“First Spear”
We expect to see them rolling off everyone’s tongues soon or at least have them wagging.
Details to follow…
Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category
Two Words
Thursday, October 28th, 2010Learn More About the XM25
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010Kit Up! sourced some excellent marketing footage of the ATK/HK XM25 Counter Defilade Engagement System in action. As we posted earlier this month, a small number of XM25s are headed downrange to spank some Taliban ass. Go check out the video and see why the Taliban should just give up now while there’s still hope.
Maxpedition Hits the Big Box
Sunday, October 24th, 2010One of our readers gave us a heads up on this one. Maxpedition products are available on the Walmart website. This is the first time we have seen a brand founded in the tactical arena make it over into mainstream sales but it probably couldn’t have happened with most of the nylon gear in our industry as the cost of Berry compliance is too high for the major discount chains. Walmart.com lists 65 Maxpedition products but we haven’t run across any of them in stores yet.
Former Civilian USASOC Employee Named in Bribery, Extortion Indictment
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010So was the headline in the Fayetteville Observer’s Military section last week. While the details of the story have been a well kept industry secret for years, it is refreshing to see that the Government has finally taken action.
Former medical plans specialist with USASOC’s Command Surgeon Office Joseph J. Marak was charged with 35 counts in late September, including one count of extortion and 17 counts each of bribery as well as receiving a gratuity from a company doing business with a government entity while being an official of said entity.
The Government alleges he made about $700,000 from his activities associated with the CASEVAC program. The Government’s indictment alleges that Marak steered business toward two companies and then demanded compensation. It is further alleged that he received $13,00 in traveler’s checks while still in Government service. The indictment then alleges that he was paid $350,000 for consulting work between July and December 2006 by Skedco after he left Government service.
S.O.Tech, which is an advertiser on SSD has sued both Marak and Skedco in a civil law suit which is now on hold due to the Federal criminal case. The civil suit was first filed in 2007 in Oregon and alleges that Marak provided S.O.Tech’s company secrets to Skedco and bilked S.O.Tech out of patent rights by convincing them to their patented designs over to Skedco in a joint venture scheme.
DuPont Protection Technologies Unveils Kevlar XP for Hard Armor
Thursday, October 21st, 2010When DuPont contacted us and told use that they were set to unveil a new armor technology that could result in a 20% reduction of weight while retaining the same level of protection we practically did cheetah flips. Based on work on the Enhanced Combat Helmet program, the new Kevlar® XP™ for Hard Armor combines DuPont’s latest Kevlar® KM2 Plus fiber technology and a new advanced thermoplastic resin to create a protection system providing 20 percent higher performance. The most obvious application was helmets.
The story behind the new product is fascinating. Two years of focused research on 100% aramid reduced weight helmets at DuPont’s Armor Technology Center in Wilmington, Delaware resulted in development of XPH170. The goal was weight reduction rather than performance. Combining Kevlar® into thermo plastic technology, DuPont worked to meet current ACH requirements, and the result is a helmet with a 20% reduction in weight forming what is essentially a Lightweight ACH. To put matters into further perspective, the ACH is 8% lighter than its predecessor, the PASGT. Even better, since the new material requires fewer plies, the helmet is thinner and there is more stand off room between helmet and head lowering the risk of blunt force trauma. Additionally, the new material is stronger so there is less back face deformation.
Once the engineers at DuPont realized what they were on to, it took about nine months to workable prototypes. They have continued collaborating with several helmet producers to integrate the technology into their lines. Since it is based on work to develop the ECH, most manufacturers already invested in the infrastructure.
“Our goal is to provide the U.S. military with products that have a meaningful impact on how soldiers accomplish their mission,†said William F. Weber, vice president – DuPont Protection Technologies, North America. “The launch of Kevlar® XPâ„¢ for Hard Armor demonstrates our proactive approach to innovation in order to shape what will become the next generation of required materials for the military.â€
Not only is it a perfect fit for Tactical helmets, but it can also be used for armor plates and Police helmets. DuPont continues to develop new products under the Kevlar® XP™ platform to provide lower weight solutions and better protection for warfighters.
Kevlar® XP™ for Hard Armor will be produced using materials from the new DuPont™ Kevlar® facility being built near Charleston, S.C. Dupont has made a major investment of $500 million to expand Kevlar® production capacity. The facility is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2012. It also will produce other Kevlar® fiber technologies specifically for military applications, law enforcement and industrial applications, and will increase worldwide production of Kevlar®, including Kevlar® XP™ for Hard Armor, by 25 percent.
Be sure to visit DuPont at AUSA and check out this new technology.
Soldier Technology US Conference & Exhibition
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010Be sure to attend the Soldier Technology US Conference & Exhibition January 31st – 3 February 2011 in Crystal City, Virginia. Now, in its 4th year, Soldier Technology will host 48 military and government decision makers who have confirmed to deliver requirement and program briefs, and lessons learned including:
• Brigadier General Peter N Fuller, Program Executive Officer, PEO Soldier
• Lt General Micheal Vane, Director, US Army Capabilities Integration Center
• Colonel Wil Riggins, Project Manager, Soldier Warrior, PEO Soldier
• Brigadier General Jess Scarbrough, Program Executive Officer, Program Executive Office, Chemical Biological Defense
• Major General (ret’d) Robert Scales, Former Commandant, US Army War College
The conference features Lightening The Load and Situational Awareness Focus Days. Download the full agenda here.
In addition to the conference program, the exhibition will hold over 50 exhibitors from system integrators such as: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and QinetiQ and innovative solutions providers including: eMagin, Schott and Ultra Electronics.
Soldier Systems readers are entitled to a 15% discount to attend the show – quote code: 12607.004_SSY_1 when registering. You can register here.
If you require further detailed information please call Saima Qureshi on +44 (0) 20 7368 9465 or email soldiertechnologyus@wbr.co.uk.
Tidewater Tactical Updates Site & More
Monday, October 18th, 2010
Tidewater Tactical hasn’t just updated the look of their website, they have made some pretty major changes to how they do business. The new interface is fantastic and it is easy to find products but there is so much more happening here. In the past Tidewater limited sales to military and other government clients but with the launch of the new Tidewater Tactical website, anyone can order online from a wide variety of products. In fact, they are the only company we have found that offers the Peltor ARC Headset Kit, that was specially developed by Peltor in association with Ops-Core to integrate hearing protection directly with the Ops-Core FAST helmet.
As you can see in this photo, the headset integrates with the ARC rail. The headphones can be pulled up and away from the ear when they are not needed and there is no issue with a headband interfering with padding inside the helmet. All in all, it’s the way to go if you are running a FAST helmet and need active comms/hearing protection.
The Army’s Dual Path Strategy for a Service Rifle
Friday, October 15th, 2010
PEO-Soldier posted an excellent article detailing the the Dual Path Strategy for the Next Generation of Army Service Rifles. The graphic below from PEO-Soldier gives you the main points, but make sure you take the time to go read the actual article.
There are however, a few things that the article doesn’t tell you. For example, while the Army is currently purchasing 25,000 M4A1 carbines from Colt Defense, the weapons needed to fulfill the remainder of the Army’s requirement as well as Sister Service buys and Foreign Military Sales will be offered as a free and open solicitation. That’s right, the Army requirement alone is 14,000 carbines, and someone will be building those weapons, as well as the others we mentioned. Look for the solicitation as early as next quarter. Additionally, the Army currently about 65,000 M4s and they need to be upgraded to the M4A1 standard which includes barrels, trigger control unit, and ambidextrous controls. That too will be an open solicitation. Lots of business out there, without even mentioning the Carbine Competition. Exciting stuff.
