Archive for 2013
Check Out Special SHOT Show Deals from OTTE Gear
Friday, January 11th, 2013
Elite Defense Announces Distribution Partnership with Patagonia
Friday, January 11th, 2013
This is very exciting news from Patagonia and Elite Defense. For the past few years Patagonia has been responsible developing and producing USSOCOM’s Protective Combat Uniform, a 9 level ensemble of environmental and field clothing items. Every once in awhile pieces have become available on eBay or at surplus outlets but, outside of program, we haven’t been able to purchase these garments. Now, you’ll be able to get not only the Level 9 Combat Uniform but also a Jungle Uniform (seen above) as well in addition to other pieces such as the level 3a jacket just adopted by SOCOM. The Level 9 garment features an innovative kneepad system (below) we have written about in the past and offers both combat and field shirt options.
Elite Defense and Patagonia have the stage set for a January release of the Level 9 combat uniform and have targeted SHOT show 2013 as the location for its release for commercial sales.
Patagonia is a world leader in clothing design, protective garments and an industry pioneer in environmentalism. They have designed and developed numerous layers of clothing to protect our Warfighters, and now have a commercial global distribution channel through Elite Defense.
Bringing this large scale collaborative effort together was the 132 Group, lead by Founder and President William Jarvis. “We’re excited to launch the Patagonia L9 Combat Uniform commercially; there has been a lot of hard work and patience to pull this all together. We are prepared for an incredibly successful launch at SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV.”
“Adding an internationally known brand like Patagonia to our portfolio is exciting; there has been a buzz about it since we started making all the right steps to pull this partnership together and bring it to market.” said Brett Westcott, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing at Elite Defense.
The level 9 combat uniform will be the first of many products that will be brought to commercial market space; the team anticipates a new jungle style uniform as well as a commercial variant of the PCU 3 Alpha Jacket to be ready for delivery in the second Quarter of calendar year 2013. All of the offerings are Berry Complaint to meet the needs of the US DoD and other domestic agencies. The distribution agreement includes a dealer network that is equipped to handle multiple Government contract mechanisms to support that customer base.
“Patagonia has been a go-to for top tier design and development services to the SOF community for over a decade, and has long supported the soldier” Says Eric Neuron, Patagonia’s Director of Strategic Product. “We are very excited to make available these innovative products commercially, and further that support. Elite Defense’s business model is unique in this trade area, and is exactly what Patagonia has been looking for.”
Elite Defense will be in Booth # 27411 displaying the NEW Patagonia Level 9 Uniform, Jungle Uniform, and 3 Alpha Jacket. For more information please visit www.EliteDefense.com.
UK Adopts Glock to Replace Browning Hi-Power
Friday, January 11th, 2013
I awoke this morning to some great news. The UK MoD has announced that after a trial for a new service pistol consisting of 7 contenders they have chosen the Glock 17 Gen 4 to replace the Browning Hi-Power which has seen 45 years of service. The MoD has awarded a £9m contract with Viking Arms Ltd of Harrogate to provide more than 25,000 new Glock pistols and Blackhawk! holsters Radar 1957 holsters from Italy. Interestingly, the British purchased a number of SIG pistols over the past few years as an urgent requirement for use in Afghanistan.
Congrats to both Glock and our friends in the British military.
Meet Larry Vickers in Aimpoint Booth at SHOT Show
Friday, January 11th, 2013Meet Larry Vickers, star of range and screen in the Aimpoint Booth #14573, daily from 10:30am – 12:00pm Tuesday – Friday.
FirstSpear to Unveil New Products at SHOT Show
Friday, January 11th, 2013As I was talking with FirstSpear the other day getting ready for this article I realized a few things. It was just in Dec of 2010 that we first published the FirstSpear logo. Since then they’ve launched 4 new catalogs, including the full-size 64 pager you’re going to see here. They’ve also reinvented the way the industry looks at pouch attachment and releasable vest systems including fully integrating floatation and buoyancy compensation into load carriage systems. If that wasn’t impressive enough, they’ve also launched a clothing line and begun to branch out into weapon accessories. They aren’t doing everything. Instead, they are looking for niche areas where no one has done anything before. Some would say that you are crazy to launch a new tactical nylon company in this economy but they are thriving. And I’d say that this is a testament to their people. These guys are both innovative and driven. Plus, they really know their customer and they listen.
Take a look at what that combination of customer interaction and innovation has wrought for Spring 2013.
Armor
-Two new maritime specific platforms
-The Sloucher – armor carrier
-The Slick – ultra lightweight plate carrier
Clothing
-Asset combat shirt
-Discreet Anorak
Load Carrying
-Discreet Tactical Belt – Designed to be worn under a suit coat or jacket
-Backward compatible 6/9 pouches – Replaces PALS attachment system and also 6/12 platform compatible
-Split front modular chest rig
New pouches
-MP7 pouches
-Mini Admin
-New hinged radio pouch
-Montana GPS pouch
-CSM Gear Drop pouch – Now available direct from FS
Accessories
-MICH/ACH helmet covers
-Patterned Advanced Gunfighter Belt
-The Thug – Rapidly attaching pouches to the front of a carrier
-The DAS DING – low profile SERE equipment carriage
-Break down transport bag
FirstSpear™ 2013 Catalog [V4] by scottcarver
Look for coverage of some of these new items starting Monday when we’ll get to take a look at them during a Pre-SHOT Show range day.
SOCOM Adopts Polartec Alpha as Insulation for PCU Level 3a
Friday, January 11th, 2013This isn’t the first time that we’ve mentioned SOCOM’s Block 2 PCU Level 3a or its use of Polartec’s materials. Polartec has a long history of providing innovative fabric solutions for not only SOCOM’s Protective Combat Uniform program but for all of DoD. What’s more, their manufacturing partner is Patagonia. They too have a long history of supporting SOF and other specialized units going back to the 80s. In 3ID LRS I was issued blue Patagonia polypropylene long underwear and pile jacket and overalls in Germany in the late 80s. Later, Patagonia developed the Military Advanced Regulator System. Now, they are responsible for the design and manufacture of PCU. Below is the press release on this new insulation technology option for USSOCOM.
Polartec and Patagonia Collaborate to Provide Breakthrough Fabric Technology to Every Special Forces Operator
January 8, 2013 – (Lawrence, Mass.) – Polartec, the developer, manufacturer, and marketer of Polartec performance fabrics, has worked closely with the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) to develop Polartec®Alpha, a new synthetic insulation technology that creates the first-ever breathable “puffy” garments for active warmth. The Special Forces are the first adopters of this breakthrough fabric technology and are presently fielding Polartec Alpha jackets designed by Patagonia to all SOF operators.
Unlike down and existing synthetic insulations, Polartec Alpha provides active warmth that allows air exchange for breathability and comfort in more dynamic situations. It was developed to meet the specific performance requirements of the United States Military Special Operations Forces. The development brief required materials that are warm, wind resistant, highly durable, quick drying and more breathable than any existing insulation products. In field and lab testing, Polartec Alpha received the highest testing results of any Polartec product ever tested by the Special Operations Forces evaluation team. The garment will replace two to three layers, reducing costs, saving weight in the field and improving combat effectiveness.
In close collaboration with Polartec, Patagonia designed and developed the overall garment design for SOF. The company spent months maximizing the details of the design to take full advantage of the performance characteristics of Polartec Alpha. The final product is the SOF Protective Combat Uniform Level 3A Jacket, a standard issue piece fielded to every Special Forces Operator in the service.
“Polartec Alpha is a significant technical achievement that has created an entirely new class of fabric technology,” says David Costello, Polartec’s Military Business Manager. “This fabric innovation has been made possible due to our longstanding relationship with the Special Forces and has come to fruition in a final garment through the creativity and drive of the Patagonia design team. The demanding mission profile of the SOF operators requires absolute performance from every element of the operator’s ensemble. Polartec Alpha meets this test and has tremendous potential as a platform for future development.”
“Patagonia constantly works with suppliers to push the limits of what is possible. We have been pushing these limits with Polartec for several decades now; the result has been many groundbreaking products over the course of those years, culminating into this pinnacle innovation. This technology allows technical product designer/developers an interesting new challenge for the next several years; to ‘dial in’ the perfect CFM (or breathability) of a low loft garment,” says Eric Neuron, Patagonia’s Director of Strategic Product. “Without the demands and feedback from Special Forces Operators, this jacket and technology would not exist. We are very proud to support their needs. ”
