FirstSpear has developed a retro-fit cummerbund kit that upgrades your current armor carrier to use Tubes and, as a bonus, integrates 6/12 technology along the sides. The cummerbund is designed to accept soft armor inserts as well as side plates and fits virtually any vest that relies on a hook and loop front flap and rear MOLLE or a cummerbund pass through channel. Available in Coyote, Ranger Green, Black, Khaki, MultiCam and for authorized customers, AOR 1&2. This item is sized as well.
The upcoming 5.11 Tactical Plate Carrier was a soft launch at SHOT Show but has been pretty much kept under wraps since then. They’ve refined the design a little but for the most part it’s remained unchanged.
Constructed of LiteLok, it features a die cut pile MOLLE field along (with flat admin pocket behind) with a kangaroo style flap with integrated magazine pouches. The flaps for these mag pouches can be tucked out of the way. It is a center pull quick release with cables over both shoulders. There is also a skeletonized cummerbund. Additionally, there is an integrated drag strap in the rear.
Look for the Plate Carrier to be available is this Fall.
S&S Precision is working on prototypes of a plate sock for users of their Plate Frame. It uses a 4-way stretch fabric to cover the plate providing camouflage and some environmental protection for the plate’s strike face. It also provides some space on the rear for additional enhancements to be announced at a later date.
Look for a final version soon.
If you’ve followed Pacific Safety Products over the past few years, you know that they have had a couple of on-again, off-again arrangements with Revision, Sun Capital, and other unnamed companies to purchase all or part of their company.
Last week, PSP announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) dated April 17, 2012 with ArmorWorks Enterprises LLC (“AWE”) to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of ArmorWorks Enterprises Canada, ULC (“AW Canada”) in a reverse take-over transaction.
PSP has been working with ArmorWorks (AWE) since 2004. According to a PSP press release, “AW Canada was founded in 2009 as an indirectly owned subsidiary of AWE and is an unlimited liability company existing under the laws of British Columbia. AWE is a limited liability company existing under the laws of Arizona and is indirectly controlled by William J. Perciballi of Phoenix, Arizona. AWE is a leading provider of advanced survivability products to military and law enforcement agencies worldwide since 1996.”
The Canadian press estimates that the deal may well be worth $15 Million.
Ok, so PSP, who has had a rough time of it trying to get someone to buy them, is going to scrape together $15 Million (Canadian press estimate) to buyout AW Canada which posted a $2.1 Million loss last year. Ok, got that.
Now is the interesting part. In their own quarterly statement from earlier this year, PSP reported, “On January 23, 2012, the Company announced that it has entered into a letter of intent (“LOI”) to sell substantially all of its assets on a cash-free, debt-free basis (the “Sale Transaction”). During an exclusivity period, the potential purchaser is completing a due diligence review, and the parties are endeavoring to negotiate a mutually satisfactory definitive purchase agreement.
The completion of the proposed Sale Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including completion of satisfactory due diligence, execution of the definitive purchase agreement, and TSX Venture Exchange and shareholder approval. There can be no assurance that the Sale Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all or, if completed, that the net proceeds of the Sale Transaction would represent a premium to the current trading price of the Company’s securities. ”
That was a completely different deal with Sun Capital Partners and it didn’t happen. Here are a couple of other tidbits.
In the proposed Revision deal of 2010, the stock was to be purchased at $.18 per share. Over the last year, the stock has seen a high of $.11 and a low of $.02 with it currently hovering around $.03 a share. Under this proposed deal, PSP is valuing their stock at a generous $.10 and plans to consolidate shares on a 10-to-1 basis, turning them into $1 shares.
Under the agreement, Perciballi who controls AWE and by extension AW Canada, is being bought out. Yet, he is getting a spot on the PSP board as well. Not shabby.
So you haven’t heard about all of this? It’s probably because the press release that outlines the deal was not supposed to be released to the United States. I guess they forgot that the Internet is global in nature.
All in all, it’s an interesting deal. Naturally, it’s all contingent on approval from the shareholders.
A few years ago there was a major shortage of Improved Outer Tactical Vest body armor systems. Two members of the Soldier Equipment Support Team, Life Cycle Logistics, Product Support Integration Directorate, Integrated Logistics Support Center, Natick Soldier Systems Center, studied the best way to commercially clean, rather than replace, IOTV garments. Willie Yung and Jason Sellazzo (seen above) found a method that has already saved the Army more than $62 million over two years.
They conducted a one-year study, sponsored by Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment, in 2009-2010, using 90 IOTVs from the Central Issue Facility at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The vests were separated into nine groups of 10 each in three classifications: lightly, moderately and heavily soiled.
After the IOTVs were commercially cleaned three times each using four different methods in Nashville, Tennessee, they were sent to the Textile Materials Evaluation Team at Natick. Testing there revealed that commercial cleaning of IOTV components using “computer-controlled wet cleaning” was safe, effective, would result in huge cost savings over replacement, and would help ease any shortage of vests in theater.
“In 2010 and 2011, the Central Management Office has cleaned a total of 145,000 IOTVs,” Yung said. “And we estimate that by cleaning them, we have helped avoid spending over $62 million, because if they could not be cleaned, then the Army would have to buy new ones to replace them.”
Natick is currently working on a new contract to continue this money saving process. They are also looking at expanding the cleaning to other OCIE items beyond just the IOTV.
The Army has inserted a couple of improvements into the Improved Outer Tactical Vest version III. Overall, you won’t notice many cosmetic changes. A contract was recently awarded for production of 57,000 of the new carriers which incorporate the National Molding Molly Stix to secure the side plate carrier to the cummerbund but also their Quad Release Trigger Assembly. The Quad Release Trigger Assembly allows the wearer to rapidly don and doff the carrier. The most interesting aspect of the system is the simplicity of re-assembling the components. It’s a simple snap of four side-release buckles. This cutaway system is certainly going to be easier for Soldiers to put back together.
IOTV Gen III – National Molding Parts
Every two weeks SSD showcases a different MultiCam print fabric from Duro Textiles LLC. This week, we are covering Beaver. MultiCam is a single camouflage pattern designed to help the wearer hide in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. After a great deal of commercial success and adoption by elements of US Special Operations Forces, in 2010 MultiCam was selected for use by the US Army as its Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP).
Duro prints on genuine Cordura fabric from Invista. A mid-weight fabric, 500D Cordura is rapidly becoming the industry standard for load carrying items that need to be light and durable. This material is coated on the back side for water resistance and features a face side finished with a durable water repellent.
Specs:
Finished Width – 60 inches cuttable
Finished Weight – 7.1 oz/yd² approximately
Fiber Content – 100% Nylon
Construction – 46/35 (warp/fill)
Breaking Strength – 453/348 (warp/fill) (lbs, minimum)
DOWNLOAD Test Report here.
Manufactured from 500D Cordura for its great balance of weight and durability, the new High Ground Plate Carrier incorporates several interesting features.
First off is the Mix-&-Match cummerbund with internal as well as external cummerbund PALS webbing. Additionally, the bungee system allows you to change out whole cummerbunds rather than reconfigure MOLLE pouches. The HGPC also incorporates a cable routing system to eliminate cable clutter. You can also ditch your plates one at a time without dropping the whole carrier kind of like in the first gen of BALCS carriers. Finally, it incorporates an internal pocket for flat items (or your hands) that is accessible from either armpit as well as internal breathable spacer cloth to assist with air flow.
Overall, the HGPC weighs only 2.5 lbs due in no small part to fabric selection. Please note, it is only available in MultiCam and Coyote.
Duro offers progressive pricing based on the number of yards ordered. For more information on this or any of the full line of MultiCam fabrics visit www.multicamfabric.com or email Galpen_Ben@DuroLink.com.
