Mystery Ranch celebrated the ribbon cutting for their new facility in Bozeman, Montana yesterday. On hand was Sen Max Baucus (Dem, MT).
If you happen to be in Bozeman today from 3-5 PM be sure to stop by 1750 Evergreen Drive for their grand opening!
Congrats guys!
Magnum USA is now the the official performance boot of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights. They will outfit the IndyCar tech staff and security team with Magnum footwear for all 17 events. Magnum also renewed its sponsorship deal with Panther Racing and their No. 4 National Guard IndyCar Driver, J.R. Hildebrand. They have been with Panther Racing since 2008.
“We’re extremely proud to support not only the IZOD IndyCar Series, but the Panther Racing team,†said Brett Weitl, Magnum USA’s marketing director. “It’s important for us to support our men and women in uniform, and aligning ourselves with the No. 4 National Guard car makes it the perfect fit.â€
We get a lot of queries from folks looking for work in the tactical industry and try to pass on good opportunities when we find out about them. Daniel Defense is on the lookout for some experienced candidates to fill a variety of roles in the company. Located in Black Creek, Georgia, they are just west of Savannah. It is a great area and they boast a new facility that is just a few years old. Benefits look good.
For those who are interested, visit danieldefense.com/careers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
