Yesterday, the Army Materiel Command recognized the 75th Ranger Regiment’s ROLO or Ranger O Low Titer Whole Blood Program as the individual military winner of the US Army’s Greatest Innovation Award at the Association of the United States Army Global Warfare Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The ROLO Program, developed in collaboration with international civilian and military providers of the Trauma Hemostasis and Oxygenation Research, or THOR, Network, was created to bring emergency blood transfusions from the hospital to the field.
Under the program, unit members with O-type blood are identified, and then tested for IgM titers to determine potential donors to be used as the POI, or Point of Injury. Due largely to the efforts of Lt. Col. Andre Cap, Chief of Blood Research at the Army Institute of Surgical Research, and Lt. Col. Jason Corley, Deputy Director of the Army Blood Program, the ROLO Program has been fully implemented at the unit level in just 18 months.
For more information on the US Army’s Greatest Innovation Award Program, visit www.amc.army.mil/amc/agiap.
The RAMBO or Rapid Additively Manufactured Ballistics Ordnance, is a 3D-printed grenade launcher developed as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command; the U.S. Army Manufacturing Technology Program; and America Makes, the national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3-D printing.
(U.S. Army photo by Sunny Burns, ARDEC)
The RAMBO, and the 3D-printed round it fires, is the result of a project to “demonstrate the utility of AM [Additive Manufacturing] for the design and production of armament systems.” Rather than try to determine if AM/3D-printing could result in less-expensive or superior manufacturing, the researchers wanted to test the validity of AM/3D-printing technologies in building a weapon system, as well as if the properties of the materials were robust enough for a functioning weapon system.
(U.S. Army photo by Sunny Burns, ARDEC)
RAMBO has proven itself initially successful: every component of the launcher, save the springs and fasteners, was developed using AM techniques and processes. The barrel and receiver were fabricated from aluminum processed using a Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process, while other components were printed in 4340 alloy steel.
(U.S. Army photo by Sunny Burns, ARDEC)
The round, a M781 40mm training round chosen for its simplicity and lack of energetics, was manufactured using Selective Laser Sintering along with other AM processes to print glass-filled nylon cartridge cases and windshields. The projectile body underwent four separate manufacturing approaches, including printing the body in aluminum; steel with a urethane obturating ring; and zinc with a lost-wax casting process. Only the .38 cal cartridge case was not printed, as the capability to print cases isn’t quite yet feasible.
The RAMBO system and its accompanying 3D-printed rounds were test fired at both indoor and outdoor faculties, including the Armament Technology Facility at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, remotely fired for safety purposes, and recorded with high-speed video. 15 test shots showed no degradation of the system, and rounds met muzzle velocities within 5% of a production M781 round fired from a production grenade launcher.
While widespread adoption of AM/3D-printing processes is still a ways out, the RAMBO project has show that there is validity in these processes for developing weapon systems. If anything else, AM/3D-printing can be used to greatly expedite the production of prototypes, which will be of benefit towards better equipping our warfighters.
The first reduced pre-travel, flat-faced trigger for the XD-S.
We all know that small guns can be less fun to shoot, and often that’s because they come with heavy, creepy, gnarly triggers. The aftermarket trigger market for handguns has long been dominated by products for only a handful of polymer guns; we aim to change that with the BRZ Trigger.
The Overwatch Precision BRZ features a hybrid flat/curved trigger face, allowing a uniquely self-correcting, straight rearward press, combined with insane comfort. Pre-travel has been reduced as much as possible without compromising firearm safety features, and the result is a clean, crisp break with reduced overtravel, and a tactile reset.
Each trigger shoe and trigger safety tab is machined in the USA out of 7075-T6 billet aluminum alloy, anodized and affixed with stainless steel coil pins.
Based on what I am seeing in my classes the 9mm vs .45 ACP debate is over and 9mm won. 40 S&W is history – ask any gunshop and they will tell you they can’t hardly give pistols away in this caliber. Quality 9mm pistols are plentiful, they hold a lot of bullets, are relatively easy to shoot, self defense loadings are very effective and practice ammo is plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Tell me the downside to this?
Larry Vickers
Vickers Tactical Inc.
Host of TacTV
Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical is a retired US Army 1st SFOD-Delta combat veteran with years of experience in the firearms industry as a combat marksmanship instructor and industry consultant. In recent years he has hosted tactical firearms related TV shows on the Sportsman Channel with the latest being TacTV of which Bravo Company is a presenting sponsor. Larry Vickers special operations background is one of the most unique in the industry today; he has been directly or indirectly involved in the some of the most significant special operations missions of the last quarter century. During Operation Just Cause he participated in Operation Acid Gambit – the rescue of Kurt Muse from Modelo Prison in Panama City, Panama. As a tactics and marksmanship instructor on active duty he helped train special operations personnel that later captured Saddam Hussein and eliminated his sons Uday and Qusay Hussein. In addition he was directly involved in the design and development of the HK416 for Tier One SOF use which was used by Naval Special Warfare personnel to kill Osama Bin Laden. Larry Vickers has developed various small arms accessories with the most notable being his signature sling manufactured by Blue Force Gear and Glock accessories made by Tangodown. In addition he has maintained strong relationships with premium companies within the tactical firearms industry such as BCM, Aimpoint, Black Hills Ammunition, Wilson Combat and Schmidt & Bender.
With over 300,000 subscribers, his Youtube channel features a new firearms video every Friday.
Larry Vickers travels the country conducting combat marksmanship classes for law abiding civilians, law enforcement and military and works with Aztec Training Services to coordinate classes to best meet the needs of the students attending the class.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Bravo Company USA. Bravo Company is home of the Gunfighters, and each week they bring us a different trainer to offer some words of wisdom.
The EDC X9 is the latest pistol from Wilson Combat, a double stack 1911-pattern 9mm pistol designed principally as a carry pistol. Sized similar to a G19, the EDC X9 features an aluminum X-Frame, an X-TAC frontstrap/mainspring housing treatment, and various Wilson Combat Bullet Proof components: the hammer, mag release, and thumb safety. The 4″ barrel and the chamber are both fluted, and the EDC X9 is designed as match grade; it comes with an accuracy guarantee of 1.5″ at 25 yards. Also like a G19, the EDC X9 features a 15+1 capacity.
Additional features include:
Black G10 grips
Elevation adjustable Tactical Battlesight
Fiber Optic front sight
3.5 – 4.5 lbs trigger w/ medium length pad
Check out the video below to see Gunfighter Moment-contributor Larry Vickers’ impressions of the EDC X9.
Elite Military Operators Share Real-World Tactics on How to Dominate the Santa Blanca Cartel In-Game
IRVINE, Calif.—(March 7, 2017)—5.11®, the world’s leading innovator of purpose-built gear for tactical professionals and consumers, is launching an exclusive four-part live-action video series for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands as the next step in its global partnership with Ubisoft®.
The 5.11 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Tactics video series features elite operators utilizing 5.11 gear and the real-world tactics that the Wildlands’ Ghosts use in-game to battle the Santa Blanca Cartel. The videos will be launched across 5.11’s and Ubisoft’s social media channels on March 6, 2017, in advance of the game’s debut on March 7.
“Elite tactical teams around the world rely on 5.11’s purpose-built gear to complete their most demanding missions,” said Willem Driessen, 5.11’s vice president, global marketing. “In our video series, players will see how the best gear and the right tactics prepare real-world operators for successful missions. They can then apply what they learn to defeat the Santa Blanca Cartel in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.”
Set a few years in the future, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands allows players to lead a team of Ghosts, a four-player U.S. Elite Special Operations unit, on a covert mission to eliminate the Santa Blanca drug cartel, an underworld power and growing global threat within Ubisoft’s imagining of an incredibly beautiful, yet dangerous Bolivia.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands takes place in the largest and most diverse action-adventure open world Ubisoft has created to date. With hundreds of villages and well-known landmarks, local legends and various factions and regions, players venture into a vast world with which to interact and explore.
The Ghosts’ upgradable skills, along with a vast arsenal of weapons, vehicles and drones at their disposal, help them take down the enemy. Players can outfit characters in their favorite 5.11 gear and apparel including the TacTec Plate Carrier, RUSH backpacks and Apex™ pants. Players also have a wide variety of vehicles and state-of-the-art weapons technology to select from, along with total freedom to choose how they accomplish their missions. They can then watch as the world reacts to their actions.
“5.11’s reputation for authenticity and innovation is lock-step with the pillars of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® franchise,” said Adam Novickas, Ubisoft’s vice president of marketing and brand management. “Incorporating 5.11 gear into Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands reinforced our ability to create a realistic open world military shooter experience for our fans.”
“Military and law enforcement operators are no longer the only users of tactical gear,” Driessen said. “Millions of people lead a tactical lifestyle on a daily basis, choosing to always be prepared for whatever comes their way. From our rugged backpacks to our performance, purpose-built pants, men and women of all backgrounds use 5.11 apparel and gear.”
5.11 will promote the video series, and the in-game product integration in their stores and online on 511tactical.com, and across its social media platforms.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands will be available on all major consoles and PC on March 7, 2017.
Nitecore has attended IWA 2017 at Hall 5-517. Nitecore has introduced quite many brand new models this time, including the SRT9, the MT22A and the NU series.
SRT9, a new member of the Smart Ring Tactical series, has an extremely UI allowing users to access all modes and functions by just twisting the smart ring. It provides infinitely variable brightness with highest level at 2150 lumens, auxiliary outputs of red, green, blue and UV. A piece of mush-have gear for all tactical operators, law enforcement personnel and hunters.
The MT22A, powered by two AA batteries, offers output as high as 260 lumens. The unibody design allows it to be super compact. An included stainless steel clip provides many carry options of the lights, making it extremely easy to carry.
Nitecore has also displayed many of the flagship models of the year, including the iF Design Award winners, LA10 CRI mini camp lantern and the R25 rechargeable tactical torch, the Reddot winner MH27 torch etc.
The brand has been established for a decade already and has kept innovating since day one. There are more than 50 new products offered by Nitecore to the international market during the past year. And the brand has been expanding its product portfolio. Looking forward to see what’s coming next.
