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Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

Revision Eyewear Teams with B-Temia

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Revision is showing us more and more that they have transcended beyond just an eyewear company and are reaching out into many additional areas of Soldier protection. Earlier this week, they announced a deal with B-Temia to fund development of their first dermoskeleton, aimed at helping soldiers suffering from musculoskeletal injuries.

Since the term “dermoskeleton” is foreign to most of us, we thought it would be best to explain exactly what it is that they are talking about. From the B-Temia website, “A dermoskeleton mechanism is an automated orthopaedic supporting brace fully integrated onto a given joint-segment structure of a user’s body without any interaction with the environment such as ground contacts using, for example, instrumented insoles.

“Based in Canada and the United States as well as with a significant presence in Europe, Revision has proven to be a major player in the field of soldier protection and survivability. We are very proud to team up with a formidable industry player like Revision,” stated Stéphane Bédard, President and CEO of B-Temia.

Additionally, B-Temia Military, a subsidiary of B-Temia, has signed an international licensing agreement with Revision Military for the commercialization of its dermoskeletons. “We see musculoskeletal injuries and the associated non-deployment rates of soldiers caused by heavy load carriage as a costly and painful concern that military organizations around the world must address. The market potential for B-Temia’s dermoskeleton is tremendous. We are excited to add this innovative technology to our portfolio of purpose-built soldier equipment,” said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision.

Bobby Inman to Head Xe

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

According to a Fox News report, the company formerly known as Blackwater (now Xe) is getting a new boss in the name of Rear Admiral (USN, Ret) Bobby Inman. Oddly, the Fox News article says that the selection of Inman is a part of an “Image Makeover”. Well, we see how well that worked last time don’t we? But let’s be honest, I’m not really sure how hiring a 79 year old former Vice Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of the National Security Agency, and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency is going to improve their image. Oh, it might light a few fires under some asses to cut the grass down in Moyock when he makes the odd appearance, but all in all it is just another sign of the same kinds of decisions that got them where they are today; riding in the back of the train instead of driving it.

WPRC Announces New Members

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

The Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition (WPRC) announced today that five more industry leaders have joined its effort to better protect and equip American service members. As of March 1, 2011, Eye Safety Systems, Leading Technology Composites Inc., Smith Optics, Tactical Holdings (Wellco, Altama, and Massif Mountain Gear) as well as Wild Things Tactical have all joined the unified industry voice for operational readiness and warfighter safety.

The WPRC was founded in 2009 as an advocate for the development and fielding of top quality organizational clothing and individual equipment for American warfighters. The WPRC membership consists of small business and multi-national corporations with a shared commitment to US service members and a shared sense of purpose. Each WPRC member company is creating domestic manufacturing jobs, maintaining a critical supply chain and providing American warfighters with the equipment they need to execute missions safely and effectively. The WPRC has achieved success in its early stages by briefing key decision makers on critical issues of operational readiness. The WPRC and its expanding membership look forward to continuing their mission in the 112th Congress and beyond.

The WPRC membership roster is impressive to say the least and includes ADS Inc., Bates Footwear, Benchmade Knife Company, Bluewater Defense, Brookwood Companies Inc., Darn Tough, DuPont, Duro Textiles, Honeywell, Insight Technology, International Textile Group, Leading Technology Composites Inc., London Bridge Trading Company, Milliken, New Balance, Otis Technology Inc., Outdoor Research, Pelican, Polartec, Surefire, TenCate, Wiley X and W. L. Gore. For more information on the Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition please visit www.warriorprotection.net.

New Cut Resistant Fabric from the UK

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

PPSS Group has released a new cut resistant fabric called Cut-Tex Pro. They are using it to produce “cut resistant gloves and cut resistant clothing for police, prison, emergency services, social and health care, animal welfare as well as metal pressing and glass handling companies.” The fabric has been independently certified to BS EN 388:2003 Blade Cut Resistance Level 5 which is the highest level.

It is important to point out that this material is cut or slash resistant and not stab resistant. A stab involves a pointed object like an ice pick or a knife penetrating point first into an object. All of the force is directed behind the narrow entry point allowing it to go deeper. On the other hand, a slash or cut is what is being demonstrated in the photo above. The force is spread out across the blade making it more difficult to penetrate through protected layers.

Most corrections professionals wear cut and stab resistant armor, but short of full riot gear the arms and sides are generally unprotected. Particularly in the UK, LE is more likely to be cut than shot. Despite the efforts of government, threats can’t be legislated away, they just adapt.

While most cut and stab resistant solutions are of aramid (Kevlar) construction, according to PPS Group, Cut-Tex pro is a “combination of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and other technical fibres weaved by special high-density knitting machines”. They use this weave to to manufacture under garments that are inherently cut resistant so everything that is covered by the fabric is protected from cuts. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of polyethylene construction is its resistance to dyeing. Hence, colors like the Grey you see. So it will still have to be covered by other garments, but this does mean that it is a covert protective solution. No one will know you are wearing it and it will not get in the way of normal duties.

This looks to be a great technology for protecting from cuts and slashes and is available as garments or fabric. Please let us know if anyone gets their hands on any of it.

For more info visit www.cut-tex.com.

5.11 CEO Tells It Like It Is

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

In an exclusive interview with Jeanette Kozlowski TacticalGear blog, 5.11 CEO Dan Costa explains why they just had a price increase and so will everyone else for that matter. I’m surprised they kept costs low for so long. This issue has been brewing for some time and will only get worse so long as oil prices continue to climb.

Definitely read this interview. tacticalgear.com

NAVEXFOR 2011

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Now in its 5th year, Naval Expeditionary Forces Symposium and Expo is a one of a kind show. Hosted 15 & 16 March in Virginia Beach, Virginia home of the Naval Expeditionary Combatant Command, it combines the latest products with a stellar lineup of seminars. This year’s theme is “Exploring Alternative Energy Solutions—An Operational Imperative for the Expeditionary Warfighter”. Check out the agenda here.

It is one of our favorites. We have attended every one of the past events and this year will be no different. See you there.

defensetradeshows.com/navexfor-2011

Digital Concealment Systems, LLC vs 5.11 Inc

Friday, March 4th, 2011

On 1 March, 2011 Digital Concealment Systems, LLC filed a suit in Federal District Court in Columbus, Georgia against 5.11 Inc. The full particulars of the suit are available in the public record documents below.

DCS LLC vs 5.11 Complaint

It is important to note that this case was just filed and it appears that DCS filed the suit in response to a series of cease and desist letters issued by 5.11 to DCS and licensees of their camouflage pattern. Also, the suit’s impact, if any, on DCS so close to release of the Army’s Camo Improvement Effort cannot yet be determined. However, according to claims made by DCS in the suit, licensees have curtailed production of products in the A-TACS pattern based on cease and desist letters issued by 5.11 so if you are wondering what is taking so long to get new A-TACS kit to the market, this may be an explanation.

DCS LLC vs 5.11 – Exhibits

Apparently, 5.11 issued cease and desist letters in mid-February to DCS and licensees due to allegations that the term “A-TACS” was too similar to 5.11’s “A.T.A.C.”. Consequently, DCS goes into quite a bit of detail in their filing as to how different “A-TACS” is from “A.T.A.C.”. A search of the US Patent & Trademark Office shows that 5.11 does in fact own a trademark on the term “A.T.A.C.” issued just a year ago on March 5th, 2010 but filed on June 8, 2005. Interestingly, it was issued specifically for use with “footwear; boots” but in the overall category of “clothing products”. Generally, this means that the term is reserved for 5.11’s use in that market segment but not in other, unrelated markets.

Oddly enough, A-TACS is an acronym for Advanced TActical Camouflage System and is registered as servicemark 3,815,288 for the “Licensing of intellectual property in the field of camouflage patterns”. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

In the interest of full disclosure we want you to know that DCS, owners of the the A-TACS camouflage pattern are sponsors of SSD. Not that this is an issue, we would have written about it no matter which companies were involved. We hope that these two companies can come to an agreeable solution to their impasse and go back to doing what they do best; producing kit for you.

The comments section is available for your thoughts.

HP White Expands NIJ Testing

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

HP White, the World’s Largest Independent Body Armor Test Laboratory Gains National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) Accreditation for its Environmental Conditioning Test Facilities in Support of NIJ Body Armor Certification Regimen

NVLAP has awarded HP White accreditation to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 0101.06, Sec. 6 Flexible Armor Conditioning Protocol; fortifying the lab’s existing ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Scope of Accreditation (NVLAP Lab Code: 200825-0). HP White joins a handful of NIJ certified ballistic testing laboratories that can conduct the required environmental conditioning of personal body armor, in addition to the ballistics resistance testing required for NIJ 0101.06 body armor certification.

“Since 1972, HP White has been conducting body armor testing for NIJ and its predecessor the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice,” said Mike Parker, president, HP White. “Through the years HP White continues to evolve its operations with the NIJ programs and customers’ needs. This NVLAP accreditation will provide our customers with more efficient NIJ testing cycles, and faster throughput and market readiness of their products.”

Ok, so now you are saying to yourself, “What does this mean for me?” What it means for you is that HP White is now certified to conduct a protocol “designed to subject test armors to conditions that are intended to provide some indication of the armor’s ability to maintain ballistic performance after being exposed to conditions of heat, moisture, and mechanical wear. This protocol will not predict the service life of the vest nor does it simulate an exact period of time in the field.” This protocol is critical to predicting how well armor will perform in real world conditions. Nobody gets shot in a lab. It’s always in the rain, or bitter cold, or sweltering humidity.

HP White is a household name in the armor world and more testing/certification capacity is good for the market. It means new configurations can be tested more rapidly. This should help shorten the development cycle and encourage competition. Competition in the market place means improved armor and lower costs.

www.hpwhite.com