Wilcox BOSS Xe

AUSA 19 – WL Gore & Assoc Showcases New Temperate Weather Boot

October 14th, 2019

The upcoming Terassault GTX from McRae Industies is a temperate boot with improved breathability range thanks to the Extended Comfort membrane from W. L. Gore & Assoc.

It is a very lightweight, low profile design. It offers extreme flexibility and doesn’t impede the design of the boot. In addition to less bulk, it offers at least 30% increased breathability over the Army issue temperate weather boot.

Coming Spring 2020 from McRae Industries.

AUSA 19 – Close Combat Assault Ration

October 14th, 2019

The Close Combat Assault Ration initiative is working to go beyond what even the First Strike Ration has accomplished by reducing the weight and volume of operational rations by 40%.

The prototype above shows current form factor and includes ration components that can be eaten on the go. One area of effort is to increase nutrient stability of performance optimizing food products.

This graphic shows how much smaller the CCAR footprint is for a 10-day operation than the MRE.

Team Wendy Launches Radio Rig For Search And Rescue Community

October 14th, 2019

Chest rig fully compatible with MOLLE / PALS accessories
CLEVELAND, OH (Oct. 14, 2019) – Team Wendy® formally announced today the launch of its Radio Rig, the company’s first ever chest rig. The item is available for immediate purchase.

The chest harness is a first for the Cleveland-based company, a leading provider of exceptional head protection systems worn by thousands across military, law enforcement, search and rescue (SAR), and adventure communities.

“We strive to provide our clients with optimal solutions by identifying gaps and filling unmet needs in the market,” said Team Wendy CEO Jose Rizo-Patron. “Through our ongoing engagement with several domestic and international SAR communities, it was clear to us that they needed a comfortable, purpose-built communications rig that includes a better approach for cable management. Our Radio Rig also serves as a complimentary solution to our widely fielded EXFIL® SAR helmets.”

The skillfully crafted harness offers an abundance of compartmentalization without compromising mobility. It comes with an assortment of three pouch sizes (small, medium, large) to accommodate any size radio or GPS. It features a separate weather-resistant zippered accessory pouch to protect a cell phone or other electronic equipment from the elements.

PALS webbing on the front provides a modular attachment system for the included pouches, as well as any other MOLLE / PALS compatible holsters, bags, etc. Fidlock® magnetic buckles allow for the front section to fold forward providing access to the backside of the front panel, which features a clear touch-screen compatible pocket for electronic devices (phones or tablets), maps, notes, etc.

The front panel features an interior zipper pouch, including two pockets:

·         One pocket is dedicated to cable management with six separate pass throughs for cables to enter from the exterior and be stored inside.

·         The second pocket is for organization, including some webbing to help secure pens, flashlights and multi-tools.

Low-profile rear panel and straps allow for use with other backpacks if needed. That panel has loop for mounting ID patches and PALS webbing for securing any other small pouches.

“This rig was designed with explicit input from the communities we serve,” said Rizo-Patron. “They told us what was missing from the chest rig market and our engineers went to work.”

The Team Wendy Radio Rig retails for $134.95 and is now available for purchase on TeamWendy.com, through authorized Team Wendy dealers, and will be available on Amazon.com in the coming weeks.

Team Wendy has also partnered with Silynx®, a leader in the communications industry, to offer a version of the CLARUS XPR in-ear communications system with a specific wiring configuration that serves as a sound complement to the new Radio Rig, as well as the EXFIL SAR helmet platform. The Silynx system, available for purchase through Team Wendy, consists of an in-ear headset, control box, dual comm splitter, and the option of a Smartphone adapter and one of four radio adapters compatible with 95 percent of radios on the market – including the Motorola APX.

Learn more at www.TeamWendy.com.

2019 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition

October 14th, 2019

Join us for our ongoing coverage of the 2019 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting & Exposition.

BE Meyers & Co MAWL-X1 Added to USAF Small Arms & Light Weapons Accessories List

October 14th, 2019

October 14, 2019 (Redmond, WA) – The B.E. Meyers & Co. MAWL®-X1 high-power infrared aiming and illumination laser has been added to the United States Air Force Small Arms and Light Weapons Accessories list. It is now available to Combat Airmen organizations including Special Tactics, Combat Control Teams, Tactical Air Control Party, Combat Rescue, Special Reconnaissance, and Combat Weather Squadrons.  703 MAWL®-X1 units have been procured by the USAF, in addition to those fielded by other U.S. Armed Forces to date.

The MAWL®-X1 will be on exhibit at the 2019 AUSA Annual Meeting (B.E. Meyers & Co. booth #3825) on October 14-16, in Washington D.C.

ABOUT THE MAWL®-X1

Designed for use on individual and crew-served weapons, the MAWL®-X1 is the Department of Defense specific variant of B.E. Meyers & Company’s highly successful Modular Advanced Weapon Laser line. A truly modular system, the MAWL®-X1 is comprised of three interchangeable components (Head, Body, and End-Cap) that can be configured for right or left handed shooters, and individually replaced, or upgraded for increased versatility.

The MAWL®-X1 leverages VCSEL technology to produce unmistakably superior beam quality and clarity. Beams are stacked and balanced, providing increased situational awareness, and the ability to overcome photonic barriers created by external light sources.  Preset divergence and power outputs allow the shooter to quickly switch between Short Range (CQB), Mid-Range, and Long Range pointing and illumination settings in under a second.

Modular, dependable, and deadly, the MAWL®-X1 provides unparalleled performance for the modern night fighter.

Polartec Launches Military Issue Collection

October 14th, 2019

(Andover, Mass.) – October 14, 2019 – Polartec, the premium provider of innovative and sustainable textile solutions, is honored to bring iconic, American-made, military-issue fabric technologies and finished garments a step further than ever before, directly to all Americans.

The foundation of today’s GEN III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (E.C.W.C.S.)––the standard issue cold weather apparel system in the U.S. Army––is the Polartec® Military Issue Collection. This system provides soldiers with a multi-layered, performance driven clothing system that’s designed to be versatile and adaptable to varying operational and environmental conditions.

For more than a decade there have been GEN III E.C.W.C.S. labeled military garment designs for sale online and from select military retail stores. While some of these items are authentic surplus garments, it remains an unregulated gray area. Foreign imitations continue to pop up in their various forms, and even outdoor sporting and hunting brands have adopted military issue garment nomenclature into product descriptions.

Now available directly from the source, these authentic Polartec fabrics and designs are proudly made in America and shipped directly from the same U.S. cut and sew manufacturers that have been creating these garments since 2007. Polartec GEN III E.C.W.C.S. products and the Polartec® Military Issue Collection includes:

E.C.W.C.S. Level I Silkweight Shirt and Pants, the foundation of the modern GEN III E.C.W.C.S. layering system, made of a soft and comfortable Polartec® Silkweight fabric for versatile next-to-skin performance that includes fast wicking action and dry times, high durability and compressibility

E.C.W.C.S. Level II Grid Knit Shirt and Pants, the legendary “waffle” shirt, made of iconic (and patented) Polartec® Power Grid™ bi-component knit fabric, which maximizes warmth, breathability, wicking action, compressibility and versatility, while minimizing dry-times and weight.

E.C.W.C.S. Level III High Loft Jacket, the “smoking jacket,” made primarily of Polartec® High Loft™, the ultra soft and compressible fleece for warmth without weight, with Polartec® Power Grid panels

Micro Fleece Cap, small enough to stash anywhere for critical warmth, made of warm, highly compressible and lightweight Polartec® Micro series fleece in a durable three-panel construction 

“We have long noticed veterans, active military, or even just the tactically-inclined reaching out to us directly, in search of these authentic military grade products,” says Polartec President Steve Layton. “No one should have to roll the dice on a blurry eBay photo or questionable shopping link to get a new pair of their favorite long underwear, “waffle” grid mid-weight top, or favorite “smoking jacket” design.”

polartecmilitary.com/collections/military-issue-collection

General Dynamics at AUSA 2019: Investing Now in the US Army’s Future

October 14th, 2019

Stryker A1 MCWS: The Stryker A1 Medium Caliber Weapon System is the next generation of the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon (ICVD), which is currently in theater with the Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Europe. Featuring a lethal 30mm cannon mounted on a combat-proven Double-V Hull chassis, the Stryker A1 Medium Caliber Weapons Systems was successfully live fired in August 2019. It provides a solution for the Army’s operational need for greater lethality in the Stryker fleet. This low-risk, proven solution is ready to meet the Army’s program timelines.

 See it in Booth #803.

SPARTANAT: GEAR MADE IN GERMANY – PHANTOMLEAF

October 14th, 2019

Phantomleaf Interview 1

PHANTOMLEAF is a new camouflage pattern on the market – we saw it first at Enforce Tac and IWA 2019. We have recently presented the first combat clothing in the camouflage pattern. HERE the review of the Leo Köhler set in PHANTOMLEAF. And we wanted to know what the Camo can do? HERE it goes to the first field test. Now we wanted to know who is behind PHANTOMLEAF. Florian Lenz tells us where PHANTOMLEAF comes from, what it can do and what is to come.

Phantomleaf Interview 2

SPARTANAT: PHANTOMLEAF has now presented its first civilian camouflage pattern. What can WASP II Z3a do? Who should use it?
PHANTOMLEAF: As you can see: It can do camouflage and deception. ? The background is simple: We received many inquiries about our patterns from the retail market. However, as we reserve some camouflage patterns to the authorities, what will not be changed in future, we have decided to develop a free-for-sale model for the civilian market. This took some time, but now the effect meets our quality standards. The area of ??application is the area defined in our system as zone “Z3a”: “Growth without snow cover”. This means high vegetation wich is transferred in a pattern with appropriate structure formation, light input as well as predominantly green tint. – see. our website: https://www.phantomleaf.de/tarnsystem/.

Phantomleaf Interview 3

SPARTANAT: PHANTOMLEAF has been haunting the country for a long time, but you have been working very secretively for the public. What are you doing?
PHANTOMLEAF: In our understanding, this concept of confidentiality fits well with the needs of the special-forces units for which we work mainly. Our goal is to provide bespoke camouflage solutions for often very specific camouflaging problems on land, sea and in the air to meet the specific needs of our users. Most of it is confidential, which I ask for your understanding. This is where camouflage and our loyalty to our clients begin.

Phantomleaf Interview 4

SPARTANAT: What is the difference between a government and a civilian model? WASP II Z3a is marked with “CIV” in the logo.
PHANTOMLEAF: I would prefer to talk about systems for the government market and systems for the retail market. Both have different needs in detail. Examples include things such as deployment distance to the reconnoitering opposite, tactical behavior and threat situation called. These are reflected, e.g. in the geometry of the camouflage pattern or thermal camouflage properties, the material properties (e.g., flame retardancy) and friend-foe detection, as well as the cutting of the readymade items. In addition, our camouflage patterns marked CIV are freely negotiable. Patterns intended for authorities are only delivered to selected partner companies: https://www.phantomleaf.de/partner/. The protection of our customers is important to us, so that we create both contractual and in the labeling (impression “CIV”) commitment with these partners. That clear handling easy for everyone.

Phantomleaf Interview 5

SPARTANAT: How did you come up with the idea of entering the camouflage industry in Germany?
PHANTOMLEAF: I have been in camouflage for about 30 years – primarily to solve a problem, not to use it economically. The trigger is a personal, unpleasant, which I will not go into here. In doing so, I discovered a general principle for pattern generation, which has since been patented. The camouflage patterns produced with this have the significant advantage over various backgrounds of significantly reducing the recognizability of the camouflaged object. Furthermore, they are tailored to the size and geometric relationships of this object. Of course, this clearly increases the flexibility of the user: on the one hand, when moving from different backgrounds to, on the other hand, when he is under threat of reconnaisance from different angles. The latter will, in my estimation, in future be increased by automation such as e.g. using drones. Due to the achievable, highly effective results with these algorithms, I founded the PHANTOMLEAF GmbH in 2008 in order to make this invention usable for the protection of persons for whom I wanted to do something. Meanwhile, this company acts as a development office and Mr. Ulrich Krätzschmar (RECON-COMPANY) and I have together founded the PHANTOMLEAF 4USE GmbH in order to optimally shape the growing production and distribution of the original PHANTOMLEAF products for our customers. We see ourselves as an international company – with “made in germany” roots. This is reflected by our numerous specialist dealers: https://www.phantomleaf.de/handel/. These companies listed on our website also have a contractual obligation to strictly observe the market segmentation in authorities and retail markets for the protection of our government customers.

Phantomleaf Interview 6

SPARTANAT: How do you approach the planning of a pattern with PHANTOMLEAF? What demands do you place on you?
PHANTOMLEAF: The approach is very individual, depending on the client approaching us, the object to be camouflaged, and the tactical circumstances such as e.g. place and time of operation. In any case, the systemic approach is important to us: In our experience not only a camouflage pattern should be created, but a coherent overall concept right down to a totally and systemically product design optimized for camouflage: It begins with materials selection, goes over the camouflage pattern, up to cut management and other points to deal with. We have the experience, that such a consequent approach increases the performance of the camouflaged system compared to only dealing with the invention of a pure camouflage pattern. In the end, we definitely want to have a solution for our customers that meets their needs as close to 100% as possible. Since we mostly deal with complex systems at the end, we work together with our partners from the beginning of system development. Our main focus is the “soldier system”.

Phantomleaf Interview 7

SPARTANAT: WASP II Z3a is, so to speak, the “green” pattern in the new PHANTOMLEAF line. What else is there to do?
PHANTOMLEAF: Next, a “brown” version is planned: WASP II Z2. It is suitable for regions with low, especially semi-desert-like growth: https://www.phantomleaf.de/tarnsystem/. But we have the experience that this colorit can also serve well in autumnal winter areas, for example in Central Europe. Also envisioned is a “gray” variant Z4 designed for urban / man made environments.

Phantomleaf Interview 8

SPARTANAT: Will there be all the gear in the new PHANTOMLEAF WASP II samples? What’s up?
PHANTOMLEAF: Thank you for asking this question. Already now many inquiries reach us. The answer is yes. There will be many articles in the near future, from head to toe, so to speak. Of course also suitable gear and bags.

Phantomleaf Interview 9

Florian Lenz, medical doctor, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy,
Managing Director of PHANTOMLEAF GmbH and together with Mr. Ulrich Krätzschmar of PHANTOMLEAF 4USE GmbH.

PHANTOMLEAF bei Recon Company: www.recon-company.com/phantomleaf
PHANTOMLEAF: www.phantomleaf.de
SPARTANAT: www.spartanat.com