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Brand & Oppenheimer Co. – Whiskey 5

Friday, October 10th, 2014

WHO: Brand & Oppenheimer Co., Inc.

Brand & Oppenheimer Co., Inc. is a leading supplier to the textile industry. Based in Red Bank, NJ, B&O has distinguished itself in the past two decades as a leader in textile conversion for the U.S. military. In January 2014 B&O acquired Performance Textiles, Inc. B&O’s Performance Textile Division has operations in Duxbury, MA and Greensboro, NC and produces high performance fabrics engineered for a variety of uses. B&O specializes in providing technical fabrics for market segments that include military, tactical, commercial, parachutes, medical and high-visibility FR workwear.

WHAT: Textile Solutions

B&O provides a comprehensive array of capabilities in the production of quality fabrics. B&O offers a wide range of stock fabrics as well providing unique custom developments. B&O’s product line includes different weights and constructions in Nylon, Polyester, Cotton, Canvas, Acrylics and blended woven and knit fabrics. B&O is proud to offer both Berry compliant fabrics, as well as the ability to source fabrics on a world-wide basis. Their fabrics are used in medical products, fuel cells, aerostats, life jackets, uniforms, bags, backpacks, outer wear, inflatables and much more.

B&O has historically used technology and innovation in the military segment to protect our troops. They have also used patented technology to protect workers subjected to certain employment risks with their high visibility fabric line. Keeping the workforce safe is what they do best. B&O continues to look for growth opportunities to expand their protective fabrics offerings globally to include additional protection for the workforce and new market segments.

WHERE: The World

With headquarters located in Red Bank, NJ and offices in Greensboro, NC and Duxbury, MA the B&O team is comprised of talented, highly respected industry experts focused on innovation and growth. B&O proudly manufactures all of their military fabric domestically while also providing world-wide sourcing capability.

WHEN: 1913

B&O has been offering textile solutions for over 100 years. B&O has proven itself as a leader in the industry through innovation, quality and service. Their customers have come to expect a certain level of excellence that only B&O can provide.

WHY:

B&O works closely and effectively with greige mills and finishers to provide quality textile solutions. Whatever the end use is B&O is dedicated to producing quality fabrics with a commitment to sustainability and innovation. Considering today’s challenging economic climate B&O is able to meet customer’s needs without hurting their bottom line.

Visit our website for more information: www.brandandoppenheimer.com

Tags: Brand & Oppenheimer
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WHISKEY-5: Line of Fire Tactical

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

Whiskey-5 is a recurring Solider Systems Daily feature that asks “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” of the industry. It is intended to give you a more in-depth look at those manufacturers, trainers and individuals that make our industry unique. We have found that these basic 5 questions are the most basic keys to understanding. Past Whiskey-5s have included such industry heavyweights as Kryptek, Wild Things Tactical, ADS Ventures, HyperStealth and even Tactical Fanboy. Today we’ll be sharing an overview of Line of Fire Tactical.

WHO: Line of Fire
It might not be something that most people think about, but gloves are tough to build. They demand skilled sewers to handle the difficulty inherent in sewing something with so many odd angles to cut and form. They require durable materials that will withstand rigorous punishment without diminishing tactile function. Overall they are just a pain in the ass to design and make, regardless of type—and there are many.

There are gloves for tasks that range from gardening to construction and from working on car engines to poking at sharks. Our hands are important. They are what we make our money with, save lives with, create with and of course destroy with. Line of Fire has the edge in this arena. We focus all our attention on what the hand of a certain breed of person requires; military personnel, LEOs & Correction personnel and First Responders. The hands of a “sheepdog” sorting out gangbangers, handling a prison riot or prowling outside the wire require something much different than those of an athlete, bricklayer or even a surgeon. Line of Fire Tactical is a subdivision of Force Multiplier LLC; we are focused on giving the absolute best available protection to those that go into harm’s way while maintaining their ability to fight and manipulate their gear.

WHAT: Not just any gloves and not just gloves
Seconds matter to the guys on the sharp end, regardless of their mission. Those of you who’ve done that know there have been ongoing problems with almost all of the existing systems thus far. The glove you wear to protect your hands can get you killed if it is poor quality, built of the wrong materials or most importantly—a sloppy fit with poor grip capability.
Gloves should be more than just PPE. They directly affect your performance and ability to complete tasks. Line of Fire builds rugged gloves designed to endure punishment while maintaining maximum manual dexterity and providing the absolute surest grip available in a glove.

Some manufacturers build gloves for hand protection first and grip is a secondary concern. We start with the grip and build the glove around it. Sure, Line of Fire gloves have knuckle guards, but more importantly they use the Parts A & B of our patented TEGS technology (http://www.loftactical.com/tegs.aspx) to provide a 300% increase in measurable torque grip strength – 100% with just Part A. Your grip should not be secondary; it should come before protection, not the other way around. Grip is the connection point between you and your gun. It should never be marginalized.

Line of Fire gloves are not the old M 1949s or “Gloves, Flexor, Light Duty”; nor do they belong in the same category as any of the anemic “tactical gloves” that have proliferated during the last decade of war. Line of Fire designs and builds the future of the fighting and task glove. We have also been expanding into weapon accessories, combat kit and apparel—we have new combat top and bottom sets, inclement weather gear, several weapon accessories and an EOD kit.

WHERE: Huntington Beach, CA and all over the world
Line of Fire is based in Huntington Beach, CA and manufactures both domestically and abroad. We have a factory on the East Coast for our USA-Berry Compliant products and also supervise a factory in the Dominican Republic for our GSA clients. We have no Chinese or Asian production facilities. We are ideally located to visit numerous military installations—easy driving distance to Coronado, Camp Pendleton, Naval Construction Battalion Center Hueneme, 29 Palms and NAS Mugu are some examples. This proximity makes it easy for us to gain insight and feedback from end users and to incorporate their feedback into each evolution. We are happy to be providing gear to everyone from grunts to SMU shooters to Seabees. Right now our gloves are on duty or in service all around the world, from Coast Guard cutters off the coast of Alaska to the tactical officers on the streets of Detroit to SOF personnel patrolling Afghanistan—and hundreds of lats-longs between. Our gloves and accessories are available online, in GovEx, LA Police Gear, Gall’s, Stryker’s and an increasing number of PXs and base stores.

WHEN: Not so long we’re irrelevant, not so new we haven’t proven ourselves
Line of Fire is relatively to the glove market (since c. 2005) but we’ve made what we like to think is a big splash over the last couple of years. Our products are for sale today on their website and are also available for purchase from various federal catalogs. Our product line continues to grow, but not so fast that we aren’t seeking constant improvement. If there is a requirement your unit or organization has that’s not being met, we will be quick to create you a solution. Line of Fire is a company that thinks and builds left of bang because we listen to our customer base.

WHY: Because it needs to be done, and we’re good at it
Our military has been issuing large, clumsy, dated glove designs for decades. There were units invading Afghanistan that were issued the same basic gloves their predecessors wore training to defend the Fulda Gap. Practically all of those gloves are terrible about hampering the handling and firing of your weapon, and are at best inefficient for most all tasks. Aside from lacking dexterity and providing good traction, traditional issued gloves fall short in comfort and proper sizing. This is a problem echoed by many aftermarket glove companies, who seem to be able to make a glove that will last or a glove that will fit but not both at the same time.
Line of Fire glove designs have been tested by multiple units considered to be “top teir” in their respective areas. They consistently earn high praise, which is why you can find these same units using them on the battlefield, on the streets and in facilities the world over. Built rugged but with minimal bulk, our gloves will survive the rigors of a deployment and provide a long service life to the wearer.

Learn more on our website: www.loftactical.com

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and InstaGram.

Tags: Line of Fire Tactical
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Whiskey 5 – Rampart International Corp.

Sunday, January 13th, 2013

WHO:
Rampart International Corp.

What:
Rampart International Corp. is Canada’s leading supplier of Operational Equipment to military, Special Forces, Law Enforcement, and first responder operators. We select only the industries best equipment in each category to offer to our operators. Some of our exclusive brands include Mystery Ranch, Source Hydration, INFORCE, Laser Devices, S&S Precision, Wild Things Tactical, Browe, High Ground Gear, NFM, Defenshield and M-Tek. Our equipment offering covers the spectrum from small arms systems and components to combat clothing, PPE, electro-optics, medical/survival and tactical equipment.

Rampart currently sells via three channels 1) Direct to agency 2) Dealers 3) Online sales. We have over twenty dealers across Canada and our online store allows the public direct access to over 200 items stocked and shipped quickly from Ottawa.

Furthermore, we have some very exciting news for 2013; Rampart will be manufacturing its own line of products; designed, developed, engineered, manufactured and tested in Canada. More details in March 2013!

Where:
We are strategically located in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario. This allows us to be in close proximity to the military, Special Forces and Federal Police.

When:
Rampart was born in the summer of 2010.

Why:
Frustrated with the status quo and myopic attitude that was present in the market; it was time to do it better. Rampart’s motto is “advancing the operator” – we take this task very seriously. This means offering the finest equipment available matched with unparalleled service and support. We know who we are working for, and do everything possible to expedite for our customers.

Tags: Canada, Rampart International Corp
Posted in Foreign, Whiskey 5 | 6 Comments »

Whiskey 5 – Elite Defense

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Who
Elite Defense

What
Elite Defense offers a turn-key service for distribution management, license processing, and logistics. They specialize in unique, top of the line product distribution with an emphasis on ITAR related exports. Elite Defense combines resources, relationships, and expertise into one company that is qualified to service manufacturers and clients in defense and small arms markets worldwide.

Where
Located outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, the Elite Defense team is comprised of industry veterans with the greatest of expertise in their specific fields, who work synergistically with top-tier manufacturers to directly affect a company’s bottom line. Elite Defense is in the process of moving to a new facility which will not only provide additional warehouse space but be better suited to house their operations.

When
Elite Defense was founded in 2007 to help small to medium size manufacturers in the small arms industry sell and distribute their products internationally. Elite’s initial model helped its partners maintain compliance with export regulations and manage the logistic difficulties of representing and moving their products internationally. Since then, Elite has grown to include a domestic wholesale side of its business while it continues to partner with top tier manufacturers.

Why
Elite Defense provides top-to-bottom, worldwide logistical support to help facilitate the distribution of non-competing product lines in order to maximize efforts and utilize marketing expertise to develop new business opportunities within Law Enforcement, MoD, and MoI entities worldwide. Even if Elite doesn’t carry your product line or work with your company’s dealer/distributors directly, Elite can help your company with the export of your controlled products to ensure your company is within compliance of all ITAR and EAR regulations.

elite-arms.com

Tags: Elite Defense, Whiskey 5
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Whiskey 5 – Grey Ghost Gear

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Who
Grey Ghost Gear is a company that doesn’t spend much time touting the leadership team’s background. They seek credibility without chest thumping, dick measuring or tab checks, preferring to remain low key to avoid the sort of personality-driven perception that often trumps gear truth in other companies. This doesn’t mean they lack the background, to the contrary. They just prefer to let quality, flexibility and a nimble response capacity to customer’s demands establish their bonafides.

What
GGG is best defined as a ‘boutique’ tactical manufacturer, place where someone goes to get specialized gear instead of cookie cutter built kit. Make no mistake, there is some good equipment being built out there, but overall it’s mass manufactured and not absolutely focused on the end user.

Grey Ghost Gear evolved from Grey Ghost Outlet when the leadership recognized a significant void in the market. Rapid prototyping in the industry has largely gone away and massive consolidations were taking place. Many manufacturers, now frequently part of much larger organizations supplying huge contracts, have lost focus on the operator. GGG knew it could bring better, lighter weight gear to the market faster than anyone else—they could (and have) rapid prototyped it and gotten it to the end user in a quarter of the time anyone else could.

The background of the Grey Ghost team isn’t necessarily different than many other manufacturers operated or influenced by military personnel.What sets them apart is their constant active engagement with operators still using the gear on the ground. How many companies have leadership that can drop in on and attend a Designated Marksman course at Ft. Bliss, or visit a 4 star command group then have a beer with the Command Sergeant Major afterward? For that matter, how many companies remain as actively engaged with enlisted personnel via constant e-mail traffic, frequent phone/Skype calls and social media?

Grey Ghost Gear offers a way to eliminate bureaucracy and serve the shooters (and not just them). Regardless of what they say, a significant portion of the industry fails to listen to the end user. They may not ask for feedback at all, or they may ask for feedback and then fail to implement changes in a timely fashion (if at all)—this is often the case in companies with restrictive bureaucracies.

GGG does not suffer from this sort of inanity. An example of this is the LiteLok packs, which were manufactured and made available to the AO faster than anyone else, or a large scale rifle manufacturer who requested a modification to the rifle case they provide with their equipment on a military procurement contract. GGG had the change implemented and approved within 24 hours. More recently Grey Ghost was advised by men in the field of a very specific need for a low profile medic pack to be used for trauma and treatment kits by vehicle mounted medics. GGG took it from concept to first prototype in 72 hours. 72 hours after that they had accomplished the customer’s modifications. 48 hours later it was in production and they were getting purchase orders. Eight days from first phone call to ship-to-APO.

GGG is also less afraid than its competition to try new things. It makes short runs on patterns and styles and responds quickly to niche requests. They were the first company to build gear in the PenCott patterns (Badlands, Sandstorm and Greenzone and intend to use whatever camouflages don’t win in the Army selection this December short runs of specialty gear.

Future plans include distributing UK sourced Karrimor SF gear as well as manufacturing Karrimor SF here in the US so it is Berry compliant. They soon bring out a covert carry, low profile series of gear that will be truly low pro, unlike nothing else that’s out there and of course will continue developing specialized gear for unique units and missions as needed.

When
Grey Ghost Gear has been around for a little over 18 months now.

Where
Grey Ghost Gear is based in Idaho, however the equipment is manufactured at vetted local locations with stringent quality control. They’ve never had a warranty related construction repair or replacement in their entire history. GGG is also working with industry partners for offshore manufacturing options for international sales (they’ve sold supplied 16 allied/Coalition countries to date).

Why
Because the principals of the company are former soldiers with operational experience engaging the enemy. They’re actively engaged with the full spectrum military, and not just in the abstract. They work with all Tiers, literally, having sought response from Delta to mess hall cooks—true story. GGG routinely joins soldiers in MOUT sites, on the range and in classrooms, at dinner or a bar or a more visually appealing locale to hear what they have to say.

Many companies are focused (or say they are) on Tier One operators. Grey Ghost Gear doesn’t want just the snake-eaters to be using their kit. They want the guys with boots on the ground for months to afford and share the benefit of the use of their gear. As one GGG principal says, “We want an E-4, before he deploys, to be able to buy some gear from us and still be able to take his wife out to dinner.”

GGG remains dedicated to the end user and their communities. It is actively involved in the Point du Hoc Foundation, a supporter of the TACP Association and other organizations. They hope the customer loyalty earned by their philosophy continues to grow and are fully aware of the responsibility that loyalty entails. They intend to remain worthy of that loyalty or to get out of the business altogether.

www.greyghostgear.com

Tags: Grey Ghost Gear, Whiskey 5
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Whiskey 5 – Tactical Fanboy

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

Whiskey-5 is a recurring SSD feature that asks “Who, What, Where, When, & Why” of industry leaders. It is intended to give you a more in-depth look at the individuals and firms that make our industry unique. We have found that these basic 5 questions are the most basic keys to understanding. Past Whiskey-5s have included such industry heavyweights as Kryptek, Wild Things Tactical, ADS Ventures, First Spear, HyperStealth and many others. Today, we tell you a little more about the sometimes misunderstood Tactical Fanboy, which is associated with this site.

Who Tactical Fanboy. The Lighter Side of Tactical. An unabashed Look at Tacticool.
It’s a part of the SolSys Group serving much the same readership as Soldier Systems Daily—though more during non-duty hours. Tactical Fanboy is written by a cadre of writers and gamers, including current and former military personnel, battle-hardened FPS game veterans and at least one homeless guy in an alley behind an internet cafe. The team is commanded by the ineffable Tactical Fanboy himself, spawn of the Editor at Soldier Systems Daily.

What
The elite (pronounced eeee-light) fighting blogger team at Tactical Fanboy writes about a wide array of things. From weapon and gear news to life skills, movie reviews and television previews, first person shooter game updates to op-ed pieces on everything that our demographic enjoys. To wit, guns, boobs, gear and intel. Information that lets you get your dork on, sneak peaks at kit used operationally in the AOR and on indoor and outdoor MilSim ‘battlefields’ and WARNORDs of approaching game and movie releases. Appropriately curved, scantily clad, sometimes tattooed women (with guns, boobs and gear). Informational articles, weird stuff, op-ed pieces and general interest blog posts come from many different perspectives.

Tactical Fanboy Actual on the job.

In addition to Tactical Fanboy Actual, the team includes (among others) such distinguished individuals as TANSTAAFL, TFB Knuckledragger, Richard “Swingin’ Dick” Kilgore and Jake “Slim” Call (the Mad Duo), Parker, Longbaugh, an Elvis impersonator who has taken every Costa, Hailey, Vickers and Pincus class there is, Packy, Botasky, Darnell Fury (Dalton’s hillbilly cousin), Tarl Cabot and that Asian terrorist who was eating candy bars in Die Hard. We frequently consult other SMEs as needed.

Where
Headquartered in Virginia (and hidden there from the minions of Ninja Force 17), TFB has combat- and nerd- correspondents (frequently irreverent, often horny) all across the country. You will see TFB operatives at SHOT, E3, the NTOA Conference, SOFIC, the Milbloggies, the Consumer Electronics Show…you name it. The goal is to hit you with everything the discerning and rather less than uptight shooter and/gamer might enjoy. Especially guns, gear, boobs and intel.

When
Tactical Fanboy went live in January of 2011, we it’s less than a year and a half old. The very first few posts were presented for the edification and entertainment of its readers on 18 JAN 11. It has been going strong ever since (and in fact last month published its 1,000^TH article).

Why
Tactical Fanboy was established when a few industry professionals began to worry that the “lighter” posts on Soldier Systems, which often included ribald or sardonic humor, were detracting from the serious material. In order to maintain one largely SFW, industry-specific daily (SSD), TFB was established. TFB is on the web at www.tacticalfanboy.com and https://www.facebook.com/Tacticalfanboy

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Whiskey 5 – Kryptek

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

WHO
Kryptek Outdoor Groupâ€¦A.K.A. â€œKryptek, Kryptek Apparel, Kryptek Camo Technologies, Kryptek L.E.A.F, and Kryptek Adventuresâ€â€¦These are more of focus areas then they are stand alone entities. There are actually two legal entities within the Kryptek family of focuses; Kryptek L.E.A.F., and Kryptek Outdoor Group.

WHAT
Kryptek products are born from battlefield knowledge, focusing on what works in combat and honing it for other outdoor adventure use. Founded by a highly-decorated and vastly experienced group of men with first-hand knowledge of everything from air, land and sea combat to high tech camouflage development, Kryptek translates their military experience into product features to meet the needs of soldiers, first responders, civilian hunters and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Kryptek Outdoor Group manufactures high-end hunting clothing; designs specialized products for law enforcement and armed forces; and develops high tech camouflage patterns. Its products designed for extreme conditions and seeks to push the boundaries of what is possible. More than just clothing, the company integrates tactical gear concepts and evolves this technology into technical outdoor adventure/hunting apparel and other top-of-the-line clothing that is comfortable, functional and durable.

Bringing â€œBattlefield to Backcountryâ€ Kryptek looks to outdo expectations and deliver serious hunters and outdoorsmen with superior products modeled after what is used by our nationâ€™s elite. In order to achieve this Kryptek counts on its pro-staff, a cadre of men involved in special ops to help test and give feedback and help create the most functional gear on the planet.

Kryptekâ€™s Law Enforcement and Armed Forces (L.E.A.F.) subsidiary is driven to do what no other company does â€“ provide customized, performance-based apparel that is specific and unique. It is focused on serving law enforcement, armed forces, first responders, homeland defense and other government agencies. Preconceived notions of what customers want do not drive the company. Instead, Kryptek is dedicated to creating preeminent apparel based on field-input and customer feedback. This group depends on their gear, period. Kryptek understands this and joins with its customers to design and manufacture apparel that will work for them.

Kryptek also creates technologically advanced camouflage patterns. The goal is simple: enhance survivability and mission success. Users are consistently looking for more effective camouflage for these two reasons. Using field knowledge and advanced technology, Kryptek creates anything but generic patterns. The company utilizes the teamsâ€™ nearly decade worth of experience designing the leading hunting camouflage patterns in the industry and combines it with battlefield experience and the foremost innovative scientific techniques available in order to generate the most effective patterns possible.

WHEN
Kryptek products are currently carried exclusively by Cabelaâ€™s as well as their online store. They have several new camouflage patterns they will be releasing in the days to come that are simply cutting edge, and extremely effective on the battlefield, and in the backcountry.

WHERE
Kryptek is based out of Fairbanks Alaska, with key personnel throughout the U.S., as well as a vast group of Pro staff that are serving in various parts of the world.

WHY
Tactical application has enormous cross over into the outdoor adventure world, and vice verse. Many U.S. operators use high end mountaineering apparel and gear. In light of recent world events, the employment of Conventional, Special Operations Forces and other Government Agencies focused on protecting our freedom by fighting and winning our nations battles has been at an all time high. From battlefield experience, new technologies, equipment, and apparel have emerged. The concept of the Kryptek Outdoor Group also emerged on the battlefield, through actual combat experience. The idea of tailoring specifically to our Nations clandestine warriors, and spiraling this kit and garb into the hunting and outdoor adventure markets was birthed by a clandestine warrior, executing covert operations, in combat.

The concept of Kryptek is one driven by passion. Seeing a need and niche in the market, a window of opportunity, and an overwhelming desire to do what no other company has done; provide customized, performance based apparel that is specific and unique, that meets or exceeds the expectations of the user, and consistently obtains the desired results. Kryptek is not driven by a preconceived notion of what the customer should want. Through experimentation and customer feedback, we will incorporate product features that meet the customerâ€™s wants for functionality, durability, appeal and overall results.

The Kryptek Outdoor Group concept allows for the founders to fuse their combat experience and connection to the military with their love for the outdoors. By using the U.S. Military Special Operation Forces market as a focus group for research and development, the image of these warriors becomes woven into the fabric of the Kryptek brand. It becomes inherent to the image of the organization, and as these items are offered to the civilian hunter and outdoor adventure seeker, not only will the civilian customer be using s superior product, but one that is being used by our Nationâ€™s elite.

â€œWe come from a background where performance matters and results are expected,â€ said CEO Butch Whiting, an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and received two Bronze Stars among other recognitions. â€œThe same principals of aiming for accomplishment and victory, of no compromises, of leaving nothing to chance, especially your gear â€“ these all apply not only to tactical communities, but to hunting and outdoor adventure seekers as well, which is why we are fusing battlefield and backcountry experience to develop ultra high end apparel that has application and function in both arenaâ€™s.â€

www.Kryptek.com

Tags: Kryptek
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Whiskey 5 – Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Who
Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp.

What
A world leader in CCD (Camouflage, Concealment and Deception); Over two million military uniforms now use Hyperstealth patterns. While specializing in camouflage patterns for Individual Soldiers the company has also worked on CCD solutions for Military Ground Equipment, Aircraft, UAVs (Drones), Structures, Ships and Submarines.

Guy Cramer, President/CEO developed the KA2 digital camouflage in 2003 for the Kingdom of Jordan, under the direct commission of King Abdullah II. The country of Jordan has produced over 800,000 uniforms in this pattern and painted the pattern on over 3000 of their military vehicles.

In 2004 Cramer teamed with Lt. Col. Timothy R. O’Neill, Ph.D. (U.S. Army, Ret.), considered the world expert on camouflage, to develop the USMC Overwhite (snow camouflage) and the new Afghanistan National Army uniform camouflage, through the U.S. Government (1.1 million uniforms).

Cramer/O’Neill have worked together on CCD programs for over 40 countries and with W.L. Gore (Gore-Tex) on new science based hunting patterns under the â€œOptifadeâ€ line. Cramer/O’Neill collaborate on most projects, excluding those presenting a conflict of interest.

In March 2010, Hyperstealth completed the CUEPAT (Canadian Urban Environment Pattern) development for the Canadian Forces: Defenece Research and Development Canada (DRDC). Two of these Hyperstealth patterns are currently being field trialed.

They have over 10,000 camouflage patterns under international copyright. Cramer is now the top camouflage pattern designer in the world.

Where
Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. was established in 1999 in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Hyperstealth Biotechnology Inc. was also established in 1999 and is located in Boulder, Colorado.

When
Unlike most of their competitors who began in commercial production, Hyperstealth started developing camouflage in 2003 for the military side and this still remains 95% of their core business; up to this point the company has had little reason to market their patterns to the general public or provide staged photos of their patterns in backgrounds which complement the pattern.

Using proprietary fractal algorithms (natural feedback loop patterns) Cramer was the first to successfully merge fractals into camouflage making the target harder to acquire than without the fractals. From 2003-Present Cramer has developed over 13 separate unique algorithms (fractals being only 1 of the 13) to optimize camouflage to disrupt the target shape while also blending the target into the background.

Hyperstealth has worked with all four branches of the U.S. Military and with various components of the Special Operations community. When lives depend on the effectiveness of your product, you need to give 110% to understanding what works and what doesnâ€™t work. Hyperstealth is the only company which can set up objective testing (endorsed by the U.S. Government) of camouflage patterns and thus are aware of what works down to the millisecond and what fails to work. For reasons of security they do not share these results outside of the U.S. or Canadian governments.

Cramer corresponded on a number of programs at the request of Senator John Warnerâ€™s office, while he was chairman of the Armed Services Committee. A number of Cramer’s scenarios made it all the way to the President’s Science and Technology Adviser at The White House.

Due to the security surrounding much of what Hyperstealth does, most of it is not disclosed, or is delayed for public disclosure for many years. So while you may think youâ€™re seeing the newest pattern from Hyperstealth at a tradeshow or on their web site, odds are, itâ€™s already 4-5 years old.

What Else
In 2010 Hyperstealth announced â€œSmartcamoâ€; an intelligent textile which changes its color to match the background of the wearer in almost all environments. Further application of Smartcamo onto ground vehicles is expected to precede any wide scale uniform program as power and processors are one limiting factor for the individual soldier application.

In 2011 Cramer announced â€œQuantum Stealthâ€ (Light Bending material) non-powered adaptive camouflage which portrays what is behind the user in-front of the user bending the light around the target. The cost is inexpensive, very lightweight and there are no power requirements. This technology was recently shown and sampled with a number of experts for the U.S. Military to verify the abilities of the material.

GHOSTEX
Hyperstealth and ADS Inc. initiated Ghostex last year, using new rapid production machinery; Hyperstealth can print any pattern to MilSpec fabric with inks that work in the NIR then send the material to ADS where they assemble 1 â€“ 50+ uniforms in any of these new Ghostex patterns and colors with reasonable turnaround time.

Hyperstealth has been refining the system for short run production for field trial uniforms for countries military soldier upgrade programs. Current the company estimates they are printing 400 yards per month on these machines for Special Forces and country uniform programs.

For 2012 Cramer says there is a new technology he is working on which should be another leap forward in personal concealment with a material which can change colors allowing the user to dial in the closest colors by manually shifting through the camouflage color spectrum to match the background and/or time of day. More details to follow shortly.

In October 2011 HyperStealth signed a series of exclusive camouflage pattern licenses for SOPAT (Special Operations Pattern), SpecAm and CAMOPAT patterns and also the Passive Negative Ion Generator to Elba-Onyx Enterprises (an affiliate of The Onyx Group) with exclusive licenses for NATO, the European Union and non-exclusive licenses outside of these territories.

Hyperstealth also recently announced that the company has retained the services of The 132 Group as Advisers and Consultants. The 132 Group provide programmatic, equipment specific, and Business Development services to companies desiring to develop or increase their technologies or ability to provide their specific goods and services to the Government.

Bill Jarvis, the principle of The 132 Group, has accompanied Cramer on a number of briefings to different U.S. Special Forces Commands, British Military,and the Royal Navy earlier this year and is one of only a few people to see the actual SMARTCAMO (color changing) and also the Quantum Stealth (Light Bending) materials.

Just in the last few months, Hyperstealth has been featured in the â€œAtlanticâ€ magazine, The Globe and Mail (Canada’s National Newspaper), Business in Vancouver, the Financial Times in London, Military Times, CNN and a live interview on the NPR (National Public Radio).

With Hyperstealth patterns being used in some upcoming large feature films, scientific documentaries and other large commercial companies upcoming pattern releases you may think youâ€™re about to see it all, but it’s what the company can’t show you which really sets it above and beyond all others.

HyperStealth is referenced in the NATO Programme for Security through Science.

www.hyperstealth.com

Tags: ADS Inc, GHOSTEX, Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp, The 132 Group
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