July 2020 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for July, 2020

XS Sights Introduces New Line Extensions

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

Fort Worth, TX (June 30, 2020) – XS Sights is pleased to offer line extensions for its popular second-generation DXT2 Night Sights and a non-tritium rear option in the new DXW2 Night Sights for Glock, SIG SAUER, Smith & Wesson and other select pistol models. The front sights of all new products feature tritium in the center surrounded by XS’s photoluminescent Glow Dot technology.

For a full list of specific models and part numbers, visit xssights.com/LineExtensions.

Overview of Benefits

Tritium Rear vs. Non-Tritium rear:

The DXT2 Night Sights have tritium in the rear, which provides the brightest indexing point for sight alignment in low light. The DXW2 Night Sights have a white-stripe rear, which reflects light to offer an excellent, bright-light sight picture and provides more affordability for the set.

Color Options:

The Big Dot variants are offered in Optic Yellow or Optic Orange while the Standard Dots come in green. All front sights feature tritium surrounded by XS’s photoluminescent Glow Dot technology.

Optic Yellow:

Optic Yellow is the best option for low light and has the brightest glow intensity. Primarily based on the white light spectrum, Optic Yellow is very reflective and will excite the dot’s photoluminescent properties faster than any other color. The increased surface area of the convex dot increases light absorption, intensifying the charge of the dot’s glow properties, making this a great low-light choice.

Optic Orange:

Optic Orange is based primarily on yellow with a hint of red to ensure visibility in low light when uncharged. The increased surface area of the convex dot increases light absorption, intensifying the charge of the glow properties of the dot. Orange is the preferred bright-light choice of many XS customers.

Green:

Green is our bridge color for the Standard Dot sights. It glows well in low light and offers vibrant, bright-light sight indexing. This color performs well on the smaller-sized Standard Dot and still manages to focus the shooter’s attention, in any light.

While there are scientific reasons these specific colors excel in certain light, many times, the choice comes down to personal preference and which color an individual’s eye sees best.

Big Dot:

Sized at .188″ and positioned for defensive shooters, our Big Dot front sights are an excellent option for EDC guns or shooters who have vision difficulty and struggle to see their sights. The Big Dot’s provide a distinctive front that offers a great glow and the biggest front sight on the market.

Standard Dot:

Sized at .144″ and positioned for target shooters, our Standard Dot front sights are an excellent option for target guns or shooters looking for a smaller front sight option.

Suppressor Height Sights:

All XS Red Dot Optics (RDO)/Suppressor-Height sets are lower 1/3 co-witnessed for Glock 9mm MOS pistols equipped with a Trijicon RMR or Holosun 507C. The lower 1/3 co-witness minimizes the amount of space the front sight takes up in the optic’s window. XS’s durability and color options allow for greater flexibility and confidence when using suppressor heights as back-up iron sights for RDO.

Visit xssights.com for a full list of all products and models.

All XS Sights are backed by a 10-year, No Questions Asked Warranty and 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee.

Posted in Optics, Press Release, Weapon Accessories | Comments Off on XS Sights Introduces New Line Extensions

FT Polk’s 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment Trains and Fields Enhanced Night Vision Goggles-Binoculars

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

FORT POLK, La. — Throughout June, C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment is conducting in-class and field training with the latest in night-vision goggle (NVG) technology. The new equipment, the enhanced night vision goggles-binoculars (ENVG-B), not only provides an all-around upgrade in clarity, but also comes with thermal vision capabilities, augmented reality with heads-up display and integrates with weapon optics.

As with all training efforts, the unit is keeping COVID-19 precautions in mind by using the “same social-distancing guidelines that they use at Ranger School and here at the Joint Readiness Training Center. This includes limiting the number of Soldiers and new equipment trainers allowed in the classroom at a given time,” said Capt. William Hess, commander, C Troop 3rd Sqdn, 89th Cav Reg.

During the first week of June, 30 Soldiers received the new equipment training in a classroom environment. Twenty-eight Soldiers, with two on stand-by, completed a range density week beginning June 8, “logging hours with the equipment, executing training according to the Army’s standard qualification tables,” said Hess.

The last two weeks of June are dedicated to situational training exercises. The STX lanes will “use the tactical environment to allow the unit to integrate the newly learned capabilities into our troop leader procedures,” said Hess.

“These Soldiers will be getting a lot of training with the ENVG-Bs.”

Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier) members from Fort Belvoir, Virginia prompted and supported the ENVG-B training for C troop. Maj. John Nikiforakis, assistant program manager, ENVG-B, PEO Soldier said, “We need to test our night vision technology in a simulated combat environment, so that, by the time it gets to combat, the equipment is refined and ready.”

“As PEO, we are the material developers for technology for the warfighter. Everything we do is geared toward making our Soldiers more lethal, more survivable, and more capable on the battlefield.”

Throughout their training, within and outside of the classroom, Soldiers will gain direct insight into equipment functionality. According to Hess, the Soldiers will also run through the training with the monocular night vision device (PVS-14) — the older NVG model — and then with the ENVG-Bs. Their performance and experiences will be logged, creating a dataset for analysis.

“What we rely on is ‘Soldiers in the loop,’ and that is the Soldier feedback, which ensures the equipment that they are going to fight with is something they actually want to use,” said Nikiforakis.

C Troop Soldiers are excited about the ENVG-B’s and the opportunity to train with the equipment.

Pfc. Hunter Shor, C Troop, 3rd Sqdn, 89th Cav Reg, said, “Compared to the PVS-14s, I just feel the ENVG-B’s are exponentially ahead of their time with thermal technology and integrated systems.”

Similarly, Spc. Simon Ly, C Troop, 3rd Sqdn, 89th Cav Reg said, “It’s been really interesting. I’ve never used equipment with these capabilities before. There are things we can do with the ENVG-Bs that I didn’t think we could do before. For example, the augmented reality that allows us to see checkpoints in the NVGs: I just didn’t know the technology had reached that point.”

With the Soldiers’ feedback and training data, PEO Soldier is able to further ready the device for combat, exceed expectations and meet the needs of Soldiers on the battlefield.

“We go beyond ‘own the night’. We want to be able to identify all threats, under all conditions and be able to shoot first,” said Nikiforakis.

By Christy Graham

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Optics, PEO-Soldier | 4 Comments »

Reptilia ROF-Diving Board for 34mm Geissele Super Precision Magnified Optic Mounts

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

Introducing the Reptilia® ROF™-Diving Board for 34mm Geissele® Super Precision® Magnified Optic Mounts. Manufactured at the request of a DoD customer the Diving Board places a MIL-STD-1913 rail at the ideal position and height to mount laser range finders such as the Wilcox® RAPTAR laser designators or miniature red dot optics. Additionally the Diving Board doubles the support area on the optic tube by reusing the ring cap from the Super Precision® Mount. While it has been optimized for use with the NightForce® ATACR™ it is compatible with a wide range of other magnified optics. Initially the Diving Board will be available in our FDE MIL-STD anodized finish. Like all Reptilia products the Diving Board is 100% designed and manufactured in the USA.

Now available at www.reptiliacorp.com.

Posted in Optics, Press Release | 1 Comment »

New Night Fighter 101 Class Added to TNVC 2020 Training Calendar at the Brand New Vortex Edge Training Center in Wisconsin (22-23 August 2020)

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

tnvc.com/shop/night-fighter-101-wi-22-23-aug-2020

TNVC is excited to announce that a new Night Fighter 101 class has been added to the 2020 Night Fighter Training Calendar for 22-23 August 2020, being held in collaboration with Vortex Optics and is NOW AVAILABLE FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT!

For the first time ever, TNVC will be offering the standard Night Fighter 101 course at an indoor range facility, beginning during normal business hours at the new Vortex Edge Training Center, located approximately 30 minutes West of Madison, Wisconsin, a world class indoor training facility with over 50,000 sq. ft. of training space, and featuring 100, 50, and 25 yard live-fire ranges designed and built by Action Target as well as a force-on-force (non-live fire) shoot house for UTM/Simunition/FoF marking rounds.

As with any of our other Night Fighter 101 courses, Class 20-007 is not solely a square range course, making it difficult to conduct at most indoor range facilities. Both the 50 and 25 yard ranges at the Vortex Edge Training Center are configured to allow shooters to move anywhere within the room and conduct live-fire training with sophisticated automated targetry that can be tailored for a variety of different courses of fire and situational training exercises. All of the live-fire ranges are also fully climate controlled and sheltered, but offer variable lighting allowing lighting temperature and intensity to be adjusted to mimic almost any natural lighting conditions–including dawn and dusk, giving students an opportunity to train and practice in much more varied conditions than would be possible at an outdoor range facility.

Moreover, the ability to control the lighting conditions means that students no longer have to wait until until late-afternoon to begin training. Let’s be honest–not all students work night shifts, and it can sometimes be difficult to adjust and re-adjust schedules to the reverse-cycle usually required for Night Fighter classes that are reliant on external conditions.

Open-enrollment seats for TNVC’s First Ever Night Fighter 101 at the Vortex Edge Training Facility are extremely limited, so sign-up now!

We look forward to more collaboration with Vortex Optics and Vortex Edge in the future!

Click the link below to sign-up, or for more information about our Night Fighter courses, and Night Fighter 101!

tnvc.com/shop/night-fighter-101-wi-22-23-aug-2020

Posted in Advertiser, Press Release, Training | Comments Off on New Night Fighter 101 Class Added to TNVC 2020 Training Calendar at the Brand New Vortex Edge Training Center in Wisconsin (22-23 August 2020)

Maj Gen James F Glynn Takes Command at MARSOC

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

Marine Forces Special Operations Command hosted a change of command ceremony today, as the Marine Raiders bid farewell to Maj. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo and welcomed Maj. Gen. James F. Glynn.

Glynn returns to MARSOC to serve as it’s eighth commander, having previously served as the commanding officer of the Marine Raider Training Center from 2011-2013.

“You don’t get too many opportunities to come back to a unit,” said Glynn, “but when you come back, you stand among giants… people of character, people who care, people of concern that transcends the operational mission. It is personal.” Glynn summarized his feelings about taking command in three words. “Pride, at the opportunity to come back to this formation and have the opportunity to stand amongst you. Humility at the opportunity to command in an organization like this. And some would call it a burden of command. It is actually a privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of and to contribute to all the great things that this force and its families do.”

As the MARSOC commander, Glynn will be responsible for manning, training and equipping Marine Raiders for deployments in support of special operations missions across the globe. MARSOC maintains a continuous deployed presence in the areas of operations for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.

“We have lots of stuff in the Marine Corps three Divisions, three Wings, three Logistics groups. We have one MARSOC, it is that unique,” said Gen. David H. Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps and the senior officer presiding over the ceremony. “There is no part of the globe that this command does not operate in,” going on to explain how much the organization provides the service. “We get back so much from MARSOC in the Marine Corps, in equipment, in training…the most that we are going to draw from MARSOC in the next couple of years, is not a technique, it’s not a weapon and it’s not a radio. It is the focus on the individual.”

Also in attendance were Gen. Richard D. Clarke, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, previous commanders of MARSOC, and various dignitaries from the local government, as well as the Marine Corps and interagency.

“When I think of MARSOC, I always think of SOCOM’s Sparta. When you look at this force, it is 2% of our budget from SOCOM, 6% of our manpower, conducting over 10% of SOCOM’s missions globally.It’s a great payback for what we put into it. Much of it is the human capital invested…the great Marines represented out here on the field,” said Clarke.

Yoo departs the command after two years leading the organization. During his time commanding MARSOC, Yoo drove the implementation of MARSOF 2030, the vision document designed to shape and inform the next decade of acquisitions, capability development, and operations for the command. In the same vein, he merged the G-5 Plans Directorate, and the G-8 Requirements Directorate, creating the Combat Development and Integration Directorate to continue expanding MARSOC’s role beyond the traditional battlespace. Yoo directed the establishment of MARSOC’s Cyber Integration Working Group to build the command’s future cyber capability and implemented the annual Cognitive Raider Symposium to increases awareness and critical thinking of key issues facing the Department of Defense and Special Operations Forces.

“As a commander, your time is fast, and as the commandant eluded to, we are the caretaker of the organization and the organization is a reflection of the individuals,” said Yoo. “From the moment you take the colors as a commander, you hope you can move the organization forward and that the things you do will have lasting impacts. It has been a life time of honors to be a part of these different formations, but to conclude with you all here at MARSOC, makes me very, very grateful.”

MARSOC is the Marine Corps service component of U.S. Special Operations Command and was activated Feb. 24, 2006. Its mission is to train, organize, equip and deploy task-organized Marine special operations forces worldwide.

Story by Lance Cpl Christian Ayers, Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

Posted in Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF, USMC | 3 Comments »