According to industry sources, USSOCOM has selected Mystery Ranch packs in the Assault, Patrol and Recce categories which were all part of a solicitation released last year. Mystery Ranch has had packs in the SPEAR program for almost a decade and packs designed by Dana Gleason have been used by SOF for over 20 years. We’ll give you more details once we have them.
The Colt Combat Unit Carbine combines a mid-length gas system, Magpul furniture and an M-Lok rail system from Centurion Arms.
The carbine was developed with input from Mike Pannone, Daryl Holland and Ken Hackathorn.
Look for the CCU this month from Talo Inc.
Los Angeles, California –October 17th, 2016 – Mechanix Wear introduces Tactical Specialty (T/S): a line of specialized tactical gloves devoted to protecting the hands of military, police and SWAT professionals. Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty gloves are designed to perform in a range of high-risk scenarios and environments whether you’re a police officer demanding high-dexterity patrol gloves, or an infantryman requiring military rated flame-resistant combat gloves.
Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty gloves are available in 5 specialty models:
1. Recon :: Leather Patrol Gloves
2. Pursuit CR5 :: Cut-Resistant Duty Gloves
3. Tempest :: Flame-Resistant Combat Gloves
4. Breacher :: Flame-Resistant Combat Gloves
5. Azimuth :: Flame-Resistant Operator Gloves
All T/S gloves come standard equipped with touchscreen technology throughout the entire palm to meet the growing demand for connectivity in the field. Flame-resistant T/S glove models are built with high-quality FR goatskin leather and Nomex® to meet ASTM D6413 & NFPA 1971-07 ratings for flame and thermal heat resistance required by the U.S. military. From the patrol to forcible entry, Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty gloves are built to weather the storm.
Tactical Specialty Product Video “The Breach”: http://glov.es/TS
Some of you may know Tom Greer personally, but many will know him from his nom de plum, Dalton Fury.
Tom Greer has done a lot to make our lives better.
He protected us, spending his youth in the Army, tackling some of the most challenging assignments available. Then, he informed us, telling the story of the hunt for Bin Ladin when no one else would. Later still, he entertained us, authoring a popular series of novels featuring a former special operator.
Now is our chance to give back.
You see, Tom has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and unfortunately, there’s really not a lot to say about that.
However, Tom’s family has created a Facebook page for him, as he deals with his illness. Please go and like it and do whatever it is you do, whether it’s praying or sending out positive vibes, think about Tom Greer. Please let him know how much you appreciate everything he’s done for us.
www.facebook.com/Pray-For-Tom-1811259205784426
Propper International has been a prime government contractor for decades, supplying clothing and individual equipment. They have just released the new ACU cut, for commercial sale in MultiCam and Universal Camouflage Pattern.
For those of you unfamiliar with the new cut, concurrent with the release of the Operational Camouflage Pattern, the service made some changes to the design of the Army Camouflage Uniform.
– Mandarin collar has been replaced with a fold down collar design
– Upper sleeve pocket hook and loop flap closure replaced with a zipper
– Pocket lengthened by one inch
– Elbow patch pad removed and hook and loop for patches removed, but double fabric reinforcement has been retained
– Sleeve pen pocket reduced from three pen channels to two
– Drawstring removed from waistband
– Cord and barrel removed from cargo pocket and replaced with button closure
– Knee patch pad removed and hook and loop for patches removed, but double fabric reinforcement has been retained
– Hook and loop on lower leg pocket flap replaced with button closure
For many, the MultiCam pattern is welcome, considering it outperforms the Army’s OCP. However, many of you may be scratching your heads over the UCP offering. This is because some organizations outside of the Army, continue to use the pattern.
The uniforms are available in 50/50 NYCO or Battle Rip 65/35 PolyCotton in MultiCam and 50/50 NYCO in UCP.
Whiskey 5 is a recurring Soldier Systems Daily feature that asks “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” of industry leaders, manufacturers and instructors — to let you hear how they describe themselves. It’s intended to give you a close and thorough look at some of the people that make our industry unique. We’ve found these basic 5 questions to be the basic keys to understanding. Past Whiskey-5s have included business from Provengo to Kryptek, and all sorts of other companies in between.
Today we’ll be sharing an overview of North Carolina’s Raidon Tactics Inc.
Who
Raidon Tactics is a training company located in North Carolina. It is run by Frankie McRae, a former Ranger and Special Forces NCO who instructed at the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and School. McRae’s experience alone would make Raidon worth looking into, but Raidon’s entire instructor staff is comprised of seasoned professionals, with an aggregate total of over 100 years of Special Operations experience. Raidon offers one-on-one instruction for classes ranging from firearms fundamentals for new shooters to advanced skills for highly-trained special operations troops. Because McRae and so many of his instructors were Special Operations senior leaders who held positions in SF schools, and they’re close to Army SF’s heartland, Raidon maintains working relationships with military units to facilitate needed training.
What
Raidon Tactics is a go-to company for those requiring realistic, relevant training from skilled, experienced instructors. Raidon offers individual and team training in rifles, pistols and shotguns, Tactical Casualty Combat Care/EMT/paramedic training, counter-ambush and PSD driving, surveillance, sniper/observer skills, aerial marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, K9 handling, edged weapons, corporate and travel threat mitigation, and many other courses. Raidon trains military, law enforcement and private citizens of all ages.
When
Raidon bought their facility in 2009, made improvements and opened the facility for training a year later.
Where
Raidon Tactics is based in Bunnlevel, North Carolina, minutes from Fort Bragg. Raidon operates a low-restriction training facility almost 365 days a year, minus Christmas and Easter. The facility has numerous live fire training bays, a 360-degree ballistic shoot house, and 100- and 25-yard shooting ranges for the public. “Low restriction” means exactly that; Raidon students shoot from elevated positions, vehicles and other barricades. Firearms classes offer a full complement of steel targets to challenge shooting skills. Raidon also leases a 1000-acre farm for realistic scenario-based training; for example, students learning Sensitive Site Exploitation will get many false positives from explosives and other chemicals used for farming. Raidon has a hardball road for Vehicle Interdiction training, which is used often by Special Forces units on near Ft Bragg. Language skills can be tested in realistic scenario-based training exercises that employ multilingual role players to enhance realism.
Why
Because the military makes it hard to get good training.
McRae dealt for years with the Army’s policy of ruining good training opportunities with bureaucratic obstacles and overbearing safety rules. After retiring he decided to open his own facility where he could provide the best training possible with the least red tape. There are very few military facilities where a unit can incorporate evasive driving, CQB, hand-to-hand combat, TCCC, and small unit tactics into one exercise, without having to deal with an old-school sergeant major waving a reflective belt. Instead of drowning troops in unnecessary hurdles, Raidon Tactics has perfected the turn-key method of providing training to Special Operations units. Raidon Tactics even provides all weapons, ammo and gear to all of students in order to make training as painless and smooth as possible.
Find Raidon Tactics online at raidontactics.com.
Also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RaidonTactics
You can read more about Raidon Tactics chief instructor Frankie McRae in this interview here:
www.recoilweb.com/preview-zeroed-in-frankie-mcrae-81521
5.11 Europe mad e a bit of a mistake earlier this weekend when they made a great post with a quote from a user about their Stryke Pant on Facebook. Unfortunately, most of the accompanying photos 5.11 shared, feature Rescue Global members wearing Arc’teryx LEAF pants.
It’s been noticed, particularly by Arc’teryx fans, and is a good reminder in general to brands to be careful about outsourcing social media management, although it may not be the case in this instance. Furthermore, the tactical consumer is a very savvy customer and even the smallest details do not go unnoticed. Even 15 years later, there are still remarks about H&K’s infamous backward rounds photo.
This is a pretty interesting article from ADS Inc regarding the adoption of LED lighting for use by the military. It’s not something I’d normally consider but they make a good case for its adoption when you start to do the cost-benefit-analysis of life-cycle costs.
Automobile headlights, office ceiling lights, shipboard lights, and flashlights are make up the bulk of LED converted lights used in the US Military today. And just like many emerging technologies widely adopted by the military, commercial and residential LEDs have gained popularity in recent years. Regardless of whether you are a civilian or soldier, the common misconception of LED lighting is that it’s more expensive. This case study provides consolidated research that thoroughly examines and demonstrates the benefits of LEDs over its counterparts.
The biggest initial barrier for the widespread adoption of LED lighting (also known as Solid-State Lighting (SSL)) was a purchase price greater than the equivalent Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) or incandescent bulb. SSLs are defined as a light source that emits solid-state electroluminescence through light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and do not use thermal radiation or fluorescent tubes. (Solid-State Lighting n.d.) Since 2000, the Department of Energy (DOE) has invested heavily in Solid-State Lighting (SSL) R&D projects in order to realize the full potential of LED lighting. Finding ways to optimize the use of LEDs included research and development into the reduction of material costs, greater light output, and remedy of underlying technical challenges. As a result of improved technology, the cost of LED lighting dropped almost 40% between 2011 and 2012. (Top 8 Things You didn’t Know About LEDs n.d.)
Cost Comparison
When researching the cost comparison of LED lighting compared to a CFL or incandescent bulb, the question became:
Does switching to LED lighting actually save money, and if so, when are those cost savings realized?
In Cost Comparison (Table A), the cost and lifespan of a single LED, CFL and incandescent bulb are compared. The top-level benefits of using LEDs over CFLs or incandescent bulbs are clear; LEDs cost more upfront but use less energy and last significantly longer.
The real cost-benefit analysis of purchasing an LED bulb over its counterparts becomes clear around the 5-year mark (see Table B – 1 Ballast). At the 10-year mark, CFL bulbs cost two times the amount and incandescent bulbs are six times the amount of a single LED bulb.
How many people does it take to change a lightbulb?
It remains unknown, but what is clear is that LED lighting doesn’t need to be replaced nearly as many times as CFLs or incandescent bulbs. Using Table C – Maintenance/Bulb Replacement, let’s examine changing a CFL or incandescent bulb over the course of 20 years.
You may think to yourself, “Changing a residential light bulb may not require much manpower or preparation.” However, imagine changing a single commercial CFL or incandescent bulb 6 – 49 times over the course of 20 years. Commercial lighting, whether on a ship or in an office, is much more abundant and will require an unwarranted amount of manpower. When lighting requirements are in the thousands, as is with shipboard lighting, changing a lightbulb becomes a man hour intensive exercise.
When you consider the time it takes to replace thousands of commercial bulbs over the course of 20 years, you may be exposing your service men and women to unnecessary risk of injury and countless hours of maintenance that would be better spent on training or fleet operations.
DID YOU KNOWThe U.S. Military has been one of the largest consumers of LEDs sense 1998 (Snyder 2013)
Military Adotion of LEDs
As stated previously, LEDs provide substantial cost, energy, and time savings over CFL and incandescent bulbs. Since the Navy first installed LEDs on ships in 2007, more than 125 ships and submarines – almost half of the current fleet – have been outfitted with more than 500,000 LED products. The Navy’s investment of millions of dollars over the years doesn’t come without a thorough backing in LED research, development and fielding. The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus once stated that reducing just 3% of each vessel’s total energy equates to an annual savings of over $150 million in fuel consumption for the entire Navy fleet. (Shavers n.d.)
According to the Commander of Navy Installations Command (CNIC), energy bills are the single largest cost for Navy installations. Energy costs at one time made up 28% of the Navy’s overall shore budget. It was imperative to reduce these energy costs to free up budget to invest in crucial support training and fleet operations. In 2010, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) spearheaded an initiative titled the Navy Shore Energy Program to set specific energy goals geared towards reducing the Navy’s energy costs. The proposed outcome for these goals included reducing the shore energy consumption by 30% in 2015 and by 50% in 2020. (Navy Shore Energy Program n.d.)
Safety and Quality – Added Benefits
In addition to providing cost, energy and time savings, LEDs have been proven to improve performance and safety for our service men and women. Just by reducing the maintenance required, we are mitigating the risk of injury associated with disrupting workflow to replace a bulb. Depending on the mission, having a reliable light source can be critical to safety. Furthermore, the quality of light emitted from an LED creates a “daylight” ambient light that can increase performance and minimize the effects of eye strain, headaches, and migraines associated with traditional fluorescents. Some manufacturers even insist LED lighting can be attributed to changing a person’s mood.
LEDS Lead the Way
ADS is a proud partner and government supplier of Energy Focus, an industry leader in LED technology research and development. Outdated fluorescent technology, whether in a warehouse, on a ship or in an office is proven to cost more, use more energy, require more manpower and strain the eyes. The Energy Focus 2-ft. LED is a direct replacement for these legacy fluorescent lamps, operates with or without a ballast, works with the New Emergency Automatic Lighting System (NEALS), and has a starter that can be removed in either mode of operation. Energy Focus’ technology is the only LED replacement lamp approved by the U.S. Navy for shipboard lighting.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Test Your LED Lighting IQ with this QUIZ provided by the Department of Energy.
If you’d like to learn more about LED lighting and other energy efficiency solutions that can save you time and money, contact a knowledgeable ADS Representative at 866-845-3012.
SOURCES
n.d. Navy Shore Energy Program. http://www.cnic.navy.mil/om/base_support/facility_system_investment/Navy_Shore_Energy_Program.html.
Shavers, Lt. j.g. Clyde. n.d. Navy Installations Go T-LED: Replacement of Fluorescent Bulbs. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=90427.
Snyder, Tim. 2013. LED Lights Are Now Being Used By The Military. 09 16. http://4wheelonline.com/led-lights-military.231321.0.
n.d. Solid-State Lighting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_lighting.
n.d. The True Cost of Lightbulbs. http://greenlivingideas.com/2015/02/19/the-true-cost-of-light-bulbs-led-cfl-incandescent/.
n.d. Top 8 Things You didn’t Know About LEDs. http://energy.gov/articles/top-8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-leds.
n.d. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp.
