SureFire

USAF Security Forces Holster for Modular Handgun System M18

February 11th, 2019

US Air Force Security Forces soon begin fielding the M18 variant of the Modular Handgun System, a variant of the SIG SAUER P320.

For many years, Security Forces have been using a Safariland holster with the M9 Beretta pistol. It appears that they will continue to do so once they transition to the M18.

Download PDF here.

The Safariland kit detailed in this image will be available in Coyote as well as Black to support the full Security Forces Mission. It includes mounting options as well as magazine pouches.

Jankel Announces Another Contract Award to Supply Blast Attenuation Seats to US MRAP Manufacturer

February 11th, 2019

World-class specialist in design and production of high-specification armored vehicles and survivability systems, US-based Jankel Tactical Systems, has been awarded 3 contracts to supply their BLASTech mitigation seats to a US based MRAP provider. The contracts have a multi-million dollar combined value. This announcement coincides with the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference (TWVC), taking place in Monterey, California, 03-05 February 2019.

Jankel Tactical Systems is the market’s most well-established Blast Attenuating Seat leader in North America. Under these contracts, Jankel will be delivering MK 2.5 BLASTech X900194 commander seats and X900003 troop seats in support of MRAP based programs. Jankel is pleased to continue to support the survivability upgrade on these tactical wheeled vehicles that have now had Jankel’s MK 2.5 seats fitted for almost a decade. These latest orders will be delivered by the middle of the 2019 calendar year.

Jankel will be attending the TWVC in preparation for the release of its latest and most advanced MK 4.0 BLASTech blast mitigating seating line.  The MK 4.0 will feature the same battle-proven mitigation technology that has made Jankel the market leader in blast mitigation seating.  The new seats have been developed to be lighter in weight making them more suitable for the current evolving tactical wheeled vehicle market.  Jankel also expect the new MK 4.0 seat to be more competitive in terms of price than the existing MK 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 designs, while delivering increased capability. 

Cody Baker, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Jankel Tactical Systems said: “The USA continues to be a strategically important market for Jankel and we are glad to announce these new contracts with a long-standing customer, further developing an already strong supplier relationship with one of the biggest defense vehicle manufacturers in the USA.”  He added: “The TWVC event will provide Jankel with an excellent opportunity to network further with other global OEMs operating in the sector as we work towards the launch of our new MK 4.0 seat.”

www.jankel.com

Space Operators Provide TACPs Tactical Space Training

February 10th, 2019

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. —

Deployed Tactical Air Control Party Airmen expect space effects to work; otherwise pilots get shot down, bombs miss targets, and soldiers die. TACPs may not know how space works, but if it doesn’t work well for America and its allies then its results devastating.

U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Airmen with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 227th Air Support Operations Squadron coordinate close air support with U.S. Marine Corps aircraft during joint training on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Dec. 6, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)

Space operators from the 16th and 4th Space Control Squadrons at Peterson Air Force Base are working to change the TACP community’s knowledge of space by developing the first Space Operations Course, Jan. 7-11. The course was an Airman initiative designed to give the TACPs a working knowledge of what space effects from three Air Force Space Command wings do to specifically impact their ground operations.   

The week-long course, organized by Airmen of the 21st Space Wing and the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron, allowed TACP Airmen a look into tactical-level space operations with regard to mission planning.

“There are two big reasons why we came together to create this course,” said Capt. Ray Reeves, 13th ASOS flight commander and course planner. “The first reason is that the TACP community is focusing on integrating operations across multiple domains at the tactical level, based on the Air Force Chief of Staff’s priorities. The second was based off experiences from my last deployment. On the way out of theater I went by the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and received a brief from the space team in theater. I was surprised to learn there were a lot of capabilities and information that their assets were providing and major effects they could have on the battlefield. At the tactical level within my area of operations, neither myself nor the ground team I was with know those capabilities existed, which could have impacted our operations on the ground in a positive manner.”

Tactical air control Airmen assigned to the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Campbell, Kentucky and the 818 Operational Support Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina perform exercise Talon Fury Dec. 12, 2019 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. During the exercise TACP Airmen’s job were in charge of calling in the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber to help provide air support to those who are on the ground. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Barley)

Upon return from that deployment, Reeves began working with the 21st SW to determine what space brings to the fight and how they can work together to improve battlefield operations.

TACP Space Integration Course 19-01 provided 18 Airmen from 11 units operational knowledge of the 21st SW, 50th SW, 460th SW and the National Reconnaissance Office.

“Space is really at the forefront of deployed operations,” said Capt. Chelsea Moss, 16th SPCS weapons and tactics flight commander and course planner. “TACPs are the subject matter experts for air power for the Army. There wasn’t any formal instruction on space, so we wanted to be able to provide this course to show the importance of space in mission planning and support.”

Topics covered during the course included GPS, communicating in jammed environments, space support in monitoring Remotely Piloted Aircraft, space threats, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance threats, and battlespace situational awareness.

“Particularly from the perspective of the 21st SW, we wanted to show how we monitor RPA links and how we can provide support,” said Moss. “We wanted to show what we do on a basic level and how TACPs can request space support from the Air Operations Center.”

“Working with our Airmen on the ground and showing them how space capabilities can improve their operations is crucial to maintaining our warfighting superiority,” said Col. Devin Pepper, 21st Operations Group commander. “The creation of this course is such an important step for both Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command.”

Equipped with a better understanding of the symbiotic relationship between space and ground operations, TACPs can better integrate space into their training and operations.  

“I can’t put into words how important this is to the TACP community,” said Reeves. “When we start talking about the future fights and what we’re training toward – and we’re talking about major contested operations with a peer enemy – the ability to operate from multiple domains is going to be key to any success on the ground. By us learning what space can provide and being able to integrate it at the ground level, we are going to impact far more than just the TACP community. TACPs are aligned from the lowest tactical echelon in the Army to three-star headquarters, so if we can help integrate space across those echelons I believe we can have a Department of Defense wide impact.”

TACPs are embedded with Army units and are responsible for planning, integrating and executing Air Force operations worldwide. When properly trained and positioned they ensure the space-based effects are used and integrated to support ground maneuvers.

By Staff Sgt. Emily Kenney, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Sea Sickness

February 10th, 2019

  Many people suffer from seasickness, especially during your first couple of times being on the water. Once you learn some of the basic tips for dealing with seasickness, it will become more natural and help you to move past having to take anything. A lot of the time, these remedies will be the easiest to implement because they require moving around on the boat.

 First stay ahead of it by taking meds before you go out on the boat. There are a variety of medications that are available to help prevent or treat motion sickness. They need to be taking 1-2 hours before you go out so plan ahead. Medicines for nausea are called antiemetic drugs. They include antihistamines such as Dramamine and scopolamine drugs, which come in pill or patch form and require a prescription.  

Focus on the horizon. By focusing, many people experience the extraordinary power of the brain to overpower the feeling of the waves. Get horizontal and close your eyes. Your ears control balance, but your eyes can deceive you. By adjusting your balance by 90 degrees from standing to laying down and keeping your eyes from paying attention to the rolling motion, your brain can work through the motion more easily.

Keep the fresh air coming. If you are sitting there with the engines running the exhaust air can start to make anyone sick, so try avoiding it as much as possible.

Move to the center of the boat. The rocking motion is typically significantly reduced where the center of gravity for the boat is more defined, so the motion will tend to not be as dramatic in the center of the boat if you are sitting there and can get into the water that will help also.  

      Eat Small Meals and Stay Hydrated. Eating smaller, more frequent treats and drinking water / Gatorade type drinks, will help by putting something in your stomach and also gives you something to do to help take your mind off it.

      Tilt Your Head Into Turns. Synchronizing your body with the motion may help reduce motion sickness. Turns and rotary motion tend to cause more severe motion sickness than travel in a linear motion.

      Look at the Horizon. Looking at the horizon will help you avoid sudden head movements. People who are prone to motion sickness tend to have more body sway while standing. Try to widen your stance to help reduce body sway. This is why people that have mTBIs tend to get motion sickness easier.

      Press on This Pressure Point. The point is located on the inner side of the forearm, about two inches (or three finger widths) above the crease of the wrist in between the two tendons.

     Ginger Root A widely used remedy for nausea, ginger root is often taken in the form of lozenges, tea, capsules, tablets, crystallized root, candies, or ginger ale.

      If you have tried all the above and you still feel sick the last thing you can try is sticking your finger in your mouth as far back as you can get it. Throwing up does help, and the bright side is it might make other people do it also. So you won’t be alone anymore.

If you get motion sickness or thing you will, remedies may be worth considering, especially if you are not able to take medication. If you are going to take meds is to try them before you step on the boat. If you have never tried it, it might make it worse if it makes you sick or sleepy. Good Luck and I hope this helps.

 

Max Michel Opens 2019 with a Big Win for Team SIG Using ROMEO3MAX Open Reflex Sight

February 10th, 2019

NEWINGTON, N.H., (February 7, 2019) – SIG SAUER, Inc. congratulates Team SIG Captain, Max Michel for kicking-off 2019 with a big win in his first match of the competitive shooting season for Team SIG.  Michel competed in the 2019 Miami Open held January 11th through January 13th at the Homestead Training Center in Homestead, Florida and claimed first place in the Carry Optics Division. 

“This is a great start to the 2019 competition season for Team SIG.  Max’s intensity and continued focus on the Carry Optics division is bringing home wins for Team SIG and driving product development,” began Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “Max has been working for years with the design and engineering team at SIG SAUER Electro-Optics to develop a high-performance, competition open reflex carry sight that we’ve named the ROMEO3MAX.  This was the first time he competed with the ROMEO3MAX and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.” 

To claim his first place finish at the 2019 Miami Open, Max competed through 12 courses of fire, winning 11 using his P320X5, the newly developed ROMEO3MAX open reflex sight, and SIG SAUER Match Elite Pistol Competition Ammunition. 

“The Miami Open was my first time running the ROMEO3MAX and it ran perfectly from start to finish.  The sun was brutal in Miami for this competition, and while others had issues with their optics, the ROMEO3MAX performed flawlessly,” added Michel.

The ROMEO3MAX is a compact, open reflex sight featuring a 30mm Max round lens design for superior field-of-view, a special red-notch filter for vivid red dot and unrivaled optical clarity, 6 MOA dot size for rapid target engagement, twelve illumination intensity levels, MOTAC activation, and up to 20,000 hours of runtime.  The sight is machined from aircraft grade aluminum in a matte black finish, with a side-loading battery tray, and waterproof (IPX-7 rated).

“We’ve been working with Max for over two years to optimize the design of the ROMEO3MAX reflex sight for competition pistol shooters and USPSA Open Gun Division mount configurations, and we could not be more proud of the result, and his positive feedback the first time running the optic in competition,” said Andy York, President, SIG SAUER Electro-Optics.  “The ROMEO3MAX will be shipping July 2019, and congratulations to Max on what I’m sure is the first of many wins for 2019.” 

The SIG SAUER Match Elite Pistol Competition Ammunition used by Max Michel in the 2019 Miami Open is available for purchase at sigsauer.com/store

These Aren’t Your Daddy’s Paracord Bracelets

February 10th, 2019

Ted’s Paracord Crafts makes the Paracord bracelet into a work of art. Check it out.

www.tedsparacordcrafts.ca

Commander of Special Tactics Enterprise Promoted to Brigadier General

February 9th, 2019

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

Hundreds of family, friends and teammates gathered as U.S. Air Force Col. Claude K. Tudor, Jr., commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony Feb. 8, here.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, was the presiding official during the ceremony.

“There’s a few things we want in a general officer,” Webb said. “We want officers of character; those that are competent; those that are professional; those that have integrity; that are team players; that have compassion for their troops, our charges after all; those that are intellectually curious; those that have strategic vision…tying complex ideas to the other; being prudently audacious, never quitting; and of course, wrapped up in our motto, understanding there is a way and we will find it.”

Webb concluded with stating Tudor is all of this and more.

Tudor earned an Air Force commission through the Troy State University Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1992 and immediately entered the pipeline to become a Special Tactics officer.  

As a Special Tactics Officer, Tudor is specially trained in the planning and employment of Special Tactics Teams at all levels of command to provide: global access for force projection; precision strike, i.e. close air support, combined arms, and strategic attack; personnel recovery/combat search and rescue, and battlefield trauma surgery.

Tudor has spent the preponderance of his career in special operations ground combat assignments and deployed extensively in support of joint and coalition special operations leading combat, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations globally.

Tudor took command of Air Force Special Operations Command’s 24th SOW Mar. 8, 2018, and is responsible for preparing Air Force Special Tactics Teams to conduct global air, space, and cyber-enabled special operations across the spectrum of conflict to prepare for, fight, and win our nation’s wars. These Airmen are disciplined and hand-selected Airmen to lead joint operations and deliver solutions to the nation’s most complex military challenges. The 24th SOW is the only wing in the Air Force dedicated to training, equipping and providing Special Tactics Airmen for immediate deployment into combat operations.

Tudor gave remarks during the ceremony, driving home his motivation to continue serving Airmen, his passion, and he attributed his success to many in the audience.

“It’s not just about the individual DNA, but also the family, the neighbors, school teachers, and friends who are like family and forged me to who I am today; so thank you for coming and sharing in this event with us,” Tudor said.

Tudor is a qualified military free fall jumper, a static line jumpmaster with more than 400 jumps, combat diver, Federal Aviation Administration certified Air Traffic Controller, and Joint Terminal Attack Controller.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Gallant Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and eight devices and Air Force Recognition Ribbon.

By Senior Airman Joseph Pick, 24th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Sneak Peek – Onset From Orion Design Group

February 9th, 2019

Orion Design Group is set to make a comeback and they’ve released this teaser.