The Glock Carbine has been one of the worst kept secrets in small arms and everyone keeps wondering when they are going to finally release it to the public.
Our friends at Spartanat believe it’s going to happen and have released a video about it.
Archive for the ‘Guest Post’ Category
Is Glock Finally Going to Release Their Carbine?
Wednesday, May 12th, 202152nd EOD Takes Lead in Testing Army’s Newest Bomb Suit
Wednesday, May 12th, 2021
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, Soldiers put their lives on the line whenever they are called into action, and their protective equipment can mean the difference between life and death.
Fort Campbell’s 52nd EOD is playing a major role in pushing that equipment forward as the first unit to test the Next Generation Advanced Bomb Suit, or NGABS, the latest development in Army bomb suit technology.
“We got a lot of receptive feedback from the Soldiers, and they were very thorough,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Jordan, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd EOD. “
“They understand it’s the next generation of bomb suit that we’re going to be using … (and) we can make sure we have a good suit that’s fielded to us, and in turn support the Army and local authorities through our mission,” he said.
Initial NGABS fielding is expected around the second quarter of 2023, said Maj. Justin Bond, assistant product manager, Soldier Protective Equipment, Program Executive Office Soldier. 52nd EOD has completed multiple human factors evaluations meant to provide feedback and help improve the suit’s design in the meantime, most recently April 5-19.
“We need EOD technicians to assess this capability, and the 52nd EOD group at Fort Campbell offers that,” Bond said. “They were willing and ready to provide the necessary Soldiers to help us evaluate the capability, and the availability of resources at the 52nd EOD was also helpful in facilitating the event.”
The NGABS provides increased mobility, 360-degree ballistic protection, weight reductions and a modular sensor suite that provides low light and thermal capability. All of these are improvements when compared to the existing advanced bomb suit, or ABS. Through human factors evaluation, or HFE, 52nd EOD evaluated the improvements through a series of operationally relevant training exercises.
“The engineers who are designing this suit are actually listening to our feedback and care about what we have to say,” said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Thom, 717th Ordnance Company, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd EOD. “During the first round, there were a lot of negatives about the suit that they changed for the better, and I think it just needs a few more tweaks in the design, comfort and mobility.”
Thom said the suit’s mobility in certain areas and the addition of ballistic protection stood out as strong points, but he recommends improvements to its fitting and sensor systems.
“On a personal level, this is something I feel that I can contribute to fostering the career field and the equipment the guys that are following me will be able to use,” he said. “If I can help them get better equipment, that’s a huge part of what being EOD is – not just to protect myself, but to leave some-thing to protect future EOD techs.”
Fort Campbell also brought in Soldiers from other installations to effectively test how the NGABS functions for women because 52nd EOD is predominantly male.
“This has been a huge opportunity,” said Staff Sgt. Dione Brown, 55th Ordnance Company EOD, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. “Giving valuable input to a system that’s probably still going to be used 10 years down the line by techs that follow behind me is a big deal, and I feel very fortunate to be part of the process.”
Brown said the NGABS is a marked improvement over the ABS and could save time across the Army once it is fielded to active-duty Soldiers.
“The mobility, range of motion and the modular system are huge improvements over the suit we have right now,” she said. “The biggest thing is the range of motion – allowing us to do a job quickly with little impediment to our movement means we’ll be able to neutralize our target faster, get in and get out.”
Bond said the HFE was a success and provided PEO Soldier with valuable input on the suit’s strengths and weaknesses.
“These are EOD technicians, so it’s very important that we have the actual user’s feedback as we’re developing this capability,” he said. “We’ll take that feedback and make necessary design changes prior to the next HFE.”
Jordan said 52nd EOD is expected to conduct another HFE this fall, and the Soldiers look forward to helping make the NGABS the best it can be.
“I’ve been in the Army for 18 years, so I probably won’t see this suit fielded until right as I’m getting out,” he said. “But it feels good to do my part in helping it come together. And all the Soldiers, whether they know it or not, they’re helping to shape the future of EOD.”
By Ethan Steinquest, Fort Campbell Courier
SCUBAPRO Sunday – Go Sport Fin
Sunday, May 9th, 2021I have been around a lot of different end user diver groups of over the past couple of months and we always seem to talk about fins, and we have been discussing different designs and what is the best go-to fin. Now I have started to think of fins like shoes and I think you need more than one set for different types of water work. But if I was to pick one set of fins, I truly cannot say enough good things about the SCUBAPRO Go Sport fins. If you are in the military and you need a good fin for over the beach (OTB) operations, river and stream crossing, or diving, these fins do a great job! For OTB, where you might have to go through the surf, there is enough power to help you get through it. River and stream crossing, where you would have to carry them with you in the jungle or wherever, the pair weighs less than 1.5Lbs and are easy to don and doff with boots on, making getting in and out of the water easier. When used for combat swimmer operations, they are comfortable for long use and good for use in tight areas like around piers or ships. There are holes in the blade, which makes it easy to attach to your wrists when climbing a ladder if you want your fins with you if there is a strong current or coming out of the surf or attaching to your gear when patrolling. Below they are attached to a Mystery Ranch patrol pack. The other picture they are attached to the famous SEAL Float coat used in patrolling the jungles of Vietnam (thanks Drew via Eric G). They also have the Matbock Skins on them.
A lot of the things I mentioned about that make them good for the military also apply for Public Safety Divers. They are outstanding for tight turns, like when you are doing a search grid. The fins are so light so they can be used in the summer when using a wetsuit or in the winter when using a dry suit. If you do plan on that make sure you get the right size for the winter bootie. You can always wear a winter bootie in the summer but trying to use a summer type bootie in the winter is never a good thing. They go on fast if you are a marine patrol unit and need to get into the water quickly.
Lastly, they are a great surface swim fin. For example, Go Sport Fins are the perfect option for PTs in ocean or pool swims. I used to have a CO who, anytime the weather was bad and the sea was rough, made us do ocean swims. He would say, ‘you have to train when the weather and surf are bad because you can’t choose when you will be on the water’.
SCUBAPRO GO SPORT FINS WIN SCUBALab testers choice award.
FirstSpear Friday Focus: Fast Rope Mitt
Friday, May 7th, 2021You’ve waited and it’s finally arrived, the Fast Rope Mitt (FRM) is designed to be a minimalist, lightweight tool that can easily be transported on the Professional User and available for Fast Rope Insertion, the FRM can be used with or without the FirstSpear – Operator Glove (OG) and is constructed using the best in abrasion resistant, heat mitigating materials.
It’s cut and assembled to fold flat for transport in a typical Uniform Pocket; the FRM is low bulk and supports Short, Medium or Extended Fast Rope Insertions up to 90 Feet (27.4 Meters). Additionally, the FRM has an advanced two finger pattern that allows the User to rapidly expose his trigger finger to engage a firearm, this method is far faster than actually taking off a glove during extreme situations, the FRM can be pulled partially off and retained around the wrist by the second elastic strap across the back until time has become available to secure in through the reinforced retention loop at the cuff.
This glove is 100% Berry Compliant featuring all American “roper” cow leather and ultra-high performance Kovenex providing greatly enhanced cut, tear, and thermal resistance for Fast Rope Insertions. It’s ultra soft on the hand and double layered in key points with a firmer grain and texture on the exterior of the palm. Reinforced button holes allow for quick and easy carabiner or snap hook attachment.
As you would expect, FS used overbuilt construction techniques with highly advanced materials, all balanced for weight and performance for the most demanding end users. 100% American Made with USA materials. Currently available in S, M, L and XL with more options forthcoming.
For more information check out, www.first-spear.com/frm
‘Service. Strength. Sacrifice’: Special Tactics Training Complex Dedicated to Fallen STO
Friday, May 7th, 2021HURLBURT FIELD, Fla.— In a split second while on a mission in 2015, U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Roland made the last leadership decision he would he would ever make. Without hesitation, he chose to protect his team and give them the best shot at overcoming an insider attack in Afghanistan, sacrificing his life in the process.
To honor the fallen Special Tactics Officer’s actions and courageous leadership, the 24th Special Operations Wing along with friends and family hosted a dedication ceremony in Roland’s honor May 6, 2021 at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
“Today I have the privilege of dedicating the Roland Field Leadership Training Complex,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Allen, commander of the 24th SOW. “It’s particularly meaningful to dedicate this training site to Matt as he spent years of his life honing his leadership expertise.”
The wing chose to dedicate one of the Special Tactics Training Squadron facilities used for training and assessing Special Tactics Officers just like Roland.
“It means everything to be a part of his legacy,” said one of the young STOs attending the ceremony and finishing the training pipeline. “I think he embodies a lot of what a lot of people in our position are trying to do and why we joined. Guys like him paved the way for us and have shown us an example of who we should strive to be like. We’re honored to be walking in his footsteps and everyone who came before us.”
In the audience were also several distinguished guests, friends and family members of Matthew Roland including his sister, nieces, fiancé, mother and his father, U.S. Air Force, retired, Col. Mark Roland.
“Matthew was a patriot, he believed in his nation and was dedicated to service,” said Mark. “He loved serving as a STO and leading his team. This complex is a testament that he was good at what he did and respected for how he did it.”
Matthew Roland graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2010 and then entered the rigorous Special Tactics Officer training pipeline to earn the coveted red beret. His last assignment was at the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Members of the fallen Airman’s former squadron watched as the Roland family unveiled the new sign to the Roland Field Leadership Training Complex followed by the Special Tactics tradition of memorial pushups.
“He never quit, he never gave up. Be strong in the face of adversity,” said Mark. “To us, this complex dedicated to selecting and training Special Tactics Officers represents three things that Matthew valued…service, strength and sacrifice.”
As a Special Tactics Officer, Roland was a qualified battlefield commander prepared to lead reconnaissance, strike and recovery missions, as well as a military static-line and free fall jumper, an Air Force combat scuba diver, and a joint terminal attack controller. For his actions during his deployment, Roland was posthumously awarded the nation’s third highest honor for valor, the Silver Star medal, in June of 2016.
“At his core, [Matthew] was concerned with loving and protecting his family, being a leader in our Air Force and living out his warrior ethos,” said Allen. “If there was a hardship, he’d endure it. If there was a burden, he’d help lift it. If there was a challenge…he’d meet it.”
For future Special Tactics leaders, the complex will forever stand as inspiration to the selfless leadership and determination Roland displayed throughout his time in service.
Special Tactics is the Air Force’s most highly decorated community since the Vietnam War specializing in global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery. Since 9/11, Special Tactics Airmen have received one Medal of Honor, 12 Air Force Crosses and 50 Silver Star Medals.
Photos by SrA Miranda Mahoney and A1C Amanda Flower-Raschella, 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
Mike Pannone Discusses the Benefits of a Pistol Caliber Short Rifle (PCSR)
Thursday, May 6th, 2021Mike Pannone, Director of Training, B&T USA examines the features and advantages of a Pistol Caliber Short Rifle (PCSR), or submachine gun based system, such as B&T’s APC9 PRO, for law enforcement and military applications occurring within confined spaces, or within spaces where size savings are important.
About Mike Pannone/CTT Solutions
Mike is a former operational member of U.S. Marine Reconnaissance, Army Special Forces (Green Beret), 1st SFOD-D (Delta) and the Asymmetric Warfare Group. He is an active USPSA pistol shooter holding a Master class ranking in Limited, Limited-10 and Production divisions. Mike has participated in stabilization, combat and high-risk protection operations in support of U.S. policies throughout the world as both an active duty military member, and a civilian contractor. Mike also worked as the primary firearms instructor for the Federal Air Marshal program in Atlantic City, as well as the head in-service instructor for the Seattle field office. He has spent countless hours on the range and in the classroom with military units, LEO and operational personnel sharing his vast combat and practical experience to increase proficiency and organizational success.
The ‘Eyes’ Have It; Army, Navy Researchers Agree to Train Tech Tools Based on Warfighter Gaze
Wednesday, May 5th, 2021PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — Imagine future American warfighters in the midst of a mission leveraging technology to maintain a new level of situational awareness. This may be possible thanks to a new suite of software tools that tap into what a Soldier or sailor sees and feels.
U.S. Army researchers developed a suite of tools under a decade-long research program that focused on how brain function and eye tracking can be used to predict situational awareness.
Researchers developed software to exploit gaze and physiological data and provide real-time estimates of human situational awareness using a systematic collection of measurements via what they call the lab streaming layer, or LSL. This data collection ecosystem addresses analytic difficulties when combining information from different types of sensors.
It also offers the capability of synchronizing physiological data from a suite of sensors that monitor eye tracking, breathing patterns and other physiological responses during experiments designed to mimic realistic mission events.
Researchers use the software to quantify, predict and enhance squad-level shared situational awareness with Tactical Awareness via Collective Knowledge, or TACK.
“We can know exactly when and what someone looked at when we use TACK software tools and the physiological changes happening concurrently including what their pupil size was, as well as heart, brain and many other sensors,” said Dr. Russell Cohen Hoffing, a research scientist supporting TACK who works at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory’s western regional site in California.
Cohen Hoffing said he extensively relies on TACK tools and LSL to do data collection and analysis. He’s bringing together DEVCOM ARL colleagues with researchers from the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory and the Naval Research Laboratory to find synergy and collaborate on experiments for multi-domain operations.
A new suite of software tools enables Army research and technology development using Soldier-borne technologies to assess Soldier performance and improve human-autonomy teaming.
“The ability to integrate USAARL’s realistic helicopter pilot simulations with TACK’s dismounted environment, which can incorporate multiple humans in virtual or augmented reality scenarios alongside intelligent agents, is currently not possible but would be necessary to do virtual experimentation around a multi-domain Army-relevant scenario,” Cohen Hoffing said. “We could simulate helicopter pilots dropping off dismounted team.”
Researchers developed LSL as part of the lab’s Cognition & Neuroergonomics Collaborative Technology Alliance, which is the Army’s flagship basic science research and technology transition program in the neurosciences. It’s a multi-aspect data acquisition and synchronization software backbone that has been adopted by an industry partner, Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc., for integration into their commercial stimulus presentation tool.
LSL has also become a key integration and synchronization technology for a number of laboratory projects, including large-scale research efforts supported by
Army-wide programs designed to address expected challenges within multi-domain operations. A growing number of academic labs around the world use LSL to create a unified ecosystem for human sensing, Cohen Hoffing said.
Dr. Jonathan Touryan, Army researcher and collaborative alliance manager of this decade-long research team, now leads TACK, which aims to improve warfighters situational awareness in teaming contexts that involve both Soldiers and intelligent agents like autonomous aerial and robotic systems.
“Obtaining and maintaining situational awareness in complex, dynamic environments is a critical component to ensuring force protection and mission success,” Touryan said. “Maintaining situational awareness is everyone’s responsibility.”
Army and Navy researchers are focusing efforts to determine what to do with the data once it’s been collected from the sensors.
“Without meaningful analysis of pupil size, for example, it is just a number of millimeters at any given time point,” Cohen Hoffing said.
Researchers at USAARL and NRL are beginning to integrate LSL into their research pipeline because it offers an easy method to synchronize sensors in a standardized format that is shareable, he said.
Researchers at DEVCOM ARL used physiological sensors like electroencephalograms, or EEG, to detect electrical activity in brains to build a human-interest detector. They also plan to create a way to estimate other states relevant to situational awareness like cognitive load and exploration or exploitation.
“This new research efficiency will allow laboratories to move away from previous efforts spent on making custom software to synchronize other sensors,” Cohen Hoffing said. “Relying on LSL will allow them to focus on run experiments which aim to understand and interpret the sensor data and infer human states.”
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army’s corporate research laboratory, ARL is operationalizing science to achieve transformational overmatch. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more successful at winning the nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the Army Futures Command.
By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs
New Army Technology Stops Traumatic Bleeding Without Requiring Wound Compression
Tuesday, May 4th, 2021
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — A new medical technology stops traumatic bleeding without requiring wound compression for Soldiers on the battlefield. Hemorrhaging is a leading cause of preventable death for Soldiers in combat.
The simplicity, potential for deployability and proposed affordability of this technology under development allows Soldiers to carry a life-saving solution in their pocket.
Through a project funded by the Defense Health Agency Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, program, Hybrid Plastics, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Vanderbilt University and Ichor Sciences developed StatBond, which treats uncontrolled bleeding from noncompressible areas of the body that include the groin, trunk, armpit, neck and internal organs. Currently, there is no battlefield treatment for such bleeding because these injuries are not responsive to the compression dressings currently carried by Soldiers and medics.
The Defense Health Agency supported the research and development of this device as a part of an SBIR contract, with technical oversight provided by the Army Research Laboratory, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM.
“This technology provides a new capability to stop bleeding under austere conditions,” said Dr. Robert Mantz, a chemistry branch chief with ARL at its Research Triangle Park location. “It’s encouraging to see the potential applications of breakthrough basic science research being put into the hands of Soldiers.”
The research team identified that visco-liquid hemostatic agents could be an alternative treatment to compression. The liquid characteristic provides for deep penetration into a wound channel, and the immediate suppression of fluid loss.
“The breakthrough nature of the device lies in the ability of the hemostatic gel to flow deeply into penetrating wounds, and immediately seal against fluid loss, thereby allowing the natural blood clotting cascade to happen against the surface of the gel,” said Dr. Joe Lichtenhan, vice president of Technology, Hybrid Plastics, a Mississippi-based nanotechnology company. “It is really remarkable this device works without compression. It offers the potential for Soldiers to self-treat or to provide non-medic buddy care.”
The technology behind the development is based on proprietary silicon-like formulations developed by Hybrid Plastics. The Royal Society of Chemistry journal Dalton Transactions (2017) published preliminary findings of their research.
In addition to treating traumatic bleeding injuries, StatBond can also be used to treat lung punctures, eye injuries, burn wounds and prevent infection. Bleeding may not be associated with these types of injuries, but they all commonly have a need to prevent fluid loss and maintain tissue viability. For these injuries, Statbond seals the damaged tissue against further fluid loss while retaining oxygen transport to the injury, which aids in tissue preservation and supports the natural healing process and tissue regeneration.
Statbond is undergoing FDA registration and packaging development. For civilian use, it will be packaged in syringe form while warfighters are anticipated to be provided the device in the form of a durable pocket carry squeeze pack.
In contrast to the basic research programs managed by ARO, this program focuses primarily on feasibility studies leading to prototype demonstration and productized testing for specific applications. The SBIR program funds research and technology development with small businesses using a three-phase process.
With the success of Phase I and II, the Army awarded the research team a Phase III contract to the team to further mature the technology. As part of the award, the team will advance the device’s manufacturing readiness level to pilot line capability and the Department of Defense will conduct medical investigations on its performance and potential for deployability for treatment of battlefield polytrauma.
“We are committed to bringing advanced medical technology and devices to the wounded warfighter,” Lichtenhan said. “We anticipate the technology will become available for use by physicians in 2022 and potentially carried by soldiers by 2025.”
By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs
