athelet. What I find fascinating about this is that we are beginning to refer to the Soldier and LE Officer as Warrior Athletes. The concept of an Industrial Athlete parallels the Warrior Athlete movement. Hopefully we’ll also see an emphasis on functional fitness as well as the development of performance clothing and equipment.

Let’s face it. Many construction and industrial jobs require the workers to face hazardous conditions and extreme weather. Items like this FR Harness Hoodie are designed to be worn by those who find themselves suspended in a harness. Also, I’d hazard a guess that this is the first time that features like bicep pockets have been integrated into industrial clothing. They’ve also introduced a lightweight as well as a non-FR version of the garment.

Purnell has developed an entire line of clothing and I’d say it’s worth a look. I’ll be sure to follow up during next week’s OR Summer Market.

purnellworkwear.com

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Posted in Clothing, FR, Industry | 4 Comments »

SOTech Takes It To Sacramento

Friday, July 27th, 2012

SOTech CEO and Veterans Industry Program for Employment Reintegration (VIPER) director Jim Cragg recently spoke to the California State Legislature in support of Veterans jobs creation and the environmental ban on single use plastic bags. He delineated the number of jobs that would be potentially created by a statewide ban based off the number of jobs created for the veterans sewing program from previous municipal bans. Mr. Cragg founded VIPER and Project Green Vets LA to provide vocational training, therapy, and job opportunities to Veterans from the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. Many veterans post-service experience abandonment issues and Cragg set up the program to give these heroes work projects that make them feel that they are part of a community effort again. Veterans in the program assemble medical kits for troops going down range as well as environmentally sustainable shopping bags for local municipalities. SOTech sponsors the VIPER charity both financially and through manning. Veterans are paid wages for their work with the intent of enabling them to move off VA property and rejoin society. Mr. Cragg said, “it’s awesome helping the environment, but there’s no feeling as great as seeing the pride in the eyes of a veteran who was homeless a year ago, and today shaking the hands of a politician and receiving his thanks.”

www.greenvetsla.org www.specopstech.com

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Posted in Industry | 3 Comments »

31 Heroes WOD 2012

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

On August 4, 2012 CrossFit gyms around the nation and world will unite together hosting the “31Heroes” WOD honoring the men killed in action on August 6, 2011. All funds raised will be donated to Snowball Express, the Travis Manion Foundation, and the 30 families immediately affected. Register now to host the WOD or participate at an affiliate near you.

www.31heroes.com

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Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Applied Orange FR-UBAX

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

Dutch newcomer Applied Orange has introduced their take on the combat shirt. Called the FR-UBAX, it is an FR garment manufactured from TenCate Defender M fabric. What’s more, it’s manufactured in Europe to create a true high end and ‘locally’ made product.

Features include
-Full Ten Cate FR fabrics, Dutch woven sleeve and collar fabric and USA made Jersey and Mesh
-V shaped mandarin collar construction for better wearability with vests
-Double sleeve pocket construction with inner zipper closed pocket and full harmonica outer pocket for larger items

Look for these becoming available in August with multiple color variations including MultiCam with Tan 499 body for the US market.

www.appliedorange.nl

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Posted in Clothing, Foreign, FR | 3 Comments »

USMC Seeks Portable Fuel Analyzer

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

MARCORSYSCOM has just released a sources sought notice for a Portable Fuel Analyzer. According to the RFI, “The PFA will consist of a system that will enable an unskilled incidental operator the capability to rapidly obtain and analyze sample of indigenous/captured fuel stocks on location to determine usability for immediate exploitation.” Basically, they want a device that will allow the novice to determine whether or not a fuel source is contaminated and can be used to power a vehicle or generator. This is critical in small unit operations where they may be required to scavenge fuel from a variety of sources.

1. The components of the PFA shall be maintained and operated by a single incidental operator and not require formal institutional training in order to operate and maintain the system at the unit level (Threshold).

2. All operator functions shall be capable of being performed during reduced light conditions with the aid of a maximum of 50 lumens of unfiltered white iridescent or Light Emitting Diode (LED) illumination source (Threshold).

3. The PFA sampling and analyzing components shall be able to be operated and maintained in a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical contamination environment by personnel in Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) level IV and be capable of withstanding decontamination (Threshold).

4. The analyzing and sampling components of the PFA shall be contained in a hardened case to prevent, other than normal wear and tear, damage during repeated transport, handling and lifting in a field environment (Threshold).

5. The PFA components shall be able to operate in temperature ranges from -4°F to 110°F (Threshold) and -25°F to 135°F (Objective).

6. All components shall be able to remain operational after exposure to uncontrolled climates that the USMC will deploy within , to include rain, dust, sand, etc. (Threshold).

7. All PFA components shall be able to withstand a transit drop In Accordance With (IAW) MIL-STD-810G Method 516.6 Procedure IV without adverse performance to their operational capability (Threshold).

8. The dimensions of the analyzing and sampling components case will not exceed 24″x18″x12″ (Threshold).

9. The weight of the component case will not exceed the maximum weight limits for portability by a single Marine (Male/Female) IAW MIL-STD-1472F (Threshold)

10. The sampling component of the PFA shall provide the capability to rapidly obtain adequate quantities required for analysis (Threshold).

11. The analyzing component of the PFA shall have the capability to analyze an indigenous/captured fuel source and determine is suitability IAW military fuel standards for use in ground combat vehicles and equipment (Threshold) as well as combat aviation platforms (Objective).

12. The analyzer portion of the PFA shall accurately provide in easily read format, “GO/NO GO” determination of the usability of indigenous/captured fuel IAW military fuel standards (Threshold) and a detailed format showing each critical property results for reporting purposes when the sampled fuel stocks do not meet specifications (Objective).

13. The operational time required for the incidental operator to obtain and analyze a sample of indigenous/captured fuel to determine its usability shall not exceed ten minutes (Threshold) and 30 seconds (Objective).

14. The PFA shall be capable of self-sustained operations for at least 15 fuel analyses (Threshold) or 60 months of repeated use (Objective).

15. If required, the PFA analyzer shall operate on battery power for 3 hours (Threshold). If the batteries are removable, they shall be a service common solution from the commercial sector (AA, AAA, B, C, D, 9V, CR-123) or existing military battery (Threshold).

16. If a power source is required, the PFA analyzer shall also have the capability to operate/charge on 85-240 AC current, and be internally protected from power surge (Threshold).

17. The PFA system shall be able to be shipped by commercial air carrier, rail, loose cargo, helicopter, etc (Threshold).

In particular, SYSCOM wants to know –
1. Industry comments on draft USMC performance requirements, to include ability to meet performance requirements.
2. Industry comments on draft USMC work statement, to include ability to meet work requirements.
3. Industrial capability to manage and execute this type program
4. Industrial comments on production rate and timing
5. Past performance delivering a like or similar capability

Interested parties should visit www.fbo.gov for full details.

Posted in MARCORSYSCOM, Power | 2 Comments »

Disruptive Tech – Vltor Weapon Systems KeyMod Data Package – A Gift To All Of Us

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

Vltor has done something very interesting. Not only have they developed a new accessory attachment system for small arms but they’ve offered up the TDP for use by all.

Oddly enough, I feel like I’ve seen this before. It feels like PCAPS was channeled in the design and I recall a similar system under development by the same folks working on the domestic K2 weapon system about 5 years ago or so. Additionally, designer Eric Kincel admits that he ran across a similar system under development by Accuracy International. While I can’t attest to individual dimensions, conceptually, it’s not new. The underlying difference here is that Kincel has a patent and has very smartly placed it in the public domain.

With Picatinny (Mil Std 1913) as the current industry standard, it’s going to be a steep uphill battle to get anyone to adopt a new system if it’s proprietary to just one company, no matter how good it is. If you can get everyone to start building to it, you can really affect the market. Naturally, the KM system will be backward compatible as it accepts Picatinny rail modules.

It’s also important to note that Noveske introduced the NSR handguard at SHOT Show incorporating this technology, so it’s already in use.

It remains to be seen if this will be a disruptive technology or not, but the very manner which it was released puts it on my watch list.

Finally, I want to thank Military Morons for staying on top of this since SHOT Show and releasing this info. Below is Vltor’s statement.

To the Firearm Industry and Shooting Public,

Introducing the Vltor KeyMod system.
The concept has been bouncing around in my mind (and the Vltor offices) for a few years now and it’s finally become reality. I first introduced the KeyMod Tech data package to friends in the community, starting with Noveske Rifleworks.

The design is nothing major or earth shattering, it’s just something I thought was needed for the industry. My goal is for the industry to make this system a standard; working in parallel with the Picatinny rail; not replacing it. I’m not taking credit for coming up with this “keyhole” design, because I found out a year and a half ago that Accuracy International was working on a similar program. Also, it’s hard to take credit for a design that’s been around for 100+ years, i.e. warehouse shelving, scaffolding, etc.. Plus, with close examination of the A.I. key slot design, there are a number of improvements that the KeyMod covered and improved upon.

The main difference is in the mounting and re-zeroing capabilities of the component. In addition, A.I.’s design was never taken into consideration for counter-recoil but recoil only.

With this official introduction, I’m releasing the prints (shown below) to the firearm industry, so fellow companies can develop their own rail systems/platforms utilizing the KeyMod configuration. I added a sample component print (4-inch rail section) showing the mating interface to the outside of the platform surface. I also included a picture of the accessory nut that interfaces/ indexes to the chamfered surface on the backside of the platform. Please note the nut has a counter bore, so the mating screw can be distorted at the tip. The thread distortion will stop the screw from backing out, making the accessory a self contained, self centering, “drop and slide” mounting component. As you can imagine, there are a number of companies that are already developing and/or manufacturing components that mount directly to the slots. For example, Noveske and I are making our own rail panels, to work with “our” platform requirements. Other items being developed are VFGs, handstops, bipods, light, sight and sling mounts. The possibilities are endless.

In all, I see this design as being a viable solution to limit the use of the aging “cheese grater” Picatinny Rail and/or multiple mounting points, which require threads, Helicoils and thread inserts. It is time to move on and I think the industry is ready for it.

With the amount of enthusiasm I’ve seen so far, I think there will be a lot of fresh ideas for both the rail system and accessory world. There’s more than enough market for all of us to benefit from this KeyMod system, which is why Vltor is releasing the Data Pack into the public domain. Any manufacturer is free to use the Data Package for manufacturing their own Keymod handguards or related mounting accessories without needing consent from Vltor.

If I can help in any way with this project, please feel free to contact me.
Take care, I hope to hear from you soon.

Eric S. Kincel
General Manager
Vltor Weapon Systems

Key Mod DIMS

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Posted in Disruptive Tech, Industry, weapons | 6 Comments »

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