April 2022 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for April, 2022

Task Force Antal

Saturday, April 9th, 2022

Non-profit Task Force Antal is soliciting funds to help them in their work to US Citizens, Ukrainian American families, vulnerable Ukrainians and third-country citizens are safe until they can find passage out of Ukraine to escape the Russian invasion.

Led by Christine and Mark Antal, TF Antal’s team of former Tier 1 Operators is made up of men and women with 20+ years of experience from around the world. The team comprises experts in intelligence, medical, logistics, air, case officers, human intel, trauma and case managers for evacuees, data managers, and legal professionals.

Previously, TF Antal successfully managed the safe evacuation of over 1,400 American Citizens, legal permanent residents in Afghanistan with Special Immigrant Visa, including several high-value assets, with heightened security profiles.

Donations are used to:

• Provide safe housing, food, medical supplies, and other basic needs for evacuees and those still in Ukraine. This includes the shipping costs associated with the speedy transfer of these supplies from the US to Ukraine

• Evacuation assistance from Ukraine by paid professionals

• Coordinate and support operations as the TF Antal team navigates the day-to-day hazards of assisting families to safely leave Ukraine

• Safe relocation of a Ukrainian orphanage to neutral territory

• Moving forward: rebuilding of hospitals, clinics, homes, and other pieces of key infrastructure in Ukraine

www.taskforceantal.net/ukraine

Posted in Charity, Fundraising | 11 Comments »

SEALKIDS BBQ & Oyster Roast Casino Night Fundraiser

Saturday, April 9th, 2022

The SEALKIDS non-profit invites you to join them the evening of Friday, October 21st in Isle of Palms, South Carolina for their BBQ & Oyster Roast Casino Night Fundraiser.

This organization which provides the children of fallen NSW personnel with educational support is seeking sponsors as well as attendees.

www.sealkids.org/calendar

Posted in Charity, Fundraising | Comments Off on SEALKIDS BBQ & Oyster Roast Casino Night Fundraiser

Thinking Outside the Mailbox: Robins AFB First Base to Get Intelligent Lockers

Saturday, April 9th, 2022

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) —

What started out as an Airman’s innovative idea to help his wingmen is now a reality at Robins Air Force Base.

The installation held a ribbon cutting ceremony March 30 for its recently installed Intelligent Lockers, giving the Airmen at the dormitories a centralized location to receive their packages after hours.

The lockers started as an idea presented by Senior Airman Ricardo Morales, 461st Aircraft Maintenance group crew chief, during the 2021 Air Force Installation Maintenance and Mission Support Center Innovation Rodeo. Morales was chosen as the winner, and subsequently, Robins AFB was awarded $235,000 and became the first base to install the Intelligent Lockers at its dorms.

“It makes me so happy to see the lockers are ready to be used by all the Airmen in the dorms,” Morales said. “I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the implementation of the lockers.”

Morales said the locker idea came to him after noticing fellow Airmen experienced delays in getting their packages because their work schedules conflicted with the limited post office hours on base.

According to Morales, his idea not only saves space in the postal facility but allows Airmen to pick up their mail at a convenient time for them.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my local innovation hub and AFMISC,” Morales said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new lockers. “This will improve life for Airmen because they can now retrieve their packages 24/7. Shift workers will now be able to get off their shift and retrieve their package at any time of the day without having to work around the base post office’s limited hours.”

Several members of installation leadership attended the ceremony, including Col. Rosalie Duarte, 78th Air Base Wing vice commander, who gave opening remarks.

“Innovation is a top priority of our Air Force leaders, starting with (Air Force Chief of Staff) Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., when he demanded that we accelerate, change, or lose,” Duarte said. “Here at Robins, we’ve taken this direction on innovation very seriously by empowering our Airmen – both military and civilian. We truly believe empowered Airmen can solve any problem.”

Also in attendance was Maj. Gen. Michael Koscheski, Fifteenth Air Force commander.

“This is wonderful,” Koscheski said. “We need to grow that innovative spirit across our force. That is how we are going to accelerate change,” he said. “We have to think our way to a better Air Force, and today is a great example at how we will do that.”

Col. Michelle Carns, 461st Air Control Wing commander, commended Morales for his tenacity.

“This was almost a two-year process,” Carns said. “He never quit, never gave up, and hung in there no matter what he encountered. I love what he did because it was not just about him; it was about the team.

“He wasn’t the only one not getting his mail, and he wanted to do something community-minded,” she continued. “His innovation will improve the quality of life for all Airmen living in the dorms here at Robins.”

Carns said seven other bases have already scheduled Intelligent Lockers to be installed at their facilities and eventually this service will be available across the Air Force.

Morales encourages everyone to put on their thinking caps to bring positive change to the Air Force.

“Innovation has no rank,” he said. “You can still make a difference. Get connected with your local innovation hub so they can help you navigate your idea and provide you with any needed resources. I did this as an Airman 1st Class; you can too.”

By Kisha Foster Johnson, Robins Air Force Base Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post | 7 Comments »

DroneShield Launches DroneSentry-C2 Command-and-Control System in Partnership with Location Intelligence Provider Nearmap

Friday, April 8th, 2022

DroneShield, an Australian/US global leader in Artificial Intelligence based platforms for protection against advanced threats such as drones and autonomous systems, has today announced an enhanced version of its DroneSentry-C2 Command-and-Control software, in partnership with location intelligence firm, Nearmap. Nearmap provides city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, geospatial tools, and high-resolution aerial imagery in Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

DroneSentry-C2 provides an intuitive and feature-rich software platform, providing counter-UAS awareness and reporting capability. It integrates both DroneShield and third-party C-UAS sensors and effectors. Those include multiple AI-enabled sensing and tracking products, such as RfOne long-range direction-finding sensors for UAS detection and tracking, and camera-agnostic DroneOptID optical/thermal camera AI software.

DroneSentry-C2 will come with a standard mapping solution for cost-sensitive customers, and an optional Nearmap mapping upgrade for best-in-class mapping data for high-performance environments, such as Government, intelligence, Homeland Security and defence markets, when precision and quality are critical.

The system receives regular secure software updates, capitalising on years of DroneShield’s extensive experience in the C-UAS arena.

DroneSentry-C2 with Nearmap location data

The software comes as an on-prem, air-gapped solution which focuses on intelligence, Homeland Security and defence users, or secure cloud for enterprise customers. The on-prem solution also includes a high-grade physical server. Both options come with regular mapping updates, including ability for the user to load own maps, for sensitive locations.

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield CEO, commented, “One of DroneShield’s differentiators is that we are both a sensor manufacturer and an integrator. Providing a streamlined and standardised hard/software bundle that gives our user community an easy to deploy and run command-and-control software, will be critical, as more fixed and pop-up site users seek to deploy counter-UAS products. Importantly, the offering is already validated by deployments such as US Air Force and Australian Army, amongst number of other tier 1 end users globally.”

Dr Rob Newman, Nearmap CEO and Managing Director, said, “Our customers tell us they prefer Nearmap because of the quality, city-scale coverage, and currency of our location intelligence offering. Combine this market-leading geo-spatial capability with DroneShield’s innovative software, and the ability to defend against the threat of autonomous aerial vehicles, including drones, is even more powerful.

“Nearmap continues to drive innovation in the use of geo-spatial data and tools. This includes harnessing location intelligence to help organisations plan smart cities of the future, support the growth of greener spaces, and assist recovery efforts after major natural disasters.”

Posted in Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on DroneShield Launches DroneSentry-C2 Command-and-Control System in Partnership with Location Intelligence Provider Nearmap

INVISIO Receives Order from an Armed Force in a European Country Worth SEK 91 million

Friday, April 8th, 2022

INVISIO has received a first initial order under the five-year framework agreement that the company announced in January 2022. The contract is with the system integrator of the end-customer’s vehicle modernization program. The order concerns the Racal Acoustics branded new product RA4000 Magna™ headset with accessories. The order value is SEK 91 million. Shipments are related to vehicle deliveries and ongoing until 2026.

The order, as well as the five-year framework agreement, are part of the end-customer’s ongoing modernization program of systems that enable effective communication in heavy and noisy vehicles.

The order and contract, represents a significant strategic success for the new and advanced digital RA4000 Magna™ headset.

The five-year framework agreement has an estimated total value of approximately SEK 275 million.

The agreement is not the first success for the headset. In 2021 a 7-year framework agreement with the Danish army was signed, where the value of the first order under the agreement was almost SEK 44 million.

“There is no doubt that the new RA4000 Magna™ headset is a market leading solution for noisy vehicle environments. We are very pleased with the success and vast potential this headset has. The level of ease and adaptability, where it can be tailored to each vehicle’s specific noise patterns through its digital architecture, makes it ideal to replace both incumbent legacy headset solutions as well as addressing ongoing and future modernization programs,” says Lars Højgård Hansen, CEO of INVISIO.

It is worth noting that deliveries of Racal Acoustics branded products in general may lie further in the future than for products under the INVISIO brand. It is not unusual for some customers to request a first part-delivery within six months whereas the next delivery may not take place until 12-36 months later.

About the RA4000 Magna™ digital headset

The RA4000 Magna™ digital headset is Racal Acoustics’ most recently developed product. It offers market-leading hearing protection, communication capability and situational awareness. The RA4000 Magna™ has modular, customizable, and upgradeable features and accessories, which makes it possible to meet a range of specific customer requirements, while at the same time prolonging the usability and life of the product.

Posted in Comms, Contracts, International, Press Release | Comments Off on INVISIO Receives Order from an Armed Force in a European Country Worth SEK 91 million

AMERICAN | kinetix (AX) Celebrates 20 Years

Friday, April 8th, 2022

AMERICAN | kinetix (AX), an industry innovator in security, training and intelligence support services has reached an exciting milestone as the company celebrates 20 years of delivering exceptional, cost-effective support to the defense, law enforcement and intelligence industry.

Through AX’s offerings, US defense, security, and law enforcement organizations, as well as those of friendly foreign nations have improved their operations and enhanced efficiency while realizing significant value at competitive costs.

In celebration of this milestone, AX is now a distributor of a select line of rugged, tested operator-proven equipment at exceptionally low prices from trusted brands.

From night vision, to Ops-Core products, to Black Hills Ammunition, AMERICAN | kinetix has carefully selected, tested and vetted each product listed at the online GEAR LOCKER for durability, practicality and quality.

Here’s a short example of the fine selection being offered:

OPS-CORE FAST SF SUPER HIGH CUT HELMET (BALLISTIC)

L3HARRIS BNVD (AN/PVS-31A) 2376+ FOM

NEXT GENERATION AIMING LASER – NGAL, NGL-000-A1

HoneyBadger™ — Black Hills new line of ammunition that does not have hollow points…because HoneyBadger™ doesn’t need hollow points and does not depend on them for performance. HoneyBadgers™ work every time, and like their namesake, HoneyBadgers™

Innovative training courses

PRO-Series Concealment Holster

SKALLYWAG D2 TOOL STEEL DAGGER

Posted in Industry, Press Release | 2 Comments »

Adam Hevey Joins HLC Industries as Vice President of Sales & Business Development

Friday, April 8th, 2022

HLC Industries, a 106 year old military and commercial textile provider, announced today the hiring of Mr. Adam Hevey of Acushnet, MA as Vice President of Sales & Business Development.

Hevey joins HLC with an extensive background in the textile industry. Most recently, Adam worked directly under the CEO of Brittany Global Technologies. In this role, he was responsible for many aspects of the day-to-day operations and brings a wealth of experience in product quality, business development, and customer support.

“We are very excited to have Adam join our team. Adam’s overall knowledge of the textile industry as well as US government contracting experience will be a great asset to HLC Industries.” said Vincent Salatino, CEO of HLC.

Posted in Industry, Materials, Press Release | Comments Off on Adam Hevey Joins HLC Industries as Vice President of Sales & Business Development

RAMPART Announces Acquisition of XION Protective Gear’s PPE Division

Friday, April 8th, 2022

OTTAWA – April 8th, 2022 – RAMPART International Corp, a leading supplier of operational equipment to Law Enforcement and Military end users, is proud to announce the completed acquisition of the Xion Protective Gear PPE line from Xion Protective Gear.

Xion Protective Gear PPE was established in 2006. Their PPE line of protective base layers can be worn comfortably underneath any uniform or workwear and will protect the user from blunt trauma impact through impact protection technology from D3O®.

From Mike Klein, the founder and President of RAMPART; “The acquisition of the Xion PPE line will allow us to focus on growing the global market for the unique PPE offering, develop generational improvements using new materials and identify new applications for the products”.

RAMPART will be employing its considerable experience and industry presence to offer the product line to customers globally.

While the acquisition is a new change, Rampart and Xion Protective Gear PPE have had a long-standing relationship. “We have been working with RAMPART for many years and are convinced they are the right partner to entrust the future of the Xion PPE branch to in its road to maturity.” wrote Simon Van Lammeren, Managing Director of Xion Protective Gear.

Xion PPE is RAMPART’s first acquisition, Klein commented “Understanding the real-world needs of our customers has been a large part of what has driven Rampart’s success. It will be an exciting opportunity to bring that knowledge directly into the manufacturing process.”

The companies started the process of merging operations and client support logistics in Q1 2022. Going forward Xion Protective Gear PPE will operate singularly under the Rampart company.

Posted in Industry, International, Press Release | 1 Comment »