Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

TacJobs – FirstSpear Seeks Manufacturing Engineer – Textiles Based Tactical Equipment

July 14th, 2020

FirstSpear, LLC is currently seeking a Manufacturing Engineer – Textiles Based Tactical Equipment for our growing company in the St. Louis area. This position will interact with many departments of the company to continue to improve manufacturing processes, strengthen efficiency and product quality.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement programs to assist with continuous improvement related to manufacturing and product development.

• Focus on efficient systems to fix faults in the production process.

• Devise efficient manufacturing systems to optimize the use of equipment, machinery, materials personnel, factory layout and space utilization.

• Devise systems that will integrate workers, machines, and materials. Follow up on opportunities to improve performance.

• Develop tracking systems to resolve production issues, ensure quality, control manufacturing costs, and support cost analysis.

• Communicate with manufacturing and design teams to resolve problems while minimizing costs.

• Prepare necessary documentation consistent with company guidelines, technical specifications, industry and legal requirements, including SOPs.

• Create and maintain required manufacturing process documentation, including process flow charts, capacity and utilization studies, time and motion studies, standard work, cycle time analysis and line balancing.

• Document operational breakdowns, workflows and standard allowed minutes and conduct time and motion studies.

• Support the development and maintenance of production standards

• Lend product engineering expertise to the product design and product development teams to ensure product design specifications, quality standards and production lot testing requirements are appropriately documented across all product lines.

• Recommend changes to product design specifications as warranted to enhance quality and/or reduce manufacturing cost.

• Explore new and existing processes, construction methods, machinery and materials as an input to product design specification and performance metrics.

• Lend engineering expertise to ensure compliance with relevant industry standards for product safety and other performance measures while satisfying form, fit and functionality objectives.

• Develop standardized procedures to maintain and calibrate manufacturing equipment; and identify and validate changes to equipment, materials and construction methods prior to implementation in the manufacturing process.

• Conduct employee training for productivity improvement

What We’re Looking For

• Proven track record in a related discipline

• Strong relationship building skills with a commitment to a team environment

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

• Highly motivated and achievement oriented

• Effective time management and organizational skills

• Positive and collaborative attitude

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing or Product Engineering with a minimum of 5 years of related experience

• Mechanical aptitude and knowledge of manufacturing processes is required; specific knowledge of manufacturing processes utilizing textiles, industrial sewing and thermoplastic forming is highly desirable.

• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, 5S or other similar disciplines is highly valued.

• Proficiency with analytical tools, workflow time study, and process balancing.

• Proficient with Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office programs.

• Experience with CAD programs highly favored.

Benefits

• 401(k)

• 401(k) Matching

• Dental Insurance

• Employee Discount

• Health Insurance

• Life Insurance

• Paid Time Off

• Retirement Plan

• Vision Insurance

Why work with us? Great culture!

We are a vibrant, growing company proudly supplying elite military and law enforcement professionals with the most advanced tactical gear and personal protective equipment available. Looking for hardworking individuals who are team-oriented, yet strong and independent thinkers to join our mission supporting the men and women of law enforcement and the armed services who risk everything to protect our lives and our liberty. Interested candidates with prior military or law enforcement experience are encouraged to apply. We offer a great culture, competitive wages, 401K, full medical/dental benefits and PTO.

How to Apply

• Indeed
www.indeed.com/job/quality-assurance-manager

• Ziprecruiter
www.ziprecruiter.com/jobs/firstspear-llc-58ffb353/quality-assurance-manager

• Email Resume

hr@first-spear.com

Want to know more?

Check out our websites:

• www.first-spear.com

• www.first-spear.tech

• www.first-spear.tv

FirstSpear, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. The organization considers applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Posted in Advertiser, TacJobs | Comments Off on TacJobs – FirstSpear Seeks Manufacturing Engineer – Textiles Based Tactical Equipment

TD x Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants in Tigerstripe

July 14th, 2020

As part of their 10th anniversary celebration, Tactical Distributors commissioned a run of Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants in Tigerstripe.

These will go fast!

www.tacticaldistributors.com/crye-precision-x-tactical-distributors-g3-combat-pant-ov-tiger-stripe

Posted in Advertiser, Camo, Clothing | 9 Comments »

US Marine Corps Intends To Sole Source Knights Armament Co NT-4 Suppressor

July 14th, 2020

Marine Corps Systems Command has published their intent to solicit and negotiate with only one source, specifically Knights Armament Co to purchase 5.56mm Small Arms Suppressors to be used on the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR), M4 Carbine and M4A1 Close Quarter Battle Weapon. The Marines plan to field the KAC NT-4 to satisfy their requirement for close combat forces.

During last year’s NDIA Armaments Symposium, the Corps listed suppressors as a priority for their Squad Small Arms Capabilities.

In 2016 and 2017 the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions conducted experimentation utilizing an unspecified number of KAC suppressors from Joint Operational formerly issued to SOF. In 2017, the Marines issued a Sources Sought Notice to Industry for commercially available suppressors.

This planned purchase will supplement those already on hand to fulfill their fielding plan. However, this isn’t exactly the latest in suppressor technology.

On the plus side, it’s got an NSN: 1005-01-437-0324 which was issued by US Special Operations Command. Despite being around since 1998, it’s a workhorse, currently in use with loads of federal and local law enforcement agencies. Plus, it has already been fielded on the M38 Squad Designated Marksman Rifle which is an M27 IAR fitted with a Leupold TS-30A2 Mark 4 MR/T optic.

All of that sounds great right? Here’s where they lose me. The crux of their argument for sole sourcing the NT-4 isn’t that it has an NSN, not that they already have some. Instead, they push its compatibility with Bayonets, Collimators, Boresights and Blank Firing Adapters.

The KAC Small Arms Suppressor will enable the USMC to continue to use their existing bayonets, as well as their existing Small Arms Collimators (SAC), Laser Boresights (LBS), and Blank Firing Adapters (BFA), all of which are critical to accuracy and lethality in both training and combat. These items are interoperable with the current Small Arms Suppressor.

Since this a notice of intent, other companies can still submit (see SAMS for details) if they believe they meet these requirements.

Posted in Contracts, Suppressors, USMC | 16 Comments »

TYR Tactical Female Shape Body Armor

July 14th, 2020

DEVELOPMENT:

In 2012 we began developing our female body armor shape. We wanted to provide a system designed specifically for the female shape, rather than just putting a female in a smaller male style carrier.

The design needed to provide all the same qualities and attributes of the male TYR Tactical® carriers.

|1.| PROPER COVERAGE

• Issue: Protection of vital organs and breast tissue

• Solution: Lateral darts on the outer carrier have an inset/cut above the breast tissue to accommodate shoulder rotation and allow for shouldering weapon.

|2.| CARRIER SHAPE

• Issue: Focus on female anatomy driven by the need support and stability

• Solution: Two lateral darts, on the tactical outer carrier, contour around the females natural shape while still providing a full range of motion, support and eliminates excess compression on the breast tissue.

|3.| PLATE LOCATION

• Issue: Current female systems lacked the ability to provide proper plate pockets. The placement of the plate did not lay flat on the torso of female participants. It would lay at an angle, applying pressure to the breast tissue area. This ultimately took away from the ballistic performance of the plate and soft armor.

• Solution: The front of the female carrier incorporates a gusseted plate pocket. This pocket relieves tension and pressure that is normally placed on the body from the hard plate in typical plate pocket configurations. This enhances the users range of motion to allow for increased ergonomics and performance. It also provides decreased hot spots on the body by utilizing our airflow chamber technology.

|4.| LOAD CARRIAGE

• Issue: In the past, load carriage has typically been static and designed in a vertical alignment which does not self-adjust with the operator’s natural movements.

• Solution: Female shaped components such as the shoulders, yoke, collar and belt were created to enhance the overall female system.

UNIQUE TO TYR TACTICAL®:

|1.| PATENTED FEMALE SHAPE

US Patent No. 9,970,736, Patent Pending in Australia, Europe and Canada

Two lateral darts, on the tactical outer carrier, contour around the females natural shape while still providing a full range of motion, support and eliminates excess compression on the breast tissue.

|2.| GUSSETED PLATE POCKET

The front of the female carrier incorporates a gusseted plate pocket. This pocket relieves tension and pressure that is normally placed on the body from the hard plate in typical plate pocket configurations. This enhances the users range of motion to allow for increased ergonomics and performance. It also provides decreased hot spots on the body by utilizing our airflow chamber technology.

|3.| PATENTED PV®

Canada Patent No. 2812982, Patent Pending in Australia, Europe and US

It’s engineered utilizing our revolutionary PV® material which offers significant weight reduction with increased resistance to abrasion. PV® has been tested to have 7-10 times higher abrasion resistance than standard mil spec nylon. PV® also enhances the ballistic attributes of armor within the vest. Antimicrobial/FR treated padded spacer mesh is used internally for comfort.

|4.| PATENTED BALLISTIC VEIN®

US Patent No. 9,435,614, Patent Pending in Australia, Europe and Canada

It increases the overall load carriage performance and provides a more rigid platform improving the overall structure and capabilities of the carrier. It also, retains the soft armor panels in the proper configuration, prevents bunching and supports the plates to improve edge hit protection.

BIOMECHANICAL STUDY & ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE:

Existing male or unisex systems do not allow female users to properly perform basic tasks and still maintain comfort. The cause of this design flaw lies within the lack of ergonomically shaped ballistics and carriers that conform to the female anatomy. This coupled with our biomechanical findings lead to the development of the Patented Female Shape.

FEMALE CARRIER IN THE FIELD:

Mountain Home Air Force Base – CBS News

366 Security Forces Squadron

Luke Air Force Base

56 Security Forces Squadron

CURRENT FEMALE CARRIERS:

TYR Tactical Female EPIC Enhanced PICO Integrated Carrier

TYR Tactical Female EPIC Non-Cutaway Enhanced PICO Integrated Carrier

TYR Tactical Female PICO-MV Assaulters Plate Carrier

TYR Tactical Female EPIC Concealable Carrier

Posted in Advertiser, Armor, For the Ladies, Guest Post | 4 Comments »

New Army Funded Solar Material Could Clean Drinking Water

July 14th, 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (July 13, 2020) – Providing clean water to Soldiers in the field and citizens around the world is essential, and yet one of the world’s greatest challenges. Now a new super-wicking and super-light-absorbing aluminum material developed with Army funding could change that.

With funding from the Army Research Office, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a new aluminum panel that more efficiently concentrates solar energy to evaporate and purify contaminated water.

“The Army and its warfighters run on water, so there is particular interest in basic materials research that could lead to advanced technologies for generating drinking water,” said Dr. Evan Runnerstrom, program manager at ARO. “The combined super-wicking and light-absorbing properties of these aluminum surfaces may enable passive or low-power water purification to better sustain the warfighter in the field.”

The researchers developed a laser processing technology that turns regular aluminum pitch black, making it highly absorptive, as well as super-wicking (it wicks water uphill against gravity). They then applied this super absorptive and super-wicking aluminum for this solar water purification.

The technology featured in Nature Sustainability, uses a burst of femtosecond (ultrashort) laser pulses to etch the surface of a normal sheet of aluminum. When the aluminum panel is dipped in water at an angle facing the sun, it draws a thin film of water upwards over the metal’s surface. At the same time, the blackened surface retains nearly 100-percent of the energy it absorbs from the sun to quickly heat the water. Finally, the wicking surface structures change the inter-molecular bonds of the water, increasing the efficiency of the evaporation process even further.

“These three things together enable the technology to operate better than an ideal device at 100 percent efficiency,” said Professor Chunlei Guo, professor of optics at University of Rochester. “This is a simple, durable, inexpensive way to address the global water crisis, especially in developing nations.”

Experiments by the lab show that the method reduces the presence of all common contaminants, such as detergent, dyes, urine, heavy metals and glycerin, to safe levels for drinking.

The technology could also be useful in developed countries for relieving water shortages in drought-stricken areas, and for water desalinization projects, Guo said.

Using sunlight to boil has long been recognized as a way to eliminate microbial pathogens and reduce deaths from diarrheal infections, but boiling water does not eliminate heavy metals and other contaminants.

Solar-based water purification; however, can greatly reduce these contaminants because nearly all the impurities are left behind when the evaporating water becomes gaseous and then condenses and gets collected.

The most common method of solar-based water evaporation is volume heating, in which a large volume of water is heated but only the top layer can evaporate. This is obviously inefficient, Guo said, because only a small fraction of the heating energy gets used.

A more efficient approach, called interfacial heating, places floating, multi-layered absorbing and wicking materials on top of the water, so that only water near the surface needs to be heated. But the available materials all have to float horizontally on top of the water and cannot face the sun directly. Furthermore, the available wicking materials become quickly clogged with contaminants left behind after evaporation, requiring frequent replacement of the materials.

The aluminum panel the researchers developed avoids these difficulties by pulling a thin layer of water out of the reservoir and directly onto the solar absorber surface for heating and evaporation.

“Moreover, because we use an open-grooved surface, it is very easy to clean by simply spraying it,” Guo said. “The biggest advantage is that the angle of the panels can be continuously adjusted to directly face the sun as it rises and then moves across the sky before setting – maximizing energy absorption.”

The Army and Guo are exploring transition opportunities to further develop this technology within DOD laboratories and private industry.

In addition to the Army, this research received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

By U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs

Photos courtesy of University of Rochester.

Posted in Army, Disruptive Tech, Guest Post, Sustainment | 3 Comments »

1791 Gunleather Adds Tactical Gear Distributors

July 13th, 2020

Wholesaler of Performance Firearms, Ammunition, and Tactical GearMiami, FL, U.S. –1791 Gunleather, an innovative manufacturer of premium handcrafted leather and Kydex® gun holsters, increased dealer assistance with the addition of Tactical Gear Distributors as a new wholesale partner. Tactical Gear Distributors ensures fast and accurate delivery to your store. Whether you need weekly stock replenishments, special orders of unique products, or are working on a large bid, TGD can meet your needs. TGD salespeople are trained to ensure that you are competitive within your market.

“American-made products are always the preference. TGD’s merchandising approach includes the best products that professionals and active product users require. They stock a great assortment of products for the concealed carry, military, and law enforcement markets. That’s why we decided to add TGD.” stated 1791 Gunleather CEO, Ramiro M. Romani.

Retailers interested in obtaining 1791 Gunleather products through Tactical Gear Distributors may call 1(866)529-5575, or visit tacticalgeardistributors.com/become-a-dealer. For information about stocking 1791 Gunleather, contact 1791 Gunleather National Sales Director, Janette Palmer janette@1791gunleather.com. For more details about 1791 Gunleather visit www.1791gunleather.com.

Posted in Holsters, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on 1791 Gunleather Adds Tactical Gear Distributors

UVision’s Hero-30 Lethal Loitering Systems are in Service

July 13th, 2020

The Hero-30 lethal munition systems have been procured by Israel MOD and have already been successfully used in combat operations by various IDF forces

Israel, July 13th, 2020, UVision Air Ltd., a global leader in Loitering Munitions Systems of all sizes for a variety of missions, reveals that its high-precision, light-weight man-pack portable Hero-30 system is already in use by various IDF units. The Hero-30 have been procured by the Israel MOD and put to operational IDF forces use, after proving its highly advanced capabilities in an extensive process of evaluation, tests and trials, meeting strict IDF technological and operational requirements.

“Meeting the requirements of today’s new battlefield doctrines for combat operations in complex, dynamic environments is our goal. With a wide range of advanced, cost-effective technologies, the systems enable high-precision strikes with minimal collateral damage. Our range of lethal loitering solutions with their unique characteristics are becoming a core required capability of leading military forces worldwide and of the IDF in particular”, says UVision’s CEO, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Avi Mizrachi.

The Hero-30, developed and manufactured by UVision, incorporates high level of precision attack and abort capabilities. These simple to operate systems allow front-line forces the ability to initiate operation, as well as to respond to any enemy target or threat that arises and eliminate it with pinpoint accuracy. The Hero-30’s on the move advanced capabilities include striking targets with high precision of tracking and lock-on, a last- second-mission-abort and re-engagement for a second attack attempt or change of target. Its versatile installment configurations (man-packed, vehicle mounted or stationary) make it perfectly suitable for diverse operational scenarios.

www.uvisionuav.com

Posted in International, Press Release, weapons | 2 Comments »

TenCate Advanced Armor USA Inc Awarded US Navy Maritime Buoyant Plate Body Armor Contract

July 13th, 2020

TenCate Advanced Armor is pleased to announce the award of a four-year contract framework for the delivery of the U.S. Navy Maritime Buoyant Plate body armor. Valued in excess of $15M, TenCate Advanced Armor will provide a new generation of body armor to U.S. Navy developed to comply with a demanding specification for performance. The Maritime Buoyant Plate will be manufactured at TenCate Advanced Armor’s facilities in Hebron, OH.

On June 24, 2020, the Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) awarded TenCate contract N61331-20-D-0011, as an ID/IQ (Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity) to provide Maritime Buoyant Body Armor (MBP), both in torso and side configurations. This award complements other recently awarded body armor contracts by Army Contracting Command (ACC) for high performance, lightweight body armor, such as SPS-VTP side and torso plates.

This is a similar plate to the one selected.

The TenCate Technical Center USA (TTC-US) developed the design for the MBP by leveraging prior Internally funded Research and Development (IR&D) efforts, which optimized the construction of high performance raw materials, and, through specialized consolidation and manufacture, met all the requirements of NQ/PQ 16-04, entitled Body Armor, Maritime Buoyant Plate (MBP), such as weight, thickness, and ballistic performance requirements.

The President of TenCate Advanced Armor USA, Col. (ret.) Andy Mills, stated: “I am extremely satisfied with the confident and effective response by TenCate Advanced Armor to the U.S. Navy’s strict requirements for a new generation of body armor. The contract underlines TenCate Advanced Armor’s position as a key partner in high-performance personal protection equipment for the U.S. Department of Defense and for allied nations.”

The maximum contract value is $15,335,930.81, with First Article Test (FAT) plates due within 120 days of the award.

TenCate Advanced Armor USA, Inc. is a major provider of personal protection solutions for police departments, federal agencies, and large multi-year government programs. With years of experience in body armor development and manufacturing, TenCate Advanced Armor USA, Inc. provides a diverse portfolio of stand-alone (SA) and in-conjunction (IC) plates with special capabilities to meet the needs of US and allied warfighters and law enforcement officers.

www.tencateadvancedarmour.com

Posted in Armor, Contracts, Maritime, Press Release | Comments Off on TenCate Advanced Armor USA Inc Awarded US Navy Maritime Buoyant Plate Body Armor Contract