June 2018 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for June, 2018

POF-USA Chosen as Rifle of the Year at 2018 Industry Choice Awards

Wednesday, June 20th, 2018

(06/19/2018) Phoenix, Arizona – Patriot Ordnance Factory is proud to announce taking home the Rifle of the Year award from the 2018 Firearms Industry Choice Awards for a second year running. POF USA was honored to attend and thanks everyone involved in the awards process, as well as congratulating the other winners.

The Renegade + is a departure from the original vision of Patriot Ordnance Factory, who is known for being a pioneer in the piston MSR category of rifles, and for still having the most reliable and feature-packed piston driven MSR on the market. Historically, there was much debate on whether or not POF-USA would or should even enter the Direct Impingement market. However, Frank has never been one to back down from a challenge, and in true POF-USA style, the Renegade+ took form.

Built on the unique and fully ambidextrous Gen 4 lower, featuring multiple upgrades and produced with 100% American sourced made raw materials and innovation. The Renegade + and Renegade + SPR with its 18.5” stainless barrel are clearly several steps ahead of the majority of the MSR market. The upper receiver is built around the unique heat sink barrel nut, the 9 position adjustable DIctator gas block, a match-grade accurate 18.5” .223 Wylde barrel, and features our Renegade M-Lok rail with 4 QD sling mount points.

Finishing what is already an impressive rifle is the Ultimate DI bolt carrier group with High-phosphate nickel coating, a roller cam pin, and features a one-piece construction with an integrated gas key. The rifle also features the Tomahawk ambi charging handle.

For more information, visit www.pof-usa.com or call 623-561-9572.

Tags: POF-USA
Posted in Advertiser, Black Rifle, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on POF-USA Chosen as Rifle of the Year at 2018 Industry Choice Awards

Widget Wednesday: Using Solar Power

Wednesday, June 20th, 2018

Last time we looked at ways that troops can harness power from vehicles either while on the move or stationary. There may be times though when a vehicle or vehicle battery isn’t available, or when the tactical situation requires noise discipline that prevents running a vehicle engine.

Besides the audible signature, a running engine also produces a significant thermal signature – and it requires fuel of course as well. Using a field generator also incurs these same drawbacks, as well as the fact that it needs to be transported out to the location in the first place.

To get around all of these drawbacks the military has been a leading accelerator of portable solar power solutions. Solar power is free, plentiful, and safe and easy-to-use. Because of all this, a lightweight, folding solar blanket is included with every Nett Warrior system, and all PTX power management kits also include a solar blanket as a standard item as well.

There are nonetheless a few techniques and procedures to bear in mind. First; when connecting a solar blanket to the SPM-622 Squad Power Manager, make sure to plug it into Port #3 or #4 (a sun burst icon is printed on the case next to those ports for extra clarity); then connect a rechargeable battery to Port #1, #2, #5 or #6. On the PTX VPM-402 Vest Power Manager, the solar blanket is connected to Port “S” and the rechargeable battery to Port “B”.

Why does a battery need to be connected as well? Because the sun’s power constantly varies but phones, radios, and laptops require steady power, the Power Manager requires a battery in order to “even out” the power generated by the solar blanket. The best battery to use is one that you would want to keep charged anyway – such as a BB-2590 or a Conformal Wearable Battery.

Furthermore; a solar blanket or panel only works in direct sunlight, even a slight amount of shade (or passing clouds) can severely limit the amount of energy the solar blanket can produce. Try to aim the blanket directly at the sun, or to drape the blanket over something to get the best angle on the sun. When the solar blanket is generating at peak output the PTX Power Manager will automatically divert any excess energy to keep the battery charged. If the power output from the solar blanket dips, the Power Manager will automatically pull power from the battery as needed.

Want to know more? Don’t hesitate to contact us through www.PTXnomad.com or Teamroom@Protonex.com or +1-508-508-9960.

Tags: Protonex, PTXnomad, solar power, Squad Power Manager, Vest Power Manager, Widget Wednesday
Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Power | 1 Comment »

High Angle Solution – Brigantes Presents – Silva Expedition 55 Commanders Compass

Wednesday, June 20th, 2018

If you are looking for the one compass that does it all then this is it. Gone are the days where you carry a plastic lightweight compass for navigation and a brass prismatic sighting compass for accurate direction finding. This combination provides a tool that will enable you to not only move from point to point but also effectively call for fire and give target indication using mils or degrees.

Not only does this massively reduce the weight that you have to carry, by combining these two devices, but it also drops the cost considerably. The compass is available in northern and southern hemisphere varieties and comes with a distance measuring lanyard.

Silva have produced compasses for 85 years and supply the European militaries with their navigational tools. This compass along with the Expedition 5 constitute a small but tight range of military compasses that focus on the needs of a dynamic and flexible force.

For more information get in touch by email on international@brigantes.com or for UK customers tribe@brigantes.com.

www.brigantes.com

Tags: Brigantes Consulting, Silva
Posted in Comms, Mountaineering | 4 Comments »

You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up

Wednesday, June 20th, 2018

Last Man Standing Gear shows some love for SSD and Spartan.at at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor Show, the biggest in Europe.

Tags: LMS Gear, SPARTAN.AT
Posted in KCRF | Comments Off on You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up

Colonial Shooting Academy Announces Matt Jacques As Director Of Tactical Training

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

How You Train Matters. That’s Why Colonial Shooting Academy Is Happy To Welcome Matt Jacques To The Richmond, VA Team

Richmond, VA, June 19, 2018 – Colonial Shooting Academy has added a heavy-hitter to their tactical training division. Matt Jacques has been hired as Colonial Shooting Academy’s Director of Tactical Training, and has added a handful of new courses to their civilian course lineup. Matt is a retired Police Detective and Marine Corps veteran. Matt spent part of his military enlistment within HMX-1, The Presidential Helicopter Squadron, served within the Military Police MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), and after his military service, continued in civilian Law Enforcement.

Matt served with two Virginia Law Enforcement agencies and filled several billets. During his tenure, he served assignments as a Basic Academy Recruit Instructor, Field Training Officer, undercover detective within the Special Problems Unit, as well as a founding Special Deputy of the U.S. Marshal Capital Area Fugitive Task Force for the Washington D.C. U.S. Marshal’s Office.

Matt served several years on a large Northern Virginia Police Department SWAT team as an entry team member and later was selected and served as a Sniper team member until his retirement, due to a line of duty incident. After his retirement, Matt was hired as the Senior Manager of Weapons for FNH USA. He was involved in the FN SPR Precision Rifle program; FN Belt fed Weapons section and the SOCOM SCAR program. Matt was tasked with the user evaluations and New Equipment Training (NET) for SOCOM and the SCAR family of weapons. Matt left FNH USA and returned to training Law Enforcement as a Firearms Instructor for The US Department of State Firearms Training Unit within the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Matt was tasked with firearms training of Federal Agents for Diplomatic Security both stateside and worldwide.

“We’re excited to have Matt onboard at Colonial Shooting Academy. He is a welcomed addition to our team and has really brought a robustness and focus to our Tactical Training division here in Richmond,“ said Reese Haller, Education & Training Director at Colonial Shooting Academy. “Colonial Shooting Academy has an excellent facility that I am excited to utilize. Having the Shoot House and the Tactical Range at my disposal really allows for creativity and effective training. The more safe, educated and responsible gun owners out there, the better. Let’s not forget that shooting is also extremely fun,” said Matt Jacques. “This perspective is perfectly in- line with our philosophy at Colonial Shooting Academy (RVA), combine that with Matt’s background and we should have a winning combination,” said General Manager Thomas Lacy. If you are interested in meeting Matt Jacques, Colonial Shooting Academy’s newest team member, come to the Richmond location at 6020 W. Broad Street, 23230 this Saturday from 3:30pm – 5:00pm. Learn more about Colonial Shooting Academy’s new classes on their website: www.colonialshooting.com/rva/train-with-matt-jacques.

Tags: Colonial Shooting Academy, Matt Jacques
Posted in Press Release, Training | 1 Comment »

AT Armor Introduces Retro Carbine Paint Kit

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

Texas-based tactical gear company AT Armor releases historically accurate Rhodesian Army camo paint kit.Fort Worth, Texas – June 19, 2018

AT Armor, a growing retailer/manufacturer of personal ballistic armor and tactical gear, successfully introduced its first historically accurate camo paint kit in an early June soft launch. As a company equally dedicated to the preservation of freedom and the study of history, this camo paint kit made of modern materials was intended to match those common colors found during the bush wars that plagued the African Continent in the last century.

“We spent an exhaustive amount of time researching and matching the colors to those found during the bush wars” says Mike Martin, owner and CEO of AT Armor. “This is not a big box store hit and miss paint match – we were demanding about having these colors match up perfectly.”

AT Armor’s Rhodesian Army Camo paint kit is an oil-based kit consisting of three parts:

One 2 oz. bottle of Rhodesian Dark Green paint
One 2 oz. bottle of Rhodesian Light Green (aka “baby poop”)
One 1 oz. bottle of flat coat paint

Full instructions are included as well as three squeeze caps for project use. More introverted personalities may choose to use the flat coat paint to knock down the natural shine of the oil base. This kit contains enough paint for one carbine-sized project plus a little leftover for touch ups (or an additional small item such as a magazine or tactical toothpaste tube).

AT Armor disagrees with any subjugation or separation of free people based on color, creed, or religious belief. Unfortunately some scholars gravitate toward the historical interest of the bush wars in order to leverage it to further their cause of separatism; this is not our world view. We present this paint kit in iconic RA colors simply as a tribute to all anti-terror and anti-communist forces that fought the good fight.

Link to AT Armor RA Camo Paint Kit: store.atarmor.com/product_p/at-rhodiepaint-kit

For more information about AT Armor’s paint kits, as well as their ballistic and soft armor, please contact the AT Armor team at info@atarmor.com or visit the website, www.atarmor.com.

Tags: AT Armor
Posted in Camo, Press Release | 2 Comments »

Next Gen Night Vision Binos Increase Survivability for Recon, EOD Marines

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.— Marines will have better situational awareness on missions in dark areas thanks to new night vision goggles.

The Binocular Night Vision Goggle II, or BNVG II, is a helmet-mounted binocular that gives operators improved depth perception at night, and uses white phosphor Image Intensification technology to amplify ambient light, with a modular thermal imaging overlay capability. BNVG II helps Marines identify potential buried explosive devices, find hidden objects within foliated areas and safely conduct tasks that require depth perception.

A Marine with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Force Reconnaissance Platoon waits on the flight deck while training in the Pacific Ocean. Marine Corps Systems Command is fielding Force Recon and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines greater capability with the Binocular Night Vision Goggle II. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. T. T. Parish)

Marine Corps Systems Command began fielding the BNVG II to Force Reconnaissance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines this spring, and full operational capability is planned for the second quarter of fiscal 2019.

The BNVG II includes a Binocular Night Vision Device and a Clip-on Thermal Imager, or COTI, that attaches to the body of the BNVD with a bracket. The BNVD amplifies the small amount of existing light emitted by stars, the moon’s glow or other ambient light sources, and uses the light to clearly display objects in detail in very dark conditions. The COTI uses heat energy from the Marine’s surroundings to add a thermal overlay which allows the image to be viewed more clearly. It helps Marines with situational awareness in conditions with little to no light.

“The BNVG II helps Marines see enemies at a distance, and uses the COTI to detect ordnance or power sources for an explosive device that give off heat,” said Nia Cherry, program analyst with Infantry Weapons. “The COTI intensifies Marines’ ability to see anything in dark conditions, rain, fog, dust, smoke and through bushes that the legacy binoculars couldn’t.”

The BNVG II is a follow-on to the legacy, battle-proven AN/PVS-15 binocular, but offers more features— such as the COTI—for increased survivability. The BNVD component is a compact, lightweight, Generation-3 Dual Tube Night Vision Goggle with an ergonomic low-profile design. It offers superior situational awareness compared to the AN/PVS-15, utilized by Reconnaissance Marines, and the single-tube AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device utilized throughout the rest of the Marine Corps. It mounts to the Enhanced Combat Helmet and may be used individually or in conjunction with the COTI.

“In March, we held an exercise in San Diego where Marines provided positive feedback on their ability to easily maneuver with the goggles,” said Joe Blackstone, Optics Team lead in Infantry Weapons. “The depth perception provided by the BNVG II enhances precision and increases the operator’s survivability while on missions with limited lighting.”

Infantry Weapons falls under Ground Combat Element Systems at MCSC.

Posted in EOD, MARCORSYSCOM, Optics, Press Release, Recce | 4 Comments »

BE Meyers & Co’s MAWL-DA In Action

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

This is the latest and greatest video from B.E. Meyers & Co. which highlights some of the features and capabilities of its Modular Advanced Weapon Laser (MAWL) series of weapon lasers. Shot in the Pacific Northwest with a team of local Law Enforcement Officers who regularly use the MAWL in their day (and night) jobs, they put the MAWL through its paces in a darkened training facility where proper illumination technology often makes the difference between success and failure.

Beam clarity, ergonomics, and the benefits of the MAWL’s unique operation method are on full display here as pitch black rooms are cleared.

I recently learned a new term from Matt Meyers; Photonic Barrier, which he defines as the effect of a light source that is so bright or directional, that it does not allow objects/individuals beyond it, or adjacent to it to be identified, thus concealing the visibility of these objects/individuals from the observer.

The MAWL-DA is designed specifically to push past that Photonic Barrier and you’ll see the team do just that, thanks in part, to the MAWL-DA’s high powered VCSEL NIR diodes. They also show off how quickly the MAWL’s beam divergences can be adjusted to accommodate rapidly shifting engagement distances, or specific illumination challenges.

Depicting what the MAWL is capable of on video is tough. I’d recommend everyone get out there and shoot a course of fire under NODs with one, but let’s face it, that’s a tall order.

Fortunately, they’ve done a great job with this video which will give end users a small taste of what’s tactically possible with a MAWL integrated into their Low-light/no-light system.

B.E. Meyers & Co. has additional content in the works showcasing other scenarios where the MAWL’s capabilities become invaluable, but this video will give you a solid foundation on the MAWL’s basic operation and functionality.

bemeyers.com

Tags: BE Meyers & Co Inc
Posted in Advertiser, Sensors | 1 Comment »