During the recent launch of Dior’s summer 2023 men’s collection, photos of a collaboration with Mystery Ranch, something that MR co-founder Dana Gleason refers to as “Special Projects.” In fact, when I spoke with Dana during last month’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market he told me he was heading to Paris for a product launch.
A joint effort by the German aid organization ADRA Deutschland e.V., the German NGO Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., and Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) shows what can be achieved when capable people team up in pursuit of a good cause. Working together, they were able to supply urgently needed medical technology to Ukraine in very short order.
In June 2022, representatives of ZMS handed over two computer tomography shelters to Mr Christian Molke, Chairman of the Board of ADRA Deutschland e.V. and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V. at its Meckenbeuren location, with Mr Tobias Kurzmaier, Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., in attendance. These shelters are designed for high-mobility operations under extreme conditions. On behalf of the Mayor of Kyiv, Dr Vitali Klitschko, retired state secretary Dr Bogdan Balasynovych took delivery of the shelters as well as peripheral equipment, including two trucks and a mobile generator for the city of Kyiv. The aid organization ADRA Deutschland e.V. is thus providing direct support to the people of the Ukrainian capital. Intended for civilian use in and around Kyiv, the two mobile units will make a vital contribution to the provision of local medical care.
“We are extremely grateful to everyone involved in this effort for their terrific commitment. Everybody knew that time was of the essence when people’s lives were at stake, especially given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Cooperation was invariably fast, flexible and solution oriented”, reports Christian Molke, summing up the delivery of state-of-the-art medical technology to Ukraine.
“In supplying these expandable 3:1 shelters with their built-in computer tomography systems, ADRA Deutschland has provided the city of Kyiv with highly mobile, state-of-the-art medical technology that our customers need for conducting autarkic operations under the most extreme conditions”, explains Alexander Lutz, head of sales at Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH.
“Just six weeks elapsed between receipt of the order through ADRA Deutschland e.V. and transfer of the shelters to the city of Kyiv at the beginning of June”, notes Hauke H. Bindzus, chairman of the ZMS board of management. “Together with our strategic partners like Siemens as well as ADRA, the initiator and donor, and Aktionskreis Wirtschaft-Politik-Wissenschaft e.V., we demonstrated the pragmatism necessary for getting the job done”, adds Bindzus. “Moreover, we’re especially happy that we could contribute in this way to improving the situation of the people in Ukraine.”
Dr Bogdan Balasynovych, who was instrumental in getting the shelters to Kyiv, has now confirmed that they have arrived safely and have been handed over to their users.
Numerous international volunteer helpers are supporting ADRA-Nothilfe in Ukraine, as are donors from Germany, and resources from the charity Aktion Deutschland Hilft. Furthermore, ADRA Deutschland e.V. is working together with the German Foreign Office to support more than 50,000 refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldovia with food packages, hygiene articles and cash.
Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH is a leading maker of individualized, customer-specific shelter solutions which, as mobile functional spaces, create environmental conditions that would otherwise only be possible in permanent buildings. With its expertise in setting up mobile medical facilities and ability to integrate state-of-the-art medical technology into existing infrastructure, the ZMS range of products and services is built on cutting-edge innovation.
SSD sponsor Edgar Brothers made this announcement today. Americans, arming the British.
We’re VERY excited about this!!
Happy 4th July!
Edgar Brothers is honoured to announce that we have agreed a partnership to distribute Seekins Precision in the UK.
Since being founded in Idaho 18 years ago, Seekins Precision has become the industry standard for precision, accuracy and quality. Offering an array of rifles whose accuracy, reliability, and durability has not just set them apart from the field, but has put them firmly on top of it! bit.ly/SeekinsPrecisionUK
Check back over the next few days as we reveal more details…
As we come up on the 4th of July, I think it is always good to remember where you came from. An army general purchased the first ship of what would become the Continental Navy. George Washington used his own money for the initial Continental Navy vessel. On April 24, 1775, he purchased a schooner and gave her the name Hannah. She was assigned the mission of capturing Royal Navy supply ships attempting to reach Boston while the city was under siege. On September 7, Hannah was successful in capturing the hostile barge, HMS Hoy.
It is believed that the schooner Hannah was the first American naval vessel to be armed during the American Revolution. Hannah is also considered the vessel that laid the foundation for the United States Navy. Hannah Glover was her owner, and she was given that name in honor of John Glover’s wife. They lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Most of her crew was comprised of people from the nearby town of Marblehead. General George Washington was the one who decided to put the schooner into the service of the American Army. On September 2, 1775, Washington gave Nicolson Broughton the commission to command the Hannah and ordered the ship to engage in combat operations against the British. On September 5, 1775, Hannah departed from the harbor of Beverly, Massachusetts. Still, two days later, when she was being pursued by the HMS Lively and another British vessel, she sought refuge in the harbor of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Hannah was successful in capturing the British sloop Unity after leaving Gloucester Harbor. Hannah’s brief naval career ended on October 10, 1775, when the British sloop Nautilus ran her aground under the guns of a small American fort near Beverly. This brought an end to Hannah’s service in the navy. Hannah was saved from destruction and capture following an engagement between the British ship and the townspeople supported by the fort. However, she was soon decommissioned because General Washington had found more suitable vessels for his battles. This historic schooner was said to have called both the city of Beverly and the town of Marblehead its home port at one point. Each claimed the honor of being “the Birthplace of the American Navy” from the time Hannah was in service until an old plaque was discovered in the Philadelphia Navy Yard proclaiming Marblehead to be where the United States Navy was founded. The plaque states that Marblehead was where the US Navy was established.
San Antonio, Texas (July 1, 2022) – Sons of Liberty Gun Works (SOLGW), manufacturer of hard use AR-15s with lifetime warranties, is pleased to announce the addition of Jim Davis as our Deputy Director of Sales. “As SOLGW continues to expand our footprint in the commercial and government markets, Jim’s experience is an asset that all our customers will value.” Director of Sales, William.
Jim joins SOLGW with over a decade of sales experience in the law enforcement sector, and roughly five years having already provided SOLGW’s product line to customers. Jim worked closely with multiple agencies and end users in the Mid-Atlantic region, providing firearms, ammunition, armor and more to both agencies and individuals. In the past, he’s been tasked with new product/line selections, staff training, and assisting with contextual and technical advice on products and their applications. Jim has attended multiple training classes over the years from firearms specific armorers courses, to numerous marksmanship and tactics classes. He’ll be transitioning this experience into his new role with SOLGW with a focus on law enforcement and dealer support.
The Launch Everyone Has Asked For.
FirstSpear will soon launch Tubes® Rapid-Release Technology for purchase on the web. Stay tuned for more deets.
FirstSpear is in the business of providing innovative solutions to long unanswered challenges. Our Tubes® technology reaffirms that position. Quick to close and even quicker to doff, Tubes® fasteners are manufactured from lightweight high-performance polymers that exceed the strength of other molded fasteners currently used on operational equipment. Molded in signature suppressive colors and with a variety of choices for activation, this closure system can be rapidly deployed and completely reassembled in SECONDS. Tubes® technology will improve performance, enhance mission functionality, and reduce weight.
Check out FirstSpear to find all of our apparel and gear for America’s Warfighter.
Rheinmetall to develop a new medium caliber ammunition for the U.S. Navy: The Group’s subsidiary American Rheinmetall Munitions, Inc. based in Stafford, VA has been awarded a $14.3 million (€13.5 million) contract under a U.S. Navy other transaction agreement (OTA) to prototype a low-cost engagement capability that increases the effectiveness of existing and future Naval gun weapon systems against air and surface threats.
The resulting prototype system will lead to an Initial Operating Capability for the 30mm x 173 MK 340 MOD 0 Kinetic Energy Electronically Timed (KEET) airburst munition. The MK 340 KEET is derived from the NATO-qualified Rheinmetall 30mm x 173 Kinetic Energy Timed Fuze (KETF) cartridge currently fielded by the Australian, German, and Hungarian militaries. The system will provide significant lethality improvements and a reduction in rounds fired due to the increased first-round hit probability.
“We are excited to deliver our next-generation lethality solutions to the U.S. Navy for the first time. This award further demonstrates American Rheinmetall’s ability to bring innovative technologies into the hands of our U.S. Joint Force,” said American Rheinmetall Munitions CEO John Somich.
The company is presently expanding its role as a major supplier of innovative, next-generation weapons and ammunition in the U.S., drawing on a global portfolio of world-class munitions and armaments offered by Rheinmetall and its affiliates. For example, American Rheinmetall Munitions is currently producing game-changing solutions including 40mm airburst fuzing for the U.S. Army and the PGU-48/B Frangible Armor Piercing cartridge for the U.S. Air Force F35A Joint Strike Fighter. The company has been producing and supplying high-performance practice and direct fire service ammunition for American military and law enforcement customers for several decades.
American Rheinmetall Munitions is part of the American Rheinmetall family of U.S. defense companies which includes American Rheinmetall Systems in Biddeford, ME, American Rheinmetall Vehicles in Sterling Heights, MI, and U.S. corporate parent American Rheinmetall Defense in Reston, VA.
Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) has donated two high-mobility HX 4×4 vehicles to THW-Bundesvereinigung e.V., Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief. Official handover of the keys took place on 22 June 2022 at the Rheinmetall stand at Interschutz 2022 in Hannover, the world’s leading trade fair for first responder technology.
The two new HX vehicles were meticulously customized in cooperation with MEILLER-Kipper company of Munich and special truck maker Freytag Karosseriebau to meet the needs of the civil protection and disaster relief organization Technisches Hilfswerk (THW). Thanks to their robust design, high mobility and 1.5-metre wading capability, the trucks are tailor-made for tough terrain and flood zones. A round roof hatch gives the crew an excellent 360-degree view as well as providing an additional means of entering and exiting the vehicle. These HX vehicles lend themselves to a wide variety of transport tasks and can also pull trailers of the kind used by THW. One of the two donated vehicles will be deployed at the local THW chapter in Dülmen in North Rhine-Westphalia, the other in Limburg in Hesse.
The disastrous 2021 flood in the Ahr valley prompted Rheinmetall MAN to donate the trucks. The MEILLER Kipper company supported the project by donating the three-side tippers, which were then installed by Freytag Karosseriebau. To get relief supplies into the disaster zone and deliver donations directly to the areas affected, Rheinmetall’s joint venture partner MAN lent the disaster relief workers several all-terrain-capable RMMV trucks.
The Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles HX family are among the most widely used trucks for armed forces and security services as well as other government agencies. Over 15,000 are now in service worldwide. A family of military off-the-shelf vehicles, HX trucks are systematically designed for maximum robustness, mobility, ergonomics, and modularity – all unique selling points. These vehicles have proved to be highly effective in disaster relief and aid operations, including in the Ahr valley in 2021, during bushfires in Australia, and floods in New Zealand.
Rheinmetall was exhibiting at Interschutz for the first time. Widely considered to be the world’s leading trade fair for firefighters, rescue services, disaster relief, civil defence and security, the event is held every five years. This year it took place in Hannover from 20 to 25 June. Among the systems on show were the SX-GTLF triple combination pumper from the plant fire brigade in Unterlüß, an HX 77 with a CSM Excavator build-on, and an HX60 three-side tipper.
