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Italian Future Soldier System to Feature TenCate Defender-M Fabric

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

TenCate Protective Fabrics EMEA has announced that it has an initial order from the Italian manufacturer Aero Sekur S.p.A (Aprilia, Italy) for the delivery of enough of their Defender-M fabric to produce 600 uniforms for use in the Italian ‘Soldier of the Future’ program called Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability). Aero Sekur is responsible for the clothing and NBC components of Forza NEC. Each kit includes two combat suits, one over-garment, three types of boots, one sniper poncho, one NBC protective suit, and an NBC mask and filter. This photo shows the NBC ensemble.

TenCate Protective Fabrics EMEA Marketing & Sales Director Ramon Overdijk commented to Reuters, “Fire-resistant TenCate Defender(TM) M proved to be the decisive factor during the wide-ranging selection by the Italian Ministry of Defence of a fabric that is both fire-resistant and comfortable, so lightweight. TenCate is able to provide the fabric in a variety of camouflage patterns or supply it in several solid colours. This makes the fabric versatile in its use for the protection of several branches of the armed forces, such as the army, special units, air force and navy.”

TenCate’s Defender-M is used in the US Army’s FR ACU as well as the USMC’s FROG ensemble.

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Flash Lite FR Baselayer Series from 782 Gear

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

782 Gear has released their new FR Baselayer series called Flash Lite. The designs feature their CMF (Comfort Map Fit) with off-shoulder seaming, Polartec® Power Dry® FR fabrics with anti-microbial protection, and cover-stitched hems and sleeves. What’s more, they look good.

The line includes several styles:

• FR Balaclava
• FR Skid Lid
• Short and Long Sleeve Crew
• Hybrid 1/4 Zip Long Sleeve
• BAC (Body Armor Compatible) 1/4 Zip

Polartec® Power Dry ®FR fabric meets the following standards:
• NFPA 70E HRC 1 and HRC 2
• ASTM 1506
• ANSI 107-2004
• ASTM D6413
• ISO 14116 (EN533)
• ISO 11612 (EN531)

Stop by www.782gear.com to learn more.

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Posted in Clothing, FR | 1 Comment »

Unleashing Cilahc

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

We know, so you’re asking yourself, “What the hell’s a Cilahc?” Don’t worry, we did the same thing when Unleashed Tactical Equipmentâ„¢ came to us to talk about it recently. You may recall that last summer we wrote an article about UTE’s Fit to Fight initiative which came about due to a longtime mate’s battle related severe burn injuries while wearing non-FR clothing. Over time this project evolved into the Cilahc range.

Below are two of the Cilahc products; the jacket and pants.

You need to read this exclusive interview to get an idea of where they are heading with this range of FR clothing and their overall philosophy.

SSD Interview With UTE on Cihalc

For more information visit unleashed-tactical.com.

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The Importance of FR

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

We think it’s good to offer evidence every once in awhile as to how well military issue personal protective equipment works. In this interview of SFC Sarah Walker who survived a suicide bomb attack, you will see that the Army Combat Shirt built by Massif Mountain Gear is a great example of a product designed to combine comfort and protection. The video also demonstrates how critical FR protection is by showing the contrast of her burned and protected skin.

www.massif.com

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Posted in ACS, FR | 1 Comment »

Lamination Technologies

Monday, March 7th, 2011

The Firefighter suit shown in this video is made from a new fabric from Lamination Technologies can protect its wearer from flames at 1100ËšC for seven seconds and even after seven seconds the wearer will only sustain second degree burns over 17% of his body. If you add a second layer the protection increases to 12 seconds with 16% burns! Don’t forget, as we learned last year during our visit with DuPont, when you are talking FR clothing you can’t rely just on the rating of the fabric. Protection is determined based on the material as well as design.

Working with Prime Contractor Penn State University Electro Optics Center, Lamination Technologies has been developing lightweight FR solutions for the Department of Defense.

ltprotect.com

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New Camo Patterns from Slovenia

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Lots to talk about these days when the subject of camouflage comes up. For example, Slovenia-based School of Survival from Nature has developed the LandCamo SUB-3D combat camouflage pattern family. It seems that companies are no longer developing single patterns anymore but rather taking a lead from the US Army’s camouflage requirement and preparing full families. Below is a photo simulation example of the Desert Shadow variant. It is joined by Transitional, Woodland, Snow, and SWAT patterns. Fabric is currently in production featuring IRR and FR properties.

www.survival-nature.com

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First Lite Merino Wool Clothing

Friday, February 18th, 2011

First Lite specializes in Merino wool clothing for hunting. We have gone over the many merits of Merino in the past but summarize; warm even when wet, inherent anti-microbial which inhibits odor, and inherent FR. Several friends of SSD have been raving about First Lite’s garments, particularly their underwear and hats so we thought we should introduce the brand to you.

This is the Gila Hunting Pant. It’s tough to find wool pants these days, and Merino has an increased comfort range so you can wear them in a wider variety of environments than most pants. Plus, if you get wet, you’ll still be warm and if you sweat, you won’t stink to high heaven. Plus, Merino isn’t scratchy like traditional wool.

You will notice the odd camouflage pattern which is called ASAT. To give you a little history on ASAT, you need to know is that it stands for All Season All Terrrain so it was envisioned as a “universal” camouflage pattern. Dating back to 1986, ASAT was developed for hunting and features a Tan base. Interestingly, in the late 80s, Brigade Quartermaster commissioned an “urban” variant using a Grey base with dark bands. Based on this, we guess you could look at ASAT as a family of patterns dating back over 20 years.

Remember, First Lite manufactures hunting clothing and their color options reflect this. They offer Black, ASAT, Mossy Oak Breakup Infinity, and Real Tree Max-1. Additionally, some products may be offered in more of fewer color options. Since we are in late winter, many colors are currently sold out.

Finally, in addition to the Gila Hunting Pants above, First Lite offers several next to skin layering options as well as headwear.

www.FirstLite.com

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Air Force Seeking MultiCam Flight Suits – NOT

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

CANCELLED! Looks like Airmen will NOT be getting MultiCam flightsuits anytime soon. Quite specifically, a recent RFQ from the 45th Space Wing’s Contracting Squadron calls for some 200 DRIFIRE brand two piece flight suits, t-shirts, and combat shirts. In MultiCam no less. We’ve written about Drifire’s two piece flight suit. To summarize, the benefits of Drifire are myriad:
-Permanent Flame Resistance
-Moisture Wicking
-Fast Drying
-Superior Comfort
-Anti-Microbial
-Anti-Odor

Based on these stats, it’s now wonder that they asked for Drifire.

It is important to note that the procurement originates at Patrick AFB on Florida’s Space Coast (hence the 45th Space Wing). Patrick is home to the USAF Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing. Think PJs and Rescue Helos. So this isn’t the start of some big Air Force procurement for MultiCam flight suits. However, it is a great opportunity for Dri Fire.

All of this may sound confusing. But you have to understand how the Air Force conducts business. The 45th Space Wing is the host base and the 920th is a tenant. Consequently, they will rely on the host Wing for things like contracting. While the 45 Wing might be buying these garments, they are probably not the folks paying for them, or using them.

While the Air Force recently announced that it will be fielding Army OCP clothing and equipment to deploying Airmen, flyer’s clothing was not discussed. The Army does in fact have a certified two piece flight suit in MultiCam in the form of the OCP A2CU. What’s more, they just equipped the first unit a few weeks ago. But, the Air Force often wants to go its own way when it comes to flight suits. In fact, two piece flight suits have been a bit of a touchy subject in the Air Force for quite some time, whether they have been certified by another service or not. However, the two piece ensembles are much better for helo crews including PJs and flight medics. It’s good to see the troops getting the kit they need.

DRIFIRE Phenix II Flight Suit

www.drifire.com

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