XC3 Weaponlight

Archive for the ‘FR’ Category

Swoop Mitt Shell from Outdoor Research

Friday, May 6th, 2011

OR’s Mike Christian gave us some excellent insight into the Swoop Mitt Shell at Warrior Expo West. Developed for pilots and aviation crews in extremely cold conditions at high altitudes, the shell of the Swoop Mitt provides waterproof and breathable FR protection. The FR goat-leather palm is water resistant and provides a solid grip and the trigger finger mitt design accommodates all fingers in the mitt cavity for great warmth and dexterity.

military.outdoorresearch.com

Your unit can purchase the entire Outdoor Research line of products from www.ADSinc.com/Outdoor-Research.

XGO’s FR Shemagh

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

We first wrote about XGO’s FR Shemagh two-and-a-half years ago and yet it remains one of our favorite items. Shemagh’s continue to retain their popularity with US and Coalition forces serving in Afghanistan and yet the IED threat continues to grow exposing troops to dangerous flame threats.

Manufactured from lightweight Acclimate® FR 100% Flame Resistant no melt cotton, it has passed the American Society for Testing and Materials vertical flame resistance test (ASTM 6413-99). It has also been treated with Ag47 silver to inhibit bacterial growth. This is very important as Shemaghs are almost never washed and being worn around the head and neck normally end up smelling like a gym sock.

Currently available in Tan and Coyote versions, XGO is capable of doing custom runs of colors and patterns. To get yours visit www.proxgo.com.

DRIFIRE Combat System at Warrior Expo West

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

The new DRIFIRE® Combat System was designed to deliver permanent FR protection whether in the air or on the ground. Additionally, it regulates your skin temperature across all types of environmental conditions in addition to antimicrobial odor control.

DRIFIRE Combat System Features:
• Full system for upper and lower body comfort and protection
• DRIFIRE knit and woven fabrics with permanent, no-melt, no-drip FR protection, moisture wicking and fast drying to regulate skin temperature and antimicrobial odor control
• Abrasion-resistant SuperFabric on elbows and knees increases durability
• Integrated impact-resistant elbow and knee pad systems
• Wrist, knee, and ankle tabs for customized fit
• Raglan sleeves with no-rub comfort shoulder lining
• Padded comfort waistband accommodates tactical belting systems

Look for the DRIFIRE® Combat System at Warrior Expo West in booth #307.

www.ADSinc.com/drifire

See NBS7 at Warrior Expo West

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

New Balance System 7 is an FR turn key environmental clothing. Designed from the outset to work together as a system, NBS7 offers two types of male T-shirts and drawers as well as sports bra and boy short options for the female user. Add to this lightweight and mid-weight long underwear, fleece jacket, wind jacket, and inclement weather shirt and you’ve got some serious layering options. And, unlike any other FR system out there, New Balance has also integrated a Combat Shirt and Pants into the mix. They top it all off with both soft shell and hard shell jacket and trouser options.

New Balance has assembled tried and true fabrics such as Tencate’s Defender M found in both Army and Marine Corps issued FR garments in addition to layering materials from Cocona and Drifire. Sizing options are unmatched from XX-Small – XXXX-Large. NBS7 will be available in UCP, Coyote and MultiCam. Check out the entire system at www.ADSinc.com/NBS7. They have prepared an excellent page detailing all of NBS7’s finer points for each component.

Additionally, NBS7 will be on display at Warrior Expo Westin San Diego, CA May 4 & 5. There’s still time to register. Visit www.adsinc.com/warriorexpo.

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.

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.

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.

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