Instagram! That one caught us by surprise!
You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up
March 28th, 2021Operator Skin Care Lotion
March 27th, 2021Yeah, I get it, “Operator Skin Care Lotion,” yuck! But the reality is that your skin is your body’s largest organ and it takes a beating, particularly while doing the things SSD readers do. These products were created by Danish SOF Vets.
Operators Skincare Sun Lotion with SPF 30/50 will let you perform at your best for hours in the sun by effectively protecting you against the harmful UVA and UVB rays, that otherwise would turn your skin red as a steamed lobster.
There are three products so far, After Sun Care along with 30 SPF and 50 SPF Sun Protection. They are non-greasy, which I appreciate and waterproof.
Check them out at www.operatorsskincare.dk.
Soldier Center Helmet Lab Technology Leads to Revolutionary New Combat Helmet
March 27th, 2021NATICK, Mass. – Research performed in the Helmet Laboratory at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Soldier Center has led to a revolutionary new combat helmet.
Due to the Soldier Center’s Helmet Lab technology, and subsequent efforts working with key industry partners, the new combat helmets will provide the warfighter protection against a higher level threat – protection that previously could only be accomplished with a much heavier applique/helmet combination.
Researchers in the DEVCOM Soldier Center Helmet Laboratory have spent the past decade working to optimize combat helmet performance by developing new modeling, design and processing techniques. Combat helmets are comprised of flat sheets of ballistic material pre-formed into a helmet shape and then processed at a high temperature and pressure.
“Wrinkling and folds occur as the flat fabric conforms to the three-dimensional shape” said Jason Parker, a DEVCOM Soldier Center mechanical engineer. “These seams, wrinkles, and folds seriously degrade the ballistic performance, requiring more material and more mass to protect against a given threat. Through our research, we determined how these defects are introduced, how they affect ballistic performance, and how to eliminate them. The culmination of this research is a novel machine and process which produces a seamless, uniform helmet, free from defects such as folds and wrinkles.”
In 2015, the Helmet Laboratory developed a novel pre-form apparatus, process, and optimized helmet ply layup design. The Soldier Center used this technology to develop prototype helmets demonstrating breakthrough performance, providing a higher level threat protection that could previously only be achieved with the addition of a ballistic applique.
“In 2017, we tested prototype helmets targeting a higher level threat that were fabricated using our novel helmet preforming apparatus,” said Robert DiLalla, team lead of the Ballistic and Blast Protection Team in DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Soldier Protection Directorate. “The results far exceeded our expectation as we were getting stops well above the requirement and at 40 percent less weight than the current capability. The results were replicated with another batch of prototype helmets confirming that we had developed a new capability to significantly increase Soldier protection.”
Since 2017, the Helmet Laboratory, at the request of senior Army leadership, continued to mature and transition the technology to industry partners by establishing several Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, or CRADAs, and Research & Development contracts.
“After the Helmet Lab first demonstrated this breakthrough performance, the team worked diligently with our industry partners to rapidly transition this technology and contribute to the advancement from laboratory prototype to production ready helmets,” said David Colanto, PhD, who is the program manager for DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Integrated Multi-Threat Headborne System. “The collaborative effort with industry represents a successful technology transition and highlights the fact that Soldier Center applied research and technology demonstration efforts are critical to providing significant improvements to warfighter protection.”
In February 2021, Gentex Corporation announced that one of their Ops-Core® FAST Helmet Systems passed U.S. Government First Article Testing (FAT), a first for a helmet providing a higher level threat protection. This new helmet leverages helmet design and processing innovations transitioned through a CRADA with the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Helmet Lab.
“This new FAST helmet is the culmination of a multi-year commitment to innovate the novel production processes necessary to manufacture helmets with next-generation ballistic materials,” said Des Walsh, vice president of Advanced Research and Development for Gentex Corporation. “It serves as an excellent example of successful, outcome-oriented government-industry collaborative development, resulting in the most advanced ballistically protective helmet shell ever qualified for production by Gentex and available to the warfighter.”
“It’s been a long road that started with an Army investment in science and technology which led to an invention,” said DiLalla. “That invention, when combined with industry knowledge, led to a finished product that offers a leap ahead level of protection. Today, the warfighter will benefit from that technological advancement. As a result of our efforts, we are currently undergoing a major renovation to our Helmet Lab having added new processing equipment to expand capabilities to help drive future research initiatives.”
By Jane Benson, DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs
US Army Hoping to Field New Oxygen Generator
March 27th, 2021
The Army is currently testing an oxygen generator that has a longer shelf life than the one currently in use and will meet the requirement of supplemental oxygen that medics provide to combat casualties.
The Field Oxygen Generator Resource (FOGR) is being considered as a replacement for the Oxygen Generator, Field Portable (OGFP) that is currently used to supply supplemental oxygen to sick and wounded Soldiers in the field. In February, the U.S. Army Medical Department Board (USAMEDDBD) conducted an operational test using Soldiers from the 44th Medical Brigade during a field training exercise to test the effectiveness and suitability of the set up and operation of the FOGR to provide critical care.
According to Archie C. Kinnebrew Jr., lead test officer with USAMEDDBD, the success of the February test event will inform decisions that determine if and when the FOGR is fielded to Army units.
“There is truth in operational testing. Army leadership uses the results from test events to facilitate risk-reduction for product fielding,” Kinnebrew said. “The test articles under consideration will not only be evaluated by the testing community, but will also include input from the intended end-users on the battlefield. These test events ensure that Soldiers have a voice in the acquisition and deployment of new and improved systems.”
Kinnebrew had words of praise for the 44th Medical Brigade Soldiers who put the FOGR to the test through a series of exercises.
“The Soldiers of the 44th Medical Brigade – 36th Medical Company Area Support and the 240th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Team – were enthusiastic while putting the FOGR to use during the test,” Kinnebrew said. “They provided honest feedback, which greatly assisted the test team in capturing the data needed. Their participation was key to the success of this test event and is greatly appreciated. The professionalism and dedication displayed by these Soldiers really made me feel proud.”
Austin S. Langdon, assistant product manager with Warfighter Deployable Medical Systems, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity at Fort Detrick, Md., said the Army is replacing the OGFP because of sustainability issues.
“The old device was designed to operate 10-12 hours a day and 7 days a week. This is the case for most portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) on the market. However, when the device sits on a shelf, maintenance issues arise from lack of use, which are very costly,” Langdon said.
Langdon said that USAMMDA is currently testing two commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. One of the devices being tested has the ability to be placed on the shelf for up to three years without any need for maintenance, a bigger advantage over the current model in use.
“Since this is a COTS item, the devices being tested are already in production and can currently be purchased. However, the Army still needs to test it for airworthiness and also MIL-STD-810H testing,” Langdon said.
MIL-STD-810 is a United States Military Standard that emphasizes tailoring an equipment’s environmental design and test limits to the conditions that it will experience throughout its service life, and establishing chamber test methods that replicate the effects of environments on the equipment rather than imitating the environments themselves. Although prepared specifically for military applications, the standard is often used for commercial products as well.
The OGFP weighs 12 pounds and was an advanced development item that was specifically designed for the Army’s use. FOGR outweighs the current device by a few pounds, but has less maintenance issues.
Langdon said that the Army is looking to get quantitative data from the testing that will allow for informed decisions on these variants and if they will fit the end user’s needs.
When asked when FOGR will be available to the Army, he added, “These devices are both already in production. If one is selected, it will be fielded to the force later this year.”
By Jerome Mapp
Langdon Tactical – LTT Optimized Performance Trigger Bar
March 26th, 2021
The LTT Optimized Performance Trigger Bar will instantly smooth out the action of your 92, M9, 96 or PX4, providing an incredibly short (1/10”) single action reset, allowing you to get back on target faster for more accurate follow up shots.
You can install it as a stand alone upgrade or combine it with the Trigger Upgrade In A Bag Kit.
DroneShield – Successful US Air Force Base Demonstration
March 26th, 2021DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce, in partnership with Trakka Systems, a successful demonstration of the TIPS-C (Trakka Interceptor Package Solution) at Eglin Air Force Base. The TIPS-C is designed to better serve the ISR, inspection, UAS and C-UAS marketplaces.
On February 24, 2021, an executive team from DroneShield and Trakka Systems met with multiple key decision makers and members from Hanscom and Eglin AFB at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds to demonstrate the unmatched capabilities of the TIPS-C total package solution.
The TIPS-C, mounted on a mobile platform, provides a flexible, early detection, identification, and neutralizing counter UAS solution for the rapidly evolving UAS threat. Trakka’s partnered vendor DroneShield provided DroneSentry-C2™ software, which is designed to produce a common operating picture for drone detection and tracking within the local airspace. DroneSentry-C2™ ingested the data from several sensors, including the radar, radio frequency (RF), and our TrakkaCam TC-300 to provide an intuitive visualization of the airspace and potential drone threats.
DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2™ integrates RadarZero™ radar, TrakkaCam TC-300, and DroneOptID™ AI-based computer vision engine to provide real-time drone detection and tracking with slew-to-cue camera for visual threat assessment and video evidence recording.
The backbone of the TIPS-C is an open architecture command and control center with TrakkaMaps TM-100 proprietary mapping solution that can incorporate any number of third-party complementary detection and neutralizing devices. Our advanced software algorithms can detect, identify, and automatically track drones of any size while dismissing other moving objects (including birds) in detections zones. This feature all but eliminates the false positives that challenge other systems, thereby saving precious time in the heat of imminent threats.
The demonstration was, overall, an excellent success. Additional feedback from our partners and customers set the TIPS-C above any product they’ve seen:
“No OEM has been able to successfully demonstrate an integrated system that detects UAS, slews optical sensor onto target and tracks, then classifies the UAS.”
“Setup time from covert to up and detecting was less than 10 minutes. For a mobile, multi-sensor system that’s unprecedented.”
“Integrated capability allows operators to detect and protect while on the move and at the halt in a low-SWaP form factor.”
“The autonomous nature of not only multi-sensor detection, but fusion and continuous tracking of the UAV with little to no cognitive burden on the analyst or operator.”
The breakthrough capabilities of the TIPS-C provide an expert suite of low risk, seamlessly integrated UAS detection and mapping solutions that are flexible, aware, reliable, and economical.
S&S Precision Presents – SHOP Show South
March 26th, 2021After last fall’s highly successful SHOP Show in Virginia Beach, S&S Precision is taking it on the road.
It’s set for Wednesday, May 26th from 1000-1600 at San Marcos, Texas. As you can see, there are a variety of vendors involved.
Please note, attendance is restricted to DOD, Federal, State & Local customers only.
TRC Outdoors – Cierzo Shirts Now in Black!
March 26th, 2021Due to popular demand from LEO and Security Customers we are now offering our popular Cierzo Shirts in Black!
Perfect to throw in the bottom of your Go-Bag for a rapidly accessible windproof layer when you need it.
The generous sizing means that you can fit this over your body armour, if necessary, or underneath to keep the wind off while you stand on a cordon.
Ideal for Dog Handlers on the move as well as SWAT or other specialist roles needing lightweight and effective layers.
You can buy them here: trcoutdoors.com/product/cierzo-shirt
For Unit/Department Sales contract info@trcoutdoors.com
