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Zenith AeroTech Showcases Tethered Aerial Vehicle for First Time at SOFIC Trade Show

May 5th, 2022

Quad 8 TAV and its Ground Power Unit will be displayed at booth of General Dynamics partner

AFTON, Va.–Zenith AeroTech, a leading developer of heavy-lift tethered aerial vehicles (TAVs), announced today that it will be exhibiting its Quad 8 TAV and Ground Power Unit for the first time at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), held May 17-19, in Tampa, Florida.

“People tend think of small drones of having limited air endurance and carrying only one or two pounds of payload, but our family of TAVs are in another class entirely”

Designed to meet warfighter operations, such as overwatch, over-the-hill communications, force protection, and persistent surveillance, the Quad 8 and its 60-pound tether management/power conversion unit will be displayed at the General Dynamics Mission Systems booth (#805).

Indeed, last May, the Quad 8 was flown for 96 hours straight in an endurance test. All through that demonstration, it was supported by the Ground Power Unit, which carried in a Pelican case, acts as a tether management system and converts available 120- or 240-volt AC power into high-voltage DC.

Unlike many tethered drones out on the market, the Quad 8 can carry a payload of up to 20 pounds. This allows the platform to use a wide range of equipment, including (but not limited to):

• Combined electro-optical/infrared cameras;

• LIDAR;

• Synthetic aperture radar;

• Scanning radar;

• Mobile ad hoc networking radios; and

• Laser pointers and target designators.

Kaya said that cooperation between Zenith AeroTech and General Dynamics has proven fruitful. “With a major partner like General Dynamics, we get global coverage for our products, and more and more people learn about the value of TAVs,” he said.

For more information about Zenith AeroTech and its portfolio of TAVs (Hexa, Quad 8, and Quadro), visit the General Dynamics Mission Systems booth (#805) at SOFIC or go here: zenithaerotech.com.

High Speed Gear and Comp-Tac to Attend Modern Day Marine

May 5th, 2022

SWANSBORO, N.C. – May 5, 2022 – High Speed Gear® and Comp-Tac®  are set to attend the 2022 Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, D.C. from May 10th to May 12th.

The Modern Day Marine expo is the premier collaborative venue for active duty Marines, naval, joint, and coalition partners, industry, acquisitions professionals, Congressional Staff, and academia, to come together to focus on the way ahead. The mission is to enhance current readiness, and implement the changes envisioned in Marine Corps Force Design 2030 – The Commandant of the Marine Corps’ case for what must be done to maintain a resilient and lethal expeditionary edge as America’s “stand in force” for deterring peer competition as called for in our National Defense Strategy.  

“As a Marine Corps veteran, I look forward to the opportunity to attend Modern Day Marine.” Said Allison Mitchum, director of sales and marketing at HSGI®. “We have a unique opportunity to display and demonstrate our High Speed Gear® and Comp-Tac® products that were designed with our servicemembers in mind.”

In 2019, High Speed Gear® was awarded the contract to provide Infantry Combat Equipment (PM ICE), Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) with 150,000 double rifle magazine pouches. The HSGI® X2R TACO® MOLLE Pouch was chosen for its preferred functionality, versatility, and weight. This double rifle magazine pouch allows the Marine or Sailor to be more combat effective as they can now carry more ammunition on their person while minimizing the amount of real estate used on their rig.

Modern Day Marine is the singular Marine Corps industry event where defense companies from all over the world gather annually to display their latest technologies, equipment, and services to help our nation’s finest warfighters.

High Speed Gear® has had tight-knit ties with the Marine Corps ever since its founding in 1999, providing Marines and Sailors on Camp Lejeune with Battle-Proven Tactical Gear™ tailored to fit ever-changing missions. Today, High Speed Gear® and Comp-Tac® are still dedicated to providing tactical gear to those who rely on it most.

Agilite’s K19 Plate Carrier just got Even Better-Meet the K19 3.0

May 5th, 2022

Agilite’s K19 is one of the best sold plate carriers in the USA and the 3.0 version just dropped with a series of small but significant upgrades.

“There’s no such thing as a stagnant product, if necessary, we evolve and upgrade them to move with the times. These upgrades came directly from our end users and client T&E program,” said Agilite Israel CEO Elie Isaacson.

See the upgrades explained in the video below:

TacJobs – Engineer Opportunities in 75th Ranger Regiment

May 5th, 2022

Do you know that The 75th Ranger Regiment has several engineer military occupational specialties?

MOS: 12A, 12B, 12H, 12R, 12W, and 12Y.

If you are thinking about a career in the U.S. Army go to goarmy.com.

If you are active duty, email at 75Recruit@socom.mil or 75officerrecruit@socom.mil for more information on volunteering for the 75th Ranger Regiment.

(Graphic by SGT David Soflin, 75th Ranger Regiment Public Affairs Office)

Check Out Tulmar Safety Systems at SOFIC

May 5th, 2022

Tulmar Safety Systems uses this compass board to determine freeboard, torso and face plane angle of in-water test subjects as part of their development and validation of flotation systems.  Tulmar will be at SOFIC and is going to be announcing something very exciting.  Stay tuned.

Visit Haley Strategic Partners in the VirTra Booth at Modern Day Marine

May 5th, 2022

Haley Strategic Partners will be on hand in the VirTra booth (#605) which their virtual training simulator partner at next week’s Modern Day Marine Exposition at the Washington, DC convention center.

Whiskey 5 – Intraloop

May 5th, 2022

Who:

We are a Team of veterans, engineers, designers, and business professionals which was founded and grew out of a need to fix a system that wasted human and material resources and ultimately let servicemen and women down.

We wanted to solve key pain points and began with the question, “How can we unlock the complexities of human insight and use this information to make better products?”

The system in which we operate has inherent flaws that makes it challenging to achieve desired outcomes. Having been there, we knew that the voice of the end user, the individual who deeply understands what they need, should be heard. We also knew the problem existed and persisted at every level, from military operator in the field, to congressmen and women stewarding our nation’s resources, from the consumer to the board room.

What:

Our motto is “Humans Before Hardware”. Intraloop is returning to software’s original promise: solving problems in the physical world. We’re starting with the DoD because America’s competitive advantage comes from building the right things for our national security – better, faster, cheaper.

At the heart of what we do is connecting organizations and communities and giving them the tools and ability to make informed decisions that move the needle.

We’ve created a platform that includes:

-The ability to collaborate across end user communities and organizational administrators.

-Various engagement techniques that gather quantitative and qualitative data in novel ways.

-An admin dashboard that turns end user interactions into faster, data-driven decisions.

By bringing user concerns to the forefront, it reshapes the process and allows for early engagement on products and services. The system is focused on human-centered product design and decision grade analytics which empowers organizations to have a greater impact and increases buy-in at all levels.

Where:

Our platform goes where you go. It can be deployed anywhere, with both Commercial and Government/Defense partners.

When:

The time is now. There’s a clear signal that this is needed and it’s coming in from many directions.

In the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s memo for ‘Software Modernization’ published in February 2022, the document emphasized the following themes:

Speed Innovation into the Hands of the Warfighter – “The Department must evolve and innovate smartly, leveraging industry, academic, and scientific communities to drive toward technical solutions of mutual benefit, to establish creative relationships through agreements, and to foster experimentation.”

Empower the Broader Workforce as Contributors to Technology – “Developers are not the only ones who can impact software modernization. From infrastructure managers to operators, the entire workforce has the opportunity to help evolve technology. The entire workforce must understand their role in delivering software and find ways to streamline processes, push for automation, and better leverage technology.”

Testing & Acquisition – “As software plays a more significant role in weapons platforms and mission capabilities, robust software testing must be integrated into delivery pipelines and account for end-to-end mission thread evaluations.”

We see a shifting world order with the current conflict in Ukraine resulting in increased defense spending across Europe. The question arises on how to best use that money. We must offer ways to accelerate readiness while saving costs.

Why:

There’s a problem that needs fixing. In a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, it was reported that out of the top 20 major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs), the government went $628 bn over budget in the last 5 years. Part of the reason this happened is that they don’t have the tools to gather and rapidly analyze robust user generated data.

When you speak to operators, it’s clear that their needs aren’t being met. There is simply no means to send that signal in a meaningful way. What’s more, acquisition officials lack the necessary data to make better, faster decisions.

Time is a precious resource and more “traditional” ways of conducting research is time and labor intensive and the data isn’t always easily tied to decisions.

Software should support the people. We allow for rapid data collection and analysis to happen in a fraction of the time, in an intuitive way. The result is data that is easy to digest and leads to decisions, but also reduce waste as well as the human and material cost. We feel this is an important goal because it is how we maintain both our military and industrial edge against global adversaries.

intraloop.io

Air University Stands Up Global College of PME, Adds Enlisted Education

May 5th, 2022

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. —  

Air University has reorganized and renamed its distance learning program to reflect the direction civilian institutions are taking with their online courses and to recognize and welcome the addition of enlisted professional military education programs to its offerings. 

The activation of the Global College of PME now places the university’s officer and enlisted distance learning programs under one organization. Previously, distance learning programs for officers fell under the eSchool of Graduate PME and the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education for enlisted members.

The distance learning programs now nested under the Global College of PME are Squadron Officer School; Air Command and Staff College; Air War College; Online Master’s Program; and Airman Leadership School, Noncommissioned Officer Academy and Senior NCO Academy for enlisted members. The enlisted programs are currently transferring to GCPME, with plans to be completely moved over by early summer. Under current Air Force policy, the enlisted online courses are primarily taken by Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members.

The newly launched enlisted PME courses will take advantage of the same Arizona State University learning management system that officer courses have been on for the last two years.

“What I’m most excited about with this change is the impact to our Airmen around the world,” said Col. Craig Ramsey, who assumed command of the Global College of PME as its first commandant on April 1, 2022. “This gives us access to programs and technology that really enhances the student experience as they complete the courses. Instead of completing assigned readings and taking a test on it, there will be the opportunity for peer-to-peer exchange with others in the online class.”

Ramsey now leads an organization with a projected faculty of 96 and more than 30,000 online students, graduating about 20,000 officers and enlisted members annually. Organizationally, the Global College of PME falls under Air Command and Staff College.

“I’m so proud of the Global College team and what they’ve been doing to get to this point. These professionals continue to deliver a learning experience that gets rave reviews from the students,” he said. “There’s an opportunity here to deliver military education to our Airmen throughout their careers in much the same way they pursue education with a civilian institution. We are fortunate to be on the cutting edge of technology and programs in providing our students a valuable learning experience.”

By Phil Berube, Air University Public Affairs