Dillon Aero, makers of the M134 mini gun displayed their take on the classic LR Defender. Based on a 110 chassis, the Dillon Defender is a concept vehicle. They currently have 6 in various states of refurbishment.
Yes, those are ammo boxes in the rear bumper.
Chris Klope from HIPPO stops by at Warrior Expo West to talk about their collaboration with POLARIS on the HIPPO Ranger Diesel Crew.
Visit ADS for more information
Local Motors, a dynamic Arizona-based company that builds the world’s first open-source automotives is looking to fill several positions including Program Manager, Web Designer, Shop Supervisor and Instructor, Vehicle Dynamics Specialist, Mechatronics Specialist, CAD programmer and Industrial Designer. Military Veterans are especially welcome.
www.localmotors.com/category/careers
The French 27e bataillon de chasseurs alpins (27e BCA) or 27th Mountain Infantry Battalion recently conducted high altitude mountaineering training in Chamonix. This unit has seen extensive action in Afghanistan. Take a few minutes to check out their equipment. The Overwhites are an Arktis design.
The recent Military Mountaineering Work Shop coverage sparked some real debate which I was quite happy to see. One of our readers, David Leaning of Magnetic North Travel put this article together which I hope will both inform and spark further discussion on the top of military skiing.
Military Over The Snow Mobility – Skis by solsys
This video entitled, “A Partnership for Cocreation: Local Motors & The US Army Rapid Equipping Force” gives a quick look at ways that the Army works with industry to identify and field new technologies. Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers and Director of the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) COL Pete Newell talk about co-creation and the ability to drive innovation “at the pace of conversation” in order to improve soldier productivity, safety and survivability in the theater of operations.
I don’t do this a whole lot but this a cool pic from Military Systems Group who manufacture Gun Mount, Swing Arm, and Weapon Mounting Solutions. And, as a bonus it features some Mayflower kit.
The discussion began with a focus on sleds. Traditionally called Ahkios or Pulkas by the US military, the issue model dates from at least the 50s and is pretty big. Small unit operations call for a smaller model and the USMC is now using a model by Wilderness Engineering. The Marine Corps – Large Transport and Rescue Sled or MC-LTRS weighs about 32 lbs.
Kifaru also offers a sled called the Combat Expedition Sled which is 15 lbs as well as a smaller Combat Armadillo at 12 lbs.
Next, the group discussed skis. Granted, snow shoes are much easier to train troops to use but skis are much more useful for military operations than snow shoes. The increase in mobility is tremendous. And, because the skis will always have climbing skins, they won’t end up being all that fast in the down hill so they are more controllable than you might think. Additionally, little military skiing is downhill but rather as a means to transit from area to another.
Additionally, an interesting point that came out regarding the military’s mindset regarding NATO bindings. Modern commercial boots and bindings are way ahead of low leather boots. In fact, New plastic boots are very flexible. While the military procurement system might not purchase boots that fit every single foot type, there are things that can be done to help with fit including thermo molding of liners. The issue isn’t the boots, once you come to grips with using a single plastic, two-piece boot, but rather the bindings. New bindings like the NTN and Tech bindings are designed specifically for these new boots and are easy to get in and out of. The Dynafit patent for the Tech Binding has sunset so anyone can now make them.
