April 2024 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for April, 2024

Norarm Tactical – Oslo Neck Gaiter, Gen. 2 Now in Tigerstripe

Wednesday, April 10th, 2024

Norarm Tactical has restocked their Oslo Neck Gaiter, Gen. 2 in Multipurpose camo and added five new colors as well: Tigerstripe, German Flecktarn, Norwegian Woodland, Urban Grey and Light Savage Green.

Made in a stretchy, all-mesh fabric that is comfortable to wear no matter the season, the Oslo Neck Gaiter, Gen. 2 have quickly become one of their bestsellers since its launch last Fall. They also offer discounts on unit orders. Reach out to contact@norarm.com for inquiries.

If you live in the US and are looking to get one or two neck gaiters only, they would recommend you to get them from their official dealer Americana Pipedream as they offer cheaper, domestic shipping.

Posted in Clothing, Tigerstripe | 4 Comments »

Assignment Incentive Pay to be Authorized for Airmen, Guardians Stationed at Extremely Cold Locations

Wednesday, April 10th, 2024

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

Effective April 1, the Department of the Air Force approved a new incentive pay for Airmen and Guardians assigned to qualifying bases in the U.S. where the temperature is expected to drop below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cold Weather Assignment Incentive Pay is a single lump sum payment given to Airmen and Guardians after signing an agreement to serve a prescribed tour length of at least 12 months, depending on qualifying location.

Locations that meet this threshold include Minot and Grand Forks Air Force Bases and Cavalier Space Force Station in North Dakota, Clear Space Force Station, Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, as well as Malmstrom AFB, Montana.

“Airmen and Guardians living in extremely cold conditions faced unique out-of-pocket costs,” said Alex Wagner, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “In addition to the assignment and retention benefits of the pay, it also comes down to making sure we do our best to take care of our service members and their families stationed at these critical installations.”

This payment intends to ease the financial burden of purchasing certain cold weather essentials, such as extreme cold weather gear, all-season and/or snow tires, tire mounts and alignments, engine block heaters and emergency winter car kits, as well as further incentivizing assignments.

Although AIP-CW is effective April 1, the first pay date is anticipated for July 1, 2024, meaning Airmen and Guardians who move to a qualifying location between April 1 and June 30 will receive payment retroactively.

The amount of AIP-CW Airmen and Guardians are eligible to receive is based on criteria in the five pay levels outlined in the table below and is subject to change.

This change follows the Department of Defenseimplementation of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which included language authorizing special duty pay for members based in cold-weather climate conditions and the FY24 NDAA, which clarifies the temperature parameters that qualify an area as a cold-weather location.

“We want to ensure Airmen, Guardians and their families have the resources needed to safely live and work in an extreme cold-weather environment,” Wagner added.

The official guidance memorandum can be found here.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Arctic, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, Space | 2 Comments »

Assistance for Ukraine Unbroken: Rheinmetall Delivers Additional 20 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

The German government comissioned Rheinmetall to deliver 20 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Ukraine. The order was placed in March 2024 and has a value in the mid double-digit million Euro range. The delivery of this new lot is scheduled within 2024. So far, Rheinmetall has already handed over a three-digit number of Marder IFVs to the Ukrainian Armed Forces via direct deliveries and circular exchange programmes.

The version of the 1A3 Marder that has now been ordered also features integrated laser range finders, which enable efficient and precise target elimination. The company had already supplied the first 20 of these combat vehicles to the Ukraine on behalf of the German government in March 2023. A number of further lots have since been delivered, each in two-figure numbers.

Rheinmetall acquired the overhauled 1A3 Marder IFV from the Bundeswehr. The company began overhauling the IFVs for immediate deployment at its own expense back in spring 2022. The corresponding work has since been underway at Rheinmetall’s locations in Unterluess and Kassel.

The Marder IFV, which was developed for the Bundeswehr, and is still being operated there, is one of the world’s most proven weapon systems of its kind. Over the course of its service life, the vehicle has been repeatedly modernised and improved in its combat effectiveness.

The Bundeswehr now has more than 300 Puma IFVs in operation, representing the latest generation of this type of combat vehicle, and gradually eliminating the Marder IFV in the German Army. In addition, a second lot of over 50 additional Pumas was ordered in 2023.

Posted in International, Press Release | Comments Off on Assistance for Ukraine Unbroken: Rheinmetall Delivers Additional 20 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles

U.S. Air Force’s $46 Billion Elon Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) Selects Persistent Systems

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

EWAAC will provide contract vehicle for Air Force commands seeking mobile ad hoc networking solutions.

Persistent Systems (“Persistent”), a leader in mobile ad hoc networking (MANET), announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to participate in the multi-vendor Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC), a $46 billion Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) rapid acquisition vehicle for the development of novel weapons capabilities.

Participating in EWAAC enables Persistent Systems to better support networked autonomy efforts with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as well as provide other Air Force customers, such as Global Strike Command and Air Combat Command, with a ready-to-use contract vehicle.

“We are very excited to be selected by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to participate in the Armament Directorate’s EWAAC,” said Cody Larson, director of Business Development at Persistent Systems. “EWAAC will help us with our networked weapons development efforts, the goal of which is to develop air-launched, swarming weapons that share information for increased survivability and lethality.”

EWAAC places an emphasis on digital engineering, agile software, and open systems architecture. Meeting those goals, Persistent’s Wave Relay® MANET is data-agnostic and capable of passing any digital data, allowing it to adapt to ever-changing, open-architecture weapons systems.

“This further deepens the relationship between Persistent and the U.S. Air Force to support emerging concepts like JADC2 and other programs,” said Adrien Robenhymer, VP of Business Development for the Air Force and Intelligence Community, at Persistent Systems.

Posted in Air Force, Comms, Contracts, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Q30 and Best Ranger Competition Announce Continued Partnership to Help Safeguard Army Rangers with Q-Collars

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

NORWALK, CT (April 9, 2024) – Q30 Innovations, the creator of the Q-Collar, proudly announces its continued partnership with the 2024 Best Ranger Competition. Taking place at Fort Moore in Georgia and celebrating its 40th anniversary, this historic event will showcase the world’s greatest soldiers outfitted in Q-Collars, the FDA-cleared device aimed at reducing the risk and severity of traumatic brain injury during high-impact activities.

The Best Ranger Competition is renowned for its rigorous challenges, demanding peak physical and mental performance from all competitors. Q30 aims to positively impact the well-being of every elite soldier taking part in this historic tradition and on the battlefield. This year, Andrew Beck, Houston Texans Fullback, Q-Collar athlete and son of Major General Christopher Beck, will join the Q30 team onsite to assist in equipping all Army Rangers with a Q-Collar and an all-new Best Ranger Competition Q-Collar sleeve during the event.

“We are honored to continue to stand alongside The Best Ranger Competition and our U.S. Army Rangers,” said Q30’s Co-CEO, Tom Hoey. “We hope to help mitigate the risks of brain injuries that occur during military activity and positively impact the overall health of our American soldiers for years to come with our proven and patented device. By backing our nation’s defenders and this historic event, we aim to advance brain health awareness and ensure the continued safety of our brave men and women.”

Close to 500,000 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with brain injuries since 2000, typically a result of head impacts and blast waves. Through these specific military scenarios, rapid acceleration and deceleration movements of the brain can occur, often referred to as “brain slosh.” To showcase the Q-Collar’s efficacy in mitigating these effects, participants in the Best Ranger Competition will receive firsthand experience of the critical protection it provides.

The Best Ranger Competition is held on Fort Moore and is open to the public. For more information call 706-718-9520 or visit BestRangerCompetition.com

More information on the product, research and how to purchase the Q-Collar can be found at Q30.com/military

Posted in Advertiser, Medical, Press Release | Comments Off on Q30 and Best Ranger Competition Announce Continued Partnership to Help Safeguard Army Rangers with Q-Collars

Safariland Limited Edition Chocolate Chip Camo Has Arrived

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

Safariland®, a brand of The Safariland Group®, has announced the availability of a “Chocolate Chip” pattern camo holster. This addition to Safariland’s holster line offers the best possible retention holster options in an iconic camo pattern from years past.

The limited edition pattern is available in the following styles of holster:

Holsters are available for a variety of Glock, Shadow Systems, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Staccato, and Wilson Combat handguns.

Chocolate Chip, more formally referred to as the Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU), is a camouflage pattern designed for arid environments. Also known as the Six-Color Desert Pattern, it is probably best recognized for its service in the Persian Gulf War (Desert Shield/Desert Storm).

The pattern was originally developed in the 1960s, went into limited service in 1980, and was officially issued in 1981. It remained in service until the early 1990s and is now available on a Safariland holster. Models are available for pistols equipped with a variety of RDS options, a weapon light (WML), or both.

Order yours online now.

About The Safariland Group

The Safariland Group offers a number of recognized brand names in these markets, including Safariland^® Armor, Duty Gear and Communications, Bianchi^®, Break Free^®, Hatch^®, Med-Eng^®, Identicator^® and NIK^®. The Safariland Group’s mission, “Together, We Save Lives^®”, is inherent in the lifesaving and protective products it delivers. The Safariland Group is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.

For more information about The Safariland Group and these products, please visit www.safariland.com.

For media resources and information, please visit the www.safariland.com/media-center.

Tags: Camo, Safariland Group
Posted in Camo, Holsters, Press Release | 1 Comment »

The Rescue Rod from Black Hills Designs

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

The Rescue Rod is a clamp for AK-style full length monolithic cleaning rods, that seamlessly intigrates onto a Picatinny rail; giving you the tools needed on the gun to clear a catastrophic malfunction.

It was a somewhat uncommon practice in Vietnam, particularly during the early fielding of the M16 to tape a cleaning rod along the triangular handguard to keep it handy to quickly clear a flash hider full of mud or dislodge a stuck case from the chamber in a firefight.

Sold in pairs at BLACKHILLSDESIGNS.NET.

Posted in Weapon Accessories | 14 Comments »

Tactical Tuesday: The Ultimate Tactical Jeans with 11 Pockets

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

While the traditional “5 pocket jean” has long been a staple in everyone’s wardrobe, Vertx takes it to a whole new level with their revolutionary Defiance Jeans.

The Defiance Jean offers unparalleled functionality without compromising on style – plus a staggering 11 pockets. The mesh front pockets with lanyard retention not only provide added breathability and comfort, but also ensure the security of essential items like keys.

Vertx goes above and beyond with the inclusion of 2 rear yoke pockets, providing ample storage for magazines, tourniquets, phones, or any items you want quick access to without cluttering your front pockets. The standard back pockets are far from ordinary, featuring wallet traps to safeguard your valuables against pickpocketing and accidental loss.

To further enhance versatility, the Defiance Jean boasts 4 strategically located mini-stash pockets throughout the pants, ensuring you’re always prepared for any situation. And let’s not forget the advanced technology incorporated into these tactical jeans. Coolmax® fabric keeps you cool and comfortable, while CCW oriented belt loops, YKK zippers, and a gusseted crotch prevent blowouts and provide unmatched durability.

Don’t just take our word for it – experience the superiority of the Defiance Jean yourself. Discover why these are the best tactical jeans on the market, trusted by professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Posted in Advertiser, Clothing, Guest Post | Comments Off on Tactical Tuesday: The Ultimate Tactical Jeans with 11 Pockets