This as-yet-unnamed pistol magazine pouch is lined with Tegris, offering flexibility additionally, it’s lined with HANK for retention.
In addition to double stack and single stack magazines, it will also accept Multitools and other similar shaped items.
PALS compatible, it can be adapted to belts as well. Coming shoonish.
Like SureFire’s ProComp and Eliminator muzzle devices the new WarComp-Sport is non-suppressor bearing. However, you still get the same WarComp styling and performance, but at a lower price.
The items showcased in the Crye Precision booth are “coming soon” which means we should see then during this calendar year.
ATO High Loft Parka & Pants
The ATO ALPINE TERRAIN OPERATIONS High Loft Parka is a static insulation layer for cold weather environments. The Climashield Apex insulation is thermally mapped with three different weights that deliver optimized warmth while minimizing overheating. The unique reversible design provides both alpine and woodland concealment as needed. It is constructed with a durable nylon outer fabric that is wind resistant and packable. The ATO High Loft Parka features an expandable front zipper that allows the flexibility to layer up or down and even provides coverage for fully loaded plate carriers and vests. Hand pockets are lined in fleece for warmth and interior mesh pockets accommodate cold weather gear like goggles.
ATO HD Overwhites
The ATO Overwhites provide alpine concealment in a robust combat feature design. Built from a durable ripstop nylon shell, it utilizes water resistant reinforcement in areas of high wear like the shoulders, seat, and lower arms. You’ll see some M1951 Fishtail Parka DNA in there. Shoulder and cargo pockets stow essential cold weather items and pit zipper pass-throughs.
G4 Aviation Uniform
Developed in conjunction with a SOF aviation element, the G4 Aviation Uniform is offered in both male and female fit. It utilizes the same fabric as G4, the FR Commando Twill. There are also both Field and Combat models.
You’ll find some aviation unique features like dual entry shoulder pockets, center front zipper and loop placement to accommodate ID. The pants also have double seats, oversized patch pocket on calf, vertical zippered entry on thigh pockets, and a multi-tool pocket.
Offered in MultiCam m, Black, and Ranger Green.
LVS Female Fit
Crye’s proprietary 3 dimensional forming technology allows them to shape the vest to directly match the contours of the human body. Now they’ve applied it to the female form. Because it is molded, the armor will not crumple and fold up in the bottom of the carrier. Infact, the LVS Base Vest requires no external carrier at all.
FB/40mm Pouch
The FB/40MM POUCH is designed to accommodate flashbang and 40mm grenades. It is constructed from laser-cut AIRLITE and features a welded attachment strap with a unique tab geometry. Heavy-duty elastic provides a secure fit while the flap is tucked into the pouch. The dual security closure allows for extra security of your flashbang. Available in single, double and triple pouch.
SMOC
Coming this year! Purpose built for multi-day recce missions, the SMOC (Special Missions Operations Coat) is designed to provide combat-specific weather protection and allow storage of critical gear. Constructed from a durable water repellent ripstop nylon shell and fully lined to provide warmth and wind protection, while the mesh venting at the chest pockets and underarm help to avoid overheating during movement. Designed with thumb loop cuffs, an elastic crotch strap and a shock cord cinchable waist to ensure proper fit and security.
See the 2023 Crye Precision catalog here.
Welcome back to Vegas! With over 80,000 preregistrations, SHOT Show looks to be the biggest ever!
During yesterday’s Range Day, Geissele showed off a variant of their Super Duty rifle dedicated to firing the 6 ARC cartridge.
Offered in 18″ and 20″ models.
Reliable magazines for the 6 ARC (and other Grendel rounds) have been an issue, so Geissele also developed their own magazine. These will be available in 5, 20, and 30(!) round capacity.
Check out the new HOVR Infil G2 Mid from Under Armour. It will be offered in waterproof and non-waterproof variants and incorporates deep traction lugs and HOVR cushioning.
Coming in Black and Coyote.
SOTech is proud to announce several new products added to their medical and tactical lines at SHOT this year. In booth 20059 they will be displaying the new Delta Omega Pouch, Cobra Harness, OrgBoard Line, full Cobra Pack Line, Micro Pack Line, laser cut Slim Line Harness, M320 holster and ammo load carriage system, and their commercial line of popular products in unique colors and camo patterns.
The Delta Omega – Medical / Ordnance Pouch comes from requirements posed by Special Forces Medics and from the Army Infantry Center (MCOE). The need for a pouch that will hold the plastic ribbed magazines for the NGWS-R (M-7) prompted us to cut the bottom of the pouch at a 45 degree angle with plastic lining to cause the front magazine to push upward creating a better purchase. The triangular shape at the base inspired the “delta” in the name. The requirement from the 18Ds to hold multiple sizes of medical inserts, micro-org board trays, and a compression IFAK inspired the development of an elastic draw cord cinch girth pouch. The pouch has a unique (patent pending) cord arrangement where it can form an elastic speed draw loop over the top, or the cords can be split and tabs tucked into the side allowing the laser cut flap to extend and be used for more protection. The result is a pouch that can carry radios, IFAKs, med inserts, grenades, smoke grenades, rifle magazines of multiple sizes (CSASS, M-4, M-7, etc) and Tasers- thus the Omega of pouches.
Another innovation on display is SOTech’s Cobra Harness which both forms the shoulder straps of the Cobra Pack and can be dismounted and worn as a padded 6-point load bearing harness -one of the most comfortable we’ve ever worn. The unique feature is the drop-down suspension release buckle. Any operator who has been on the long march knows the need to loosen the suspenders to lower the load off the hips for a few miles. And then the need to cinch the suspenders back up to take the stress off the shoulders. Our buckle arrangement allows the wearer to pop the buckles and extend the suspension straps by 5 inches, and then by re-buckling they can pull the load up back onto the hips.
SOTech is perfectly located just inside the first door on the right coming from the Venetian Casino in Booth 20059.
FN America (FNA) is previewing an entirely new weapon system unlike anything you have seen at the 2023 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, called the Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (LICC) Individual Weapon System (IWS), it has four purpose-built components:
• Lightweight ammunition family
• Improved Performance Carbine
• 25-round purpose-built, polymer magazine
• Signature Suppressor
All of these components were designed and purpose built specifically for this program, including the rifle, which was developed entirely from the ground up by FNA in Columbia, South Carolina. So far, FNA has not assigned the weapon a moniker aside from its program name. Additionally, the program added a belt-fed Assault Machine Gun.
IWS is chambered in the LICC, a .264 (6.5 x 43mm) round which was initially developed by the US Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), Fort Benning, GA and optimized by FNA’s team.
Here’s an interesting aside regarding the naming of the cartridge. While under development by the AMU, the cartridge was referred to as .264 USA. As the ammunition underwent development, the working name was altered to .264 International in honor of the Allied partner co-sponsoring and co-funding the program. Eventually, the team settled on a simplified .264 as the path forward.
FNA developed the weapons and ammunition under a U.S. Government competitive RDT&E contract awarded by the Irregular Warfare Technology Support Directorate (IWTSD), a government office, which is responsible for conducting research and development in support of U.S. and allied organizations involved in Irregular Warfare. Although this includes Special Operations Forces (SOF), there is a variety of other government agencies with IW responsibilities who share mutual needs within this realm. IWTSD works with academia and industry to develop new advanced capabilities. Originally known as the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), the name was changed to IWTSD, under the Assistant Secretary of Defense Special Operations / Low Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) in 2021.
For the LICC IWS effort, FNA leads a best in class industry team consisting of four ammunition manufacturers, one magazine designer and manufacturer, and one suppressor designer and manufacturer.
The very name of the program is straight out of a 2016 briefing presented to NDIA’s Armament Systems Forum by IWTSD’s SME Jim Schatz entitled “A Path to Overmatch: Next Generation Individual Weapon System” in which he envisioned a new weapon firing a lightweight cartridge in .264 or .277.
In January 2018, IWTSD published their annual Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for a variety of new required technologies. One of those was LICC IWS. The BAA called for a carbine chambered in .264 USA with the C8 carbine as a baseline as Canada SOF is a full partner in this endeavor. The goal was to provide overmatch against emerging great power competitors and future threats.
On 19 August 2019, a contract was awarded to FNA and work began. The team evaluated the government’s requirement and realized something completely new was required.
To achieve the weight savings they were aiming for, the team evaluated a variety of cartridge types, ultimately settling on a two-piece, lightweight steel design with stainless steel head and case body.
This seemed like an odd choice to many. FNA related that …“stainless steel performs differently than what was initially expected with a new lightweight cartridge. As an industry, we understand how brass cartridges perform and behave in the weapon chamber. We learned lightweight cartridges behave differently, outside normal expectations. We had to understand the science of the cartridge technology and use its characteristics to produce efficiencies and performance improvements that are superior to brass”… said Peter Kurupas, FNA Program Manager for Infantry Weapons and LICC IWS/AMG.
Ultimately, the new advanced cartridge presents reliable chambering and extraction with nominal chamber pressures and high muzzle velocities.
Additionally, accuracy is consistently two times better than the M4A1 while shooting on the flat range.
When .264 USA was first envisioned, a big selling point was that it could be fired from an AR-15 sized receiver set. Unfortunately, like .224 Valkyrie, 6mm ARC and other similar-sized cartridges, .264 is on the outer limits of effective use in the M4 carbine. Worse still, between the size of the cartridge and size of the magazine well, there is no room for the increased wall thickness of a polymer magazine. It was obvious a new purpose built receiver and magazine would be required.
Upon contract award, FNA began to analyze the challenge before them. They had a clean sheet of paper and the perfect conditions to create something new and higher performing.
Starting with the ammunition, the entire approach was a collaboration between IWTSD, US & CANADA SOF, AMU and FNA to establish the overall cartridge shape, capacity and performance.
A crucial component, a key industry partner developed a purpose-built magazine for the .264 cartridge fired by IWS. When loaded with 25 rounds of lightweight ammunition, it is equivalent in weight to a 30-round Magpul P-Mag loaded with 5.56mm ammunition.
As far as the weapon was concerned, something new had to be developed and quickly.
Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the timeline of the program just as it did across all of DoD’s modernization efforts. However, within 60 days, they had a design concept and drawings. Two months later, a printed 3D model was available for government inspection. Two months more and a printed metal version was offered and live fire tested. By December 2020, IWTSD accelerated the program.
The resulting design is something akin to an AR-12.5 in size, which seems to be the “Goldilocks” size for intermediate calibers. The AR-15 magazine well is a bit too small and the AR-10 platform is overkill, adding unneeded size and weight. However, if you are comfortable with a Stoner pattern rifle, when you pick up IWS, you will feel right at home although a few of the ambidextrous controls are a little different, including charging handle operation. Additionally, although it is a two-piece, upper and lower receiver design, it breaks down a bit differently.
IWS utilizes a long stroke piston operating system, which is something you don’t see as often in new weapons these days. This is paired with a three-lug bolt face for strength. Additionally, the weapon is designed to run without any adjustments, in both suppressed and unsuppressed conditions, due to the self-regulating gas block.
IWS is available in three field interchangeable configurations: 11.5” Close Quarters Battle (CQB), 14.5” Carbine, and 18.5” Recce (Designated Marksmanship Rifle) with the various versions weighing between 7 and 9 pounds, empty.
Features include:
• Full Ambidextrous Controls
• FN developed two-stage select fire precision trigger system
• Ambidextrous Bolt Catch and Release system
• Long stroke piston operating system
• Self-regulating gas block assembly
• Self-contained operating group
• Non-reciprocating charging handle system
• Continuous 12-o’clock hand guard one-piece Picatinny rail
• Operator selectable left and right side folding stock system
• Fire with stock folded capability
• Quick detachable and install stock assembly
• Multiple Quick Detachment points and MLOK handguard cap ability
• Single lever takedown for rapid field strip
So far, FNA has made 40 changes to the individual weapon based on government feedback and direct interaction with tactical unit operators throughout regularly scheduled Soldier Touch Points. For instance, last summer, IWS underwent a User Acceptance Testing and Performance live fire Evaluation at Fort Benning, GA hosted by AMU with U.S. and Canada SOF participating.
Firing IWS on full-auto reminded me of firing a belt-fed machine gun. There was a solid recoil impulse to be sure but it was very controllable thanks to the how the design deals with recoil and the firing rate was a comfortable “chugga, chugga, chugga” I was comfortable with. In semi-auto fire, recoil was more of a push than a snap thanks to the operating system and two mechanical mechanisms incorporated to mitigate recoil.
The LICC Assault Machine Gun (AMG) being concurrently developed with IWS, is a modified version of FN’s new EVOLYS machine gun designed specifically for use with .264. Results from prototype testing show the AMG is more accurate than the Mk48 in full auto mode. FNA is also developing an alternative to the current Mk13 link. The lightweight link system currently in development is set for testing in 2Q FY 2023.
Although the BAA requirements document discussed a polymer cased .264, then under development, the FN team down selected and proposed a high performing stainless steel case design. It is designed to reduce the carried weight by 20% compared to equivalent brass cartridges, while achieving improved results in accuracy and performance over current fielded ammunition.
In addition to the more than two times increase in accuracy over the M4 carbine, testers observed nearly 70% more impact energy and lethality over the M4, while maintaining handling with a system lighter than 8.0 lbs.
.264 is already delivering energy on target, but they’ve still got room for growth with capacity to handle pressures greater than SAAMI 6.5mm Creedmoor.
Cartridge types include Reduced Ricochet Limited Penetration Ammunition (Non-Toxic Primer) for training purposes and a monolithic ballistic match ammunition family.
Although this is an R&D program, it is delivering a weapon system, including multiple ammunition types, which could rapidly be put into service and offer distinct advantages over currently fielded systems.
This Summer, FN America will deliver 55 LICC IWS in three configurations as well as, a limited number of assault machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition to the U.S. and Canadian governments. Already, organizations are lined up to evaluate these new advanced systems.
The IWTSD LICC IWS & LICC AMG contracts have capacity and allow for a second optional delivery in Fall 2023 for First Article Testing, an initial step in a transition pathway to large scale procurement.
One of IWTSD’s primary co-sponsors of this program is CANSOF and they’ll be receiving weapons and ammunition as well. Other foreign partners are keen on checking out these new capabilities.
LICC IWS & AMG will be on display in FN America’s booth at SHOT Show at booth #11860. Meetings are available for qualified representatives.”
