We received this announcement from Gentex for the UAE adoption of the Ops-Core FAST Helmet. It’s a great helmet and we see more widespread adoption of the design internationally. Congrats guys!
Ops-Core, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gentex Corporation and the recognized world-leader in modular integrated helmet systems for elite defense and security forces, was awarded a contract to supply the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Presidential Guard with its Ops-Core FAST Ballistic High Cut (XP) Helmets.
Field proven ballistic protection and modular design played a leading role in selection of the helmet by the UAE military unit. “The UAE Presidential Guard relies on gear that provides protection and performance in hostile and challenging environments,” said Chandra Sankar, vice president of Ground Systems for Gentex Corporation. “The contract affirms our customers’ confidence in the quality and capability of our products and our continued growth in international markets.”
The Ops-Core FAST Ballistic High Cut (XP) Helmet is a lightweight modular helmet system designed for protection, comfort, and stability. XP Helmets also provide a solid platform to easily add compatible accessories such as Night Vision Goggles, and Mandibles and Visors, to suit mission needs such as mission documentation, breaching/ATV exercises, and night and airborne operations.
The FAST Ballistic High Cut (XP) is part of the Ops-Core helmet system portfolio designed to provide the modern warfighter with the best equipment for every mission. Product focus ranges from fielding the lightest integrated helmets in the world to providing holistic head borne systems with the most protective coverage and situational awareness capability. Customers can choose between types of threat protection, weight and price. Different shell versions use the same liners, retention and integration components to maintain compatibility. Operators can match the best equipment with their needs and outfit more personnel with the right equipment in various positions, while keeping within budgetary and logistic constraints.
www.ops-core.com
www.gentexcorp.com
OH awesome! Glad they got a huge contract to supply a middle eastern country when they can’t even fill their US orders. Lead time on helmets is 8 months. That is ridiculous!
So heres a novel concept Gentex, since your 8 months back ordered ALL THE TIME and just landed this multimillion dollar UAE contract why don’t you expand your production capability to meet current demand, make your US customers a priority and fill all their orders before you screw all the US SOF units LEOs and Security Contractors who are at war and actually need the gear instead of pushing delivery times to a year+ so you can deliver gear to prince Alibaba’s private royal guards who just want to look cool in high speed gear while they stand post at the air conditioned warehouse that stores the princes Tandem HAHO jump rigs, crates of SCAR 17’s and his ski boat and collection of wake boards……Just F”kn saying!
There is that…
Plus, how many “Presidential Guards” are there? Same guys using the STI .40 race guns and other bling-if so I can see the importence you need a helmet in MC, Gold Plate, black to match the Benz…
Wow CRH, I don’t believe OPS-Core has delivered late on ANY DoD contract as there is that whole “Escalating Penalty Clause” when you don’t adhere to a “Delivery Schedule” so, that pretty much neuters your whole gripe about not being able to fulfill “SOF Orders”.
Now, in relation to “LEOs and Security Contractors”, if someone is assigned to an LEA or PMC who’s position requires personal protective equipment and is not issued it, my advice is to find a different outfit.
But that’s not it, is it? What you’re really griping about is “personal purchase” and that you have some sense of “entitlement” because of your “position”.
Well, news flash sparky, it’s called a “business” and inasmuch they have a “production schedule”. Gentex isn’t just cranking out FAST Helmets. In addition, I’m sure there is limited tooling to make the FAST helmets and it doesn’t make fiscal sense to maintain a “stock” of them to fulfill “onesies”. Therefore, if you want “one” you are going to have to wait until they handle all of their “PAID” obligations or get enough “single orders” to justify a production run. And at $900 bucks a pop, that’s going to take a while.
When people ask me “How can I get a helmet like yours?” I tell them; “Go to a unit that issues it”. So, if you’re in a “SOF Unit” and you feel that you have a “Requirement” for it, go through the wickets and convince your commander to cut a contract and spend your MFP-11 funding on them. If you’re an LEO, convince the bean counters to drop a contract and buy them. If you’re a PMC, convince you’re employer that you need them and have them procure them. If you do it that way, I’m pretty sure they’ll show up in about 30 to 90 days after receipt of order. But at $900 verses $200 (especially if you already HAVE a helmet), “that dog don’t hunt”.
But if you want “one” I’m pretty sure you’re gonna wait.
Remember, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.. or the one”
Hmm interesting theory Misha, all I really heard was Blah blah fuck you if you don’t order 30 helmets blah blah if you need a helmet tough shit, blah blah if you don’t meet our MOQ your order doesn’t mean shit. Hopefully your not the director of business development at ops-core/gentex.
Its all right though all these other companies, Cerdyne, MSA, Team Wendy etc. have noticed the continuing trend of ops-core being unable to meet their demand so they are developing awesome products to take advantage of all the balls Op-core/Gentex drops constantly.
Dude, you really need to put down the play station controler and take a chill pill. Do you even KNOW how many people were first on the FAST Production line? How many toolsets they had when they started or now? Do you even know what it takes to make a helmet or how much the material costs?
No, you don’t.
And “No” I’m not the director of sales, I’m an end user who rates to be issued this kit.
Trust me, I’m with you on the whole “OPS-Core hates me” thing. That was until we started using their products and I could see the operation. What I saw wasn’t a bunch of corporate suits trying to make a buck, what I saw were young entrepreneurs busting their 4th point of contact to deliver what the Special Operations Force’s members needed.
But now that they have some capital behind them with the Gentex merger, things will delivery time will probably pick up.
But in the meantime, before you start throwing stones at companies like OPS-Core in a Veruca Salt rage, take a moment and rember that raw materials are expensive and usually have minimum order quantities delivered on a “Net 30” basis. So, if they can’t get you what you need in time for your next great Airsoft tournament because they need to wait until they have enough orders to consume those raw goods, have a little patience or order well before you need it.
Or, you could just get a cut down MICH, but then you wouldn’t be CAG/ACE/DEVGRU/USSOCOM/USAISA/MARSOC/SAD cool
You certainly live up to your handle “Angry” I think you have some valid points, but so do I. I also think you make a lot of assumptions about who you’re talking to, and you know what they say about assumptions. Chances are I was carrying a ruck and a bolt gun when you were writing in crayon. My last deployment was in support of a JSOC TF, and I was rocking a FAST in AFG in 2007 so you can take your air softer BS and shove it in you’re cargo pocket. Furthermore I know the folks at ops-core well. I also work currently in this industry and have for 8 years so I am very familiar with MOQ, Net 30, the costs of tooling etc. The point I was trying to make was I think it’s bad form to put out an announcement on landing a foreign contract when you are 8 months back ordered on US orders, especially when you were purchased by Gentex nearly 2 years ago and should have put the capital into expanding production capability to meet demand I think when you are constantly back ordered that far, for that many years consecutively its definitely a safe investment. As far as “Rating” a helmet that statement wreaks of arrogance and sounds like a very young operator who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Because I am a firm believer that ANYONE who has bullets flying by their head for a living deserves the best gear money can buy period.
Why would UAE need helmets?? They out source there fighting force to non-Arabs since they don’t trust their own military.
Their PSG isn’t really the best of the best… I’m less impressed with there own SOC Units