Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category
Be Sure to See TYR Tactical at the USASOC Sniper Comp
Thursday, March 26th, 2015Survival Armor Adds 2 To Their Survivors Club
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015Survival Armor has announced they’ve added two new partners to their Survivors Club. The full release can be read below:
Survival Armor Special Project Director Gary Hughes is pleased to announce two new additions to our Survivors Club. The Survivors Club is made up of our public safety partners who have been protected from serious or life threatening injury and death by wearing or using Survival Armor products. We ask that all officers remember that their Survival Armor body armor is capable of saving them from more than just gunfire, as illustrated below.
-Fort Collins CO
A Fort Collins Colorado Police Department officer was responding to a suspicious person call when he encountered an intoxicated suspect at the top of a stairwell. The suspect presented a .38 special revolver and fired, striking the officer in the upper right shoulder tab of his Survival Armor ballistic vest, less than 1”from the edge of the panel. The officer was able to return fire, killing the suspect. The bullet was stopped on the very front of the officer’s Survival Armor ballistic vest, preventing serious life threatening injury to the officer.
-Cedar Hill TX
A Cedar Hill Police Department officer, Ann McSwain, was attempting to arrest a violent offender who managed to light her and two other detectives on fire. While the two detectives suffered minor burns, Officer McSwain suffered 3rd degree burns over roughly 20% of her body. Her uniform shirt and trousers were burned away, but her Survival Armor ballistic vest, in her words, “protected me perfectly and I suffered no burns whatsoever on my torso”. Officer McSwain is on the road to recovery and looking forward to returning to work.
TPG Awarded $1+Million Ballistic Helmet Contract
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015TPG awarded contract to produce nearly 6,000 ballistic helmets for a large South American Military Customer
Boynton Beach, Fla. (March 2015) – Tacprogear (TPG), a leading manufacturer of tactical equipment used by professionals around the globe, announced today the receipt of a $1+ million dollar award to provide ballistic helmets to a South American Military.
TPG Armor and TPG BLACK, the American Made Mission Specific line of products made in South Florida, include a complete line of both hard and soft armor. The helmet line, which includes their standard PASGT, ACH/MICH and High Cut SCOUT helmets were all possible contenders for the end-user, who specified a product with certain performance, weight and overall ballistic properties important to the end-user on the ground.
The new helmet production line, which recently relocated from Delray Beach, FL. to a state-of-the art 30,000 square foot facility in Boynton Beach, FL, is one of the fastest growing product lines for TPG.
Alex Cejas, President of Tacprogear, stated, “We are excited about this new award given our recent return from Europe where we evaluated the latest new ballistic helmet technologies and machines. At TPG, we always want to be on the leading edge of development and production for all of our products,” Cejas added.
For more information on any of the Tacprogear product line, visit www.tacprogear.com or www.tpgblack.com
O P Tactical Will Be Attending The 6th Annual USASOC Sniper Competition
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015
O P Tactical will be on hand at the 6th Annual USASOC / USAJFKSWCS Sniper Competition, taking place at Range 37 on Ft. Bragg, March 26-27. They will be displaying the latest gear, including the ALG Defense 6-Second Mount equipped with an Aimpoint Micro.
SDI Provides Corporate Update
Tuesday, March 24th, 2015Florida, Tampa – (TSX-V: SDZ) (OTCBB: SDEV)
Keith Morrison, Chairman of the Board comments: “Security Devices provides global corrections, military and law enforcement markets with advanced less-lethal munitions that combine leading ballistic and safety performance over an increased range of engagement. We believe that when properly deployed our technology provides a significant alternative and benefit compared to the use of lethal force in many stand-off situations. SDI enters 2015 having successfully competed the highest levels of independent performance valuation of our products. This, combined with several strategic opportunities to expand both our distribution channels and our product lines, should make 2015 a significant year for our stakeholders”.
Sales Growth & Product Acceptance:
SDI’s full product line continues to gain acceptance and sales growth both domestically and internationally. The family of 40mm less-lethal ammunition, including BIP payload rounds, is becoming regarded as the “safety standard” within the industry, seeing that these rounds were designed for the highest operational effectiveness at distances of up to 260 feet (80m), while still enhancing target safety if engaged from a close range of 6.5 feet (2m).
In December 2014, SDI underwent the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) stringent “Member Tested & Recommended Program”. This approval process is designed to assist the association’s membership in selecting the best products available to the tactical community. The Company’s submission for testing allowed the BIP to be placed into the field for law enforcement community acceptance and has been added to the recommended product list. There is a direct correlation between SDI’s NTOA approval and increased sales.
SDI is also pleased to announce sales in over a dozen new Federal, State and Provincial agencies over the last several quarters including Sheriff Departments, Correctional Services, and SWAT teams in; Los Angeles, CA, Sacramento, CA, Kings County, CA, Montreal, QC, Ottawa, ON, Orlando, FL, Naples, FL, Rapid City, SD, Saskatoon, SK, Watertown, SD, Abbotsford, BC, Kingston, ON, Rustburg, VA, Perry, FL, Brookings, SD, Bedford, VA along with Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. These agencies are additions to SDI’s customer base that have adopted its best of breed 40mm less-lethal rounds on the market, today. Several re-orders from previously purchasing agencies have also occurred.
Revenues from the Company’s first fiscal quarter (2015) have exceeded the entire 2014-reported revenue base.
Scientific Validation:
According to several independent safety studies that the company has outsourced, SDI has received industry disruptive competitive analysis, displaying safety testing protocols, which have the Company to be among the safest, most effective and reliable crowd control / SWAT option on the market.
Additionally, in Q3 2014 the Company was granted the opportunity to submit its product to a blunt trauma risk assessment, conducted by L-3 Applied Technologies in association with the Human Effects Center of Excellence (HECOE). The U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) established this benchmark in 2001, to coordinate non-lethal weapons requirements of the U.S. Armed Services. Under the oversight and coordination of the HECOE program, non-lethal human effects research is conducted to identify the risk and effectiveness of munitions such as SDI’s. It then shares this information among human effects researchers, and most importantly non-lethal weapons operators for acceptance.
SDI’s 40mm less-lethal rounds are now available for purchase by branches of the United States Department of Defense and Federal Law Enforcement agencies as a result of this testing protocol.
Distribution:
SDI has partnered with US Tactical Supply as their primary “source of supply” vehicle, under GSA Contract “GS-07F-0259N”. The purpose of this strategic partnership is to provide SDI’s products to a broader range of clientele ranging from the U.S. Department of Defense, State Law Enforcement agencies, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, U.S Dept. of Justice: FBI / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms and the U.S. Secret Service.
The U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) is an independent branch of the US Federal Government, which helps in managing and supporting the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA Schedules program is the premier acquisition vehicle within the government, with approximately $50 billion a year in spending or 10 percent of overall federal procurement budget. In order to get quality products and services at a reasonable rate, commercial vendors approach the federal government to avail their contracts and increase their user base.
Operations:
As a commitment to building shareholder value, SDI has taken internal measures to reduce expenditures, manufacturing costs, minimized contractual obligations and from a management position has reduced resource costs.
SIG SAUER Names Tom Taylor Vice President Of Sales And Marketing
Wednesday, March 18th, 2015NEWINGTON, N.H. (March 18, 2015) — Sig Sauer, Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Taylor as Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Sales, effective March 23, 2015. Andy York, President of the SIG SAUER® Electro-Optics Division, will continue in his role to lead and develop the newly created Electro-Optics business.
The division of work between Taylor and York will allow each to focus on key areas of the company critical to its success, ensuring preparedness to address market needs and demands. Both York and Taylor will report directly to Ron Cohen, President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Tom’s industry experience will allow him to directly focus on expanding SIG’s commercial businesses that now include firearms, ammunition, Electro-Optics, silencers and airguns,” Cohen said.
In joining SIG SAUER, Tom brings many years of industry experience, most recently with O.F. Mossberg and Sons in North Haven, CT, where he was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Prior to Mossberg, Tom spent time at The Freedom Group as Senior Vice President of Handgun Marketing and Product Development and was President and Executive Director of the Remington Outdoor Foundation, a non-profit organization formed to support the growth of hunting, shooting, outdoor sports and conservation projects.
Tom was also formerly the Vice President of Marketing for Smith and Wesson Corporation, located in Springfield, MA. Tom also has experience outside the firearms industry, having served as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Coca-Cola Enterprises among many other roles at Coca-Cola over 21 years.
Mission Ready’s Protect The Force Inc Wins Subcontract For DHS Next Gen First Responder Uniforms
Friday, March 13th, 2015VANCOUVER, B.C. – Mission Ready Services Inc. (TSX-V: MRS) – Mission Ready Services Inc. (“Mission Ready” or “MRSI”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Protect The Force, Inc. (“PTF” or “Protect The Force” or the “Company”), has been awarded a 14 month, $97,500 subcontract through prime contractor, North Carolina State University – Textile Protection and Comfort Center (“NC State-TPACC”), to develop an Advanced Multipurpose Base ensemble for Emergency Responders (“AMBER”) for the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”).
Through a Cooperative Agreement from DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate to NC State’s Textile Protection and Comfort Center (“T-PACC”), PTF will collaborate with T-PACC and leverage its vast commercial textile industry network and cutting-edge technology portfolio to provide subject matter expertise in advanced protective materials selection including the identification of materials as they relate to functional design, prototyping, end-user functionality requirements, desired performance attributes, material availability, and manufacturer competence and readiness.
PTF’s team of product development experts based in the innovation district of Boston, MA, will support NC State-TPACC in the development of concepts for review and selection by DHS to be prototyped and then manufactured for limited user evaluations. The team is also exploring the integration of the No-Contact technology for further user evaluations.
PTF’s Chief Technology Officer, Francisco J. Martinez states, “We are critically involved in the innovation and development of next-generation body armor for the Marines, United States Army and, now, the development of next generation uniforms for the Department of Homeland Security. It is an honor to contribute at this level and provide support in an industry that is poised to be revolutionized by the ever-growing leaps in technology in advanced textiles as they relate to personal protective clothing and individual equipment. Working with the T-PACC team of experts is a dream come true and being selected to receive this funding is a compliment to the excellent team of product development experts within PTF and the reputation we have developed within the industry.”
BCM Gunfighter History – Pt 2 – JD Potynsky
Tuesday, March 10th, 2015
A common misconception is that all Special Operations guys are gun gurus: that they are students of caliber, ballistics, barrel length, gas systems, etc. The reality is quite different. As an 18 Bravo(US Army Special Forces Weapon Sergeant), of course I had to possess the skills to effectively employ my personal weapon systems (carbines, pistols and crew served) in combat as well as the ability to maintain and repair them.
But that is maybe, 5% of the job.
Just as important were the skills needed to lay mortars, be familiar with foreign weapon systems used by indigenous allied and enemy forces, conduct helicopter and airborne operations, perform tactical combat casualty care, use communications systems to call for medevac or close air support, plan actions on an objective, employ small unit tactics under fire, be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, speak a foreign language, maintain a high level of physical fitness and drive everything from cars and HMMWVs to off road vehicles, to name a few.
Over time, those who were personally interested in any of those topics had a great laboratory to work in. So when I look back at how I ran my kit, I see it was driven by considerations for many tasks, but above everything, my combat set-up was most influenced by my time as an athlete.
I spent a good part of my life playing football, from Pop Warner to high school and ultimately college ball. Everything from diet, to work outs to hobbies was driven by becoming bigger, stronger and faster than the day before. In the game, speed kills. If you can see the field and understand the game, you can put yourself in the right space, at the right time, with total control of your body, to deliver a devastating hit to your opponent.
I saw it no differently in combat.
Where the battlespace diverges from a playing field, is that the environment is not set. It can be an interior, where you are moving to a point of domination, or a killing field, where rapid maneuver allows you to destroy the enemy. This makes being quicker on the uptake in assessing the battlespace and finding those sweet spots vital because, in the end, it all comes down to fire superiority and flanking. When I set up my kit and my weapon systems, it was driven by what was going to make me as fast as possible at that fundamental principle of combat.
My unit was tasked with a Direct Action mission. The vast majority of our infils were conducted with vehicles. The targets were almost always compounds. That meant that our realistic threats were typically within a 100 meter radius. It also meant we were never more than 200 meters from our gun trucks with crew served weapons (.50 cals and MK19 grenade launchers).
We started with 14.5″ SOPMOD M4s. As issued, an M4 carbine is expected to deliver a sub three inch group at 100 yards with issued ammunition(62-grain Green Tip). It was a light, reliable and, at sub three minutes at 100 yards, delivered a reasonable degree of accuracy. Was it possible to shoot these weapon systems and get sub one inch groups at 100 yards? Absolutely. But it is a combination of skill, ammunition and platform that delivers that capability.
Given that our mission set rarely required we engage with our M4’s out past a 150 meter radius, when we received MK18 upper receivers many, including myself, switched to the more compact and maneuverable platform. With the issued ammunition and our skills, it matched the accuracy of the SOPMOD and was faster in the tight spaces we encountered on all of our missions.
Given that we ran a large number of missions at night, every carbine had a PEQ-15 on it allowing for accurate shooting out to 200 meters with our night vision goggles. I personally went with a rubberized Hogue AR pistol grip, because it was far more “grippy” especially when using gloves. I also used a Surefire M900A as it gave me a vertical grip, a pressure pad and a weapon light in one package. I ran a Arredondo Oversized Mag Well to give me a slight edge on speed reloads and finally, I topped it off with an EOTech 511 because not only was it the fastest combat proven weapon optic for our mission, but it was compact and allowed for more rail to mount the PEQ and rear iron sight.
That carbine was built around my mission. It performed it exactly how I needed it to. When I was putting together this article I had to look back through old emails to see what half of the items were even called, but each component either helped me go faster or made my task of shooting easier and was reliable enough to let me focus on the big picture.
In the end, that is the ultimate goal of any piece of kit.
JD Potynsky
Northern Red
Northern Red Training Classes
northernredtraining.com
JD Potynsky BCMGUNFIGHTER Page
www.bravocompanymfg.com/gunfighters/jd_potynsky
