TYR Tactical

Archive for the ‘SOF’ Category

USSOCOM Awards Contract to Final Forge for Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmets

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Last week USSOCOM awarded an IDIQ contract to Final Forge for the Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmets we wrote about awhile back which were adopted by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ‘Night Stalkers.’

Final Forge, Blountville, Tennessee, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92403-23-D-0004) with a maximum ceiling of $49,000,000 and a $5,000 minimum ordering guarantee for a new generation of rotary wing advanced tactical helmets with spare parts and accessories. The helmets provide operationally relevant characteristics and performance including but not limited to excellent comfort, stability, field of view, and head mobility. This contract will fulfill the full operational capability requirements for all U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) rotary wing aviation components. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $874,970 are being obligated at time of award on the first delivery order. This contract is a follow-on production contract stemming from a competitive prototype agreement and is being awarded in accordance with10 U.S. Code 4022(f). USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

The RATH was developed and is manufactured by Final Forge, a company founded by David Rogers who coincidentally also founded Ops-Core before selling it to Gentex in 2012.

USSOCOM Awards Geissele Automatics $29 Million for Mid Range Gas Gun – Sniper

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

This week, USSOCOM finally issued a contract for the Mid Range Gas Gun – Sniper or MRGG-S (pronounced Margie-Ess at SOCOM), a 6.5 Creedmoor gas gun. However, the barrel is user swappable to 7.62mm as per the requirement.

This photo was taken during SOF Week. The program of record rifle features everything you see here except the optic as SOCOM has several optics initiatives under way.

Below is the DoD contract announcement:

Geissele Automatics, North Wales, Pennsylvania, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92403-23-D-0003) with a 10-year ordering period and a maximum ceiling of $29,263,029 to procure a new sniper support weapon, designated marksman, rifle taking advantage of advances in ammunition and weapons technology to improve the intermediate range sniper rifle lethality, reliability and performance when suppressed during 50-1,500 meter engagements. This effort will also provide for complete sustainment over the life cycle of the weapon system, including associated spare parts and vendor support, new equipment training, engineering, and travel. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $4,240,133 are being obligated at time of award on the first delivery order. This contract is a follow-on production contract stemming from a competitive prototype agreement and is being awarded in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 4022(f). U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Although listed on Geissele’s website, the gun is not in stock.

The commercial variant features a 20″ cold hammer forged from CRMOV steel and chrome lined barrel. The barrel is interchangeable between 6.5 Creedmoor and 7.62×51 mm NATO at the user level. The full features are available at the Geissele site.

There is still a program afoot to adopt an Assaulter version of MRGG. It features a shorter barrel and different stock as well as full-auto fire.

SOFWERX – Family of Small Unmanned Ground Systems (FosUGS) Assessment Event

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

I’m pretty excited to tell you that SOFWERX, in collaboration with SOF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS), will host an Assessment Event (AE) 04-07 December 2023, to identify production model solutions for general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot systems. 

This assessment solicits white papers to describe the current capabilities of off-the-shelf robot systems in the 10-40 lbs weight range. Systems will be reviewed by USSOCOM stakeholders and Subject Matter Expert’s (SME’s) to identify solutions for future participation in the FosUGS indoor presentation/outdoor demonstration that will occur at SOFWERX to provide a pathway to ultimately conduct tests on selected systems for specific cyber, safety, and performance requirements.

Technology desired by USSOCOM is an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot system in the weight range of 10-40 pounds that has some level of autonomous behaviors or capabilities which reduce operator workload and can operate in all-weather conditions within rural/urban environments. The system must have an integrated electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) full motion video (FMV) capability for day and night ISR operations and be payload agnostic to support additional payloads.

The 10-40 lbs range seems to be the one which the services are having the most trouble with. There are lots on micro systems out there (below 10 lbs) and loads of larger robots on the market but this small size seems to be a bit of an engineering challenge, balancing size, capability, and payload.

Remember, the robot is the platform and carries tailored, modular mission platforms. A robot with sensors, or weapons built-in becomes a screwdriver rather than a multi-tool and is less desirable due to its limited use. The image below gives you an idea of what I’m talking about regarding size. The larger robot is the Transcend Vantage and the much smaller robot is the Mini Vantage.

Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems is a newly formed PEO within USSOCOM which combines elements of the old PEO Special Reconnaissance and PEO C4. It is responsible for Technical collection and communication, Integrated sensor systems, Sensitive Site Exploitation, Remote Capabilities; and Tactical Communications. Enterprise C4 systems have moved under the Director for Enterprise Information Systems.

To participate in this AE, submit NLT 20 October 2023 11:59 PM ET here.

Special Forces of the German Armed Forces to use Vector reconnaissance drones from Quantum Systems in the future

Thursday, September 28th, 2023

German drone manufacturer from Munich wins “FALKE” tender from the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw)

Germany, Munich, September 27, 2023 – Quantum-Systems GmbH, Munich-based manufacturer of dual-use reconnaissance drones that use multi-sensor technology to collect data for government agencies and commercial users, yesterday signed a framework agreement with the BAAINBw for the delivery of Vector reconnaissance drones.

Delivery of 14 unmanned aerial systems begins at the end of 2024

In November 2022, the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) published the project under the name “Framework contract for the procurement of remotely piloted reconnaissance systems, airborne, short range” – “FALKE” for short. The complex performance specifications of the competitive award procedure placed numerous requirements on the future supplier of the unmanned systems. Quantum Systems successfully submitted a bid and was able to conclude the framework agreement with the BAAINBw on September 26, 2023.

Delivery of the first 14 systems is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the future, the Bundeswehr will thus have a system for precise reconnaissance that can be deployed quickly and independently.

Requirements for availability, innovation capability and precise reconnaissance methods

The vertical take-off and landing capable drone type Vector provides the German Army’s special forces with a market-available tactical reconnaissance system optimized for their range of operations and meeting requirements in terms of range, flight time and sensor capability. Vector enables precise reconnaissance over a range of up to 30 km with a flight duration of up to three hours. The integrated ‘Raptor’ combi-sensor is equipped with an optical and an infrared camera, enabling day and night operations in all climates and under challenging environmental conditions.

For the operational tasks of the Army’s special forces, precise reconnaissance is a mandatory requirement.

Welcome to the Jungle: MARSOC Diversifies Training Environment

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

HAWAII – A team of Marine Raiders recently completed a jungle tracking and mobility course as part of their pre-deployment training program.

The course, administered by instructors from the Tactical Tracking Operations School, teaches mobility in a jungle environment, rope and rappel work, jungle tracking, and anti-tracking techniques.

For roughly two weeks, the team worked on enhancing these skills to be able to effectively operate in a jungle environment while deployed.

“Looking at the Pacific and deployments in that region, learning these skills is essential,” said a critical skills operator. “For so long we trained for desert environments and now we have to look at where we could be needed next, and the jungle is top of that list.”

Since 2015, TTOS has been offering some manner of jungle training for U.S. Special Operations Command units, and in 2021, upon the arrival of their current vice president, Cody Carroll, the program began to evolve into what it is today.

“My last deployment as a reconnaissance officer was to the Pacific region,” said Carroll. “Through my own research and training, I realized most units didn’t have the hard skills or training to succeed in this environment.”

The creation of the current course was not about creating a new, innovative program, but more about getting back to how historical forces would have trained.

“These same problems that we have now: low visibility, difficulty for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, broken communications, and logistical issues, they all existed for troops during WWII and Vietnam,” Carroll said. “We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel, just build the skills that we stopped training because we spent 20 years in the desert.”

Throughout the two weeks, the team trained in every aspect of jungle mobility. They had to navigate thick brush, scale and rappel cliff faces, and traverse rivers and other water features. All while either tracking an adversary or preventing an adversary from being able to track them.

They also spent time learning jungle specific counter improvised explosive device techniques, reaction to contact in dense vegetation, and setting and countering ambushes.

“You see guys that are newer to the team start out very hesitant in these different drills and in tracking,” said a CSO. “By the end of it, the confidence is through the roof, you’ll see those same guys find a track and maneuver the jungle like they’ve been doing it their whole lives.”

The course culminates with an exercise designed to last up to 72 hours where the students are ambushed by an adversary and must regroup and utilize their command and control to organize tracking teams to capture the adversary using all of the tracking and mobility techniques learned over the two weeks.

The team all responded positively to the training, praising its effectiveness and the foundation it provides for SOF units to build upon as they deploy to regions where this sort of mobility is needed.

“I’ve been through this training with two teams now and both experiences were beneficial to everyone on the team,” a CSO said. “I really think every company that can deploy to a jungle environment should come do this training. It’s invaluable.”

Story by Cpl Henry Rodriguez II,

Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

SOFWERX – Air-Launched Loiter Munition Collaboration Event

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office – Fixed Wing (PEO-FW), Stand-Off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGM) Program, will host a Collaboration Event (CE) on 2 November 2023 to demonstrate and integrate Air-launched Loiter Munition (ALM) capabilities.

The SOPGM Program Office currently supports Special Operations Forces (SOF) aircrews with short range munitions that are employed directly to known targets, visually identified by the shooter aircraft before launch, and utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) or Semi-Active Laser (SAL) for terminal guidance. The dependencies for this employment method will place SOF Operators at an unacceptable risk during engagements in highly contested areas. New solutions are required to provide identification, tracking, and engagement of moving or mobile targets in a time compressed environment. SOF aircraft must be prepared to efficiently engage moving targets on the time scale it would face during any potential conflict with a well-resourced peer or near-peer adversary attempting an act of aggression. Traditional airborne moving target intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors currently employed by SOF will be inadequate for such a scenario due to deficiencies in survivability, speed, range, or sensor performance. Considering these capability gaps, USSOCOM is looking for ALMs to decrease the engagement time from minutes to seconds, improve targeting solutions, and increase the survivability of SOF.

Event Objectives
1) Explore potential ALM solutions with Industry, Academia, and Labs based upon an understanding of current SOCOM use cases and operational landscapes for future conflicts. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere have demonstrated mature ground-launched loiter munition capabilities. This, combined with the emergence of Air Launched Effects (ALE), should provide a shorter path to viable and mature ALMs.

2) Investigate the trade-space, to include:

a) Endurance, Range, Cruise and Max Airspeeds
b) Payload Capacity
c) Sensors/Seekers, Semi-Active Laser (SAL), Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Radio Frequency (RF), Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), Automatic Target Detection (ATD)
d) Command and Control (C2) Data-Link, Telemetry, Transponder, Flight Termination System
e) Counter Detection
f) Warhead and Fusing
g) Employment from various SOCOM aircraft (ex: AC-130J, MQ-9, MQ-1, MH-60, and others)
h) Aircraft Integration standards such as MIL-STD-1760/1553, Universal Armament Interface (UAI), Battle Management System (BMS), Common Launch Tube (CLT), and 14-inch lug racks.

3) Future proof the system for technology upgrades, with considerations for Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), Weapons Open Systems Architecture (WOSA), and Weapons Government Reference Architecture (GRA), as well as producibility concerns.

4) Identify Risks, Issues, and Opportunities.

Request to Attend NLT 12 October 2023 11:59 PM ET.

events.sofwerx.org/loiter

USSOCOM Awards Accrete Contract for AI Agent Argus to Detect Disinformation Threats from Social Media

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

Anomaly detection AI software, Argus, analyzes social media data to predict emergent narratives and generate intelligence reports at a speed and scale that empowers military forces to neutralize viral disinformation threats.

New York, NY, August 29, 2023 – Accrete AI, a leading dual-use enterprise AI company, deployed its AI software for open-source threat detection, Argus, with the U.S. Department of Defense in 2022. Today, Accrete is excited to announce that it has been awarded a new contract by the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to deploy Argus to enable intelligence analysts and special operators in USSOCOM to predict real time disinformation threats from social media.

“Synthetic media, including AI-generated viral narratives, deep fakes, and other harmful social media-based applications of AI, pose a serious threat to U.S national security and civil society,” said Prashant Bhuyan, Founder and CEO of Accrete. “Social media is widely recognized as an unregulated environment where adversaries routinely exploit reasoning vulnerabilities and manipulate behavior through the intentional spread of disinformation. USSOCOM is at the tip of the spear in recognizing the critical need to identify and analytically predict social media narratives at an embryonic stage before those narratives evolve and gain traction. Accrete is proud to support USSOCOM’s mission.”


Argus Social, An Interactive AI Agent for Disinformation Threat Detection

Accrete will also launch an enterprise version of Argus Social for disinformation threat detection later this year called Nebula Social. Nebula Social will address urgent customer pain points pertaining to AI-generated synthetic media, including heightened risk from viral disinformation and deep fakes. Managing AI-generated synthetic media risk requires an AI agent capable of autonomously learning what is most important to an enterprise and predicting the most relevant emergent social media narratives across modalities, including language, image, video, and audio, before they influence behavior. 

Nebula Social not only aims to help enterprise customers manage synthetic media risk, such as AI-generated smear campaigns from competitors, but also to autonomously generate timely and relevant content that matches the most influential emergent narratives with authentically engaged audiences to drive more efficient product innovation and go-to-market strategies. Nebula Social has the potential to significantly expand the traditional social listening market by satiating latent enterprise demand for more intelligent and predictive social media tools for a variety of use cases, including crisis management, product innovation, recruiting, marketing, and political strategy. 

According to Bhuyan, “Government agencies and enterprises alike have an urgent need to manage a plethora of risks and opportunities posed by AI-generated synthetic media.” Bhuyan goes on to say, “Companies are already experiencing significant economic damage caused by the spread of AI-generated viral disinformation and deep fakes manufactured by competitors, disgruntled employees, and other types of adversaries. We believe that the market for AI that can predict and neutralize malign AI-generated synthetic media is about to explode.”

?Contact Accrete to learn more about our latest social media AI solutions.

100 Year Old WWII Veteran Awarded Green Beret and SF Tab

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

Celebrate the newest member of the Special Forces Regiment!

At the incredible age of 100, Ellsworth “Al” Johnson was awarded the Special Forces Tab and coveted Green Beret tomorrow. He just might be the last living member of the Office of Strategic Services Operational Group (OSSOG) and likely the last WWII veteran to get his SF tab!

On August 14th, 1944, Mr. Johnson bravely jumped into France as a member of OG PATRICK. His remarkable efforts helped prevent the destruction of the Eguzon Dam, one of the largest hydroelectric dams in Europe. On July 27th, 1945, Mr. Johnson jumped with the 2nd Chinese Commando into an occupied China as part of the BLUEBERRY mission, leaving an incredible mark in history. Mr. Johnson was also sent to China and trained Chinese Commandos, helping establish their first airborne capability.

In case you didn’t know, Operational Groups (OG)are the original model for the Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA). The multi-faceted mission of the Operational Groups was to organize, train, and equip local resistance organizations, and to conduct ‘hit and run’ missions against enemy-controlled roads, railways, and strong points, or to prevent their destruction by retreating enemy forces during WWII. Most members of OG were Airborne and language qualified.

To honor Ellsworth’s incredible contributions and heroism, the USASOC Deputy Commanding General Maj. Gen Patrick Roberson and the 1st Special Forces Command – Airborne Brig. Gen. Lawrence Gil Ferguson presented Mr. Johnson with a SF Tab on 1 September, 2023, officially recognizing him as a Green Beret.