Relative industry newcomer SERKET specializes in Berry compliant tactical clothing, particularly FR solutions. Already, they have a wide variety of base layer products available.
Additionally, you may recall that SERKET partnered with the World War II Foundation to support the Richard Winters Leadership Monument in Normandy, France.
An EA-6B squadron worked with Suits USA, makers of commercial FR flight apparel to manufacture a NOMEX CWU-27/P equivalent flight suit in Viet Nam Tigerstripe. The long pole in this tent is printing on Nomex but TenCate has perfected a patented process to do just that. The stars aligned and here you go.
ArmorWorks has applied lessons from the Protective Under Garment program to a Combat Shirt. The green panels (contrasted for effect) are aramid and help mitigate injuries. Also, note the under sleeve.
Visit www.armorworks.com
Mission Ready Equipment worked with Icebreaker to import their popular Atlas baselayer T-shirt in the color Tan for use with military uniforms. It is made from genuine Merino wool which offers great thermal regulation properties and is inherently antimicrobial and FR (no melt-no drip). Now, they are on sale, at a substantial discount. Both long and short sleeved versions are on sale in single or three packs, sized Medium – XXLarge.
TTPOA starts tomorrow. If you’re on hand, make sure you stop by the FirstSpear booth to get your FR “Back of the Hand” FirstSpear/DRIFIRE/Renegade T-Shirt.
SSD has written about the Army’s Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble in the past and our only criticism is the basis of issue. Designed specifically for Aircrew and Mounted Crewmen, FREE is a skin-out FR environmental clothing system that protects down to -40 deg F. Unfortunately, FREE is not issued to dismounted troops. However, they do get the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System Gen III which is a great clothing system but it’s not FR. The problem is that the dismounts ride around in aircraft, trucks and armored vehicles getting from point A to B and are just as much at risk of IED and other flame threats as the troops who are issued FREE. And that’s not to mention the risks of dismounted patrolling and attacks on FOBs.
If you are already using ECWCS Gen III then Dismounted FREE will be very familiar to you. It has been optimized for ground operations and consists of Light-Weight Undershirt and Drawers, Mid-Weight Shirt and Drawers, High-Loft Fleece Jacket, Soft Shell Jacket and Trousers, Extreme Cold/Wet Weather Jacket and Trousers. And, like Gen III it is available in Top and Bottom kits in addition to two optional items not included in either kit; the Parka and Overtrouser. As you can see, it is a very streamlined kit and sticks with FR versions of the most commonly used garments.
Additionally, unlike ECWCS Gen III, Dismounted FREE is designed to integrate the FR ACU, Army Combat Shirt, or other FR level 9 garments into the system. Considering that the Soldier is always going to be wearing a combat uniform, it only makes sense that the environmental layers integrate with it.
Dismounted FREE is available in UCP or OCP camo patterns in sizes XS – XXL in short, regular, and long lengths. All of the clothing in the kit is Berry compliant and FR. Dismounted FREE drastically increases the protection of the ground Soldier and offers a cost effective alternative to issuing FREE to everyone. It’s important to note that this is not an Army program and that ADS developed Dismounted FREE internally as a solution for the Soldier protection issues we identified above. We are impressed with what we see and hope that the military takes a serious look at this option which leverages proven technologies and is available now as a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf solution.
Tags: ADS Inc, FREE
Posted in Clothing, FR | Comments Off on ADS Introduces Dismounted FREE
The Army has released an RFI, looking for information on combining their Improved Combat Vehicle Crewman Coverall (iCVC) and Army Aircrew Combat Uniform (A2CU). These FR (and electrostatic dissipative) garments are worn respectively by mounted crewmen such as tankers and aviators such as pilots.
Specifically they are looking for “capability statements from companies for the purpose of identifying potential sources to assist in the development of an innovative Design and Specification” for a garment that:
Is a single uniform which meets the requirements of both the Aviation and Armor communities.
Constructed of a light weight, breathable and durable fabric (lighter weight than the current iCVC Coverall fabric and more durable than the current A2CU fabric).
Is equal to or is lesser in cost than the current iCVC Coverall.
Can be used in either a one piece or two piece configuration.
Provides a sizing system matching the Army Combat Uniform and Army Combat Uniform-Alternate Sizing spectrum.
They’re also not planning on giving up camouflage printing or Permethrin treatment.
The root designs of both uniforms predate the adoption of both UCP and OCP with the iCVC being a one-piece coverall and the A2CU a two-piece. Interestingly, USAF airlift and rotary wing crews have recently adopted the A2CU as well as a commercially developed two-piece FR garment because the issue CWU-27/P flight coveralls can be so uncomfortable in the hot environments found in Southwest Asia.
One additional aspect of both the iCVC and A2CU is that they are both components of the Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble (Free). By combining the two products into one, and keeping the various other components of FREE in mind vendors can increase the utility and performance of both systems.
Another interesting issue is that a significant number (>20%) Army aviators are female. This may be a factor in combining the two garments.
In addition to design disparities, the two garments are made from different FR fabrics. It seems that during testing for alternative FR fabrics, the two communities preferred the fabrics they are using.
Hopefully, a common sense approach will be reached that can accommodate the needs of both communities.
