New Berlin, WI. August 2018 – American Defense Mfg® is proud to announce the launch of our third generation, patented QD Auto Lock™ locking lever. This locking lever is included on all optical, illumination, and target acquisition device mounting solutions.
The Gen III lever assembly features a more robust lock and bolt engagement, a larger diameter lock pin, and a more pronounced textured lock to make it easier to press to release the lock. In addition, a finer nut and bolt thread (8-40 2A) was incorporated to achieve better resolution when clamping.
“American Defense Mfg® always strives to make technology driven products and continuous improvements to its product line. These improvements make what we feel is the best adjustable, locking lever on the market even better.” Said William Phebus, Director of Sales.
The Gen III lever was phased into the product line starting in May 2018.
There are some visual differences.
Here is what to look for:
• American Defense Mfg® Eagle logo on QD Auto Lock™ lever arm instead of ADM web address.
• A more pronounced lock that angles outward.
• Vertical knurling on lock for better user engagement.
For more information on American Defense Mfg® optical, illumination, target acquisition device mounting solutions, and premium ambidextrous firearms, please visit our website at www.admmfg.com.
AN/PRC-161 BATS-D Radio Can Significantly Strengthen Coordination and Communications between U.S., Five Eyes Partners and Coalition Forces Operating at the Tactical Edge
CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 22, 2018 — Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ : VSAT), a global communications company, today announced its Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System – Dismounted (BATS-D) device, known to the United States Department of Defense as the AN/PRC-161, is now authorized by the National Security Agency (NSA) for immediate use by Five Eyes (FVEY) partners and coalition forces, worldwide. The Viasat BATS-D radio bridges a critical gap between air and ground forces by providing real-time fused air/ground situational awareness to coordinate and direct forces instantaneously via machine-to-machine interface.
The terminal offers warfighters at the tactical edge secure, reliable access to integrated air and ground data for improved situational awareness capabilities and enhanced close air support communications. Empowered with better communications, warfighters can more rapidly engage enemy targets and reduce the risk of fratricide incidents.
“Viasat has a deep and enduring commitment to working with allies and coalition partners to improve warfighter safety by enhancing mission effectiveness and communications,” said Ken Peterman, president, Government Systems, Viasat. “Viasat’s AN/PRC-161 BATS-D is the world’s first and only handheld Link 16 radio. It is designed to solve the military’s urgent need for a small, secure Link 16 device capable of being employed by a dismounted operator that can seamlessly interoperate between air and ground forces. With NSA authorization we can speed the time to market for how U.S., FVEY and coalition militaries securely communicate and deter threats on the battlefield.”
The patented AN/PRC-161 BATS-D handheld radio is ideal for bringing full Link 16 network access to FVEY Special Operations and Expeditionary Forces. Security innovations in the AN/PRC-161 BATS-D handheld Link 16 radio, including Type 1 encryption, allow for seamless interoperability with other Link 16 radios such as the Multifunctional Information Distribution System Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT), MIDS Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) and KOR-24A Small Tactical Terminal (STT).
Designed to be used in conjunction with the MyDefense WINGMAN series of drone detectors, the PITBULL jammer works against commercially available Unmanned Aerial Systems which have been adopted by threat forces due to their widespread availability. These UAS are used for reconnaissance, and with simple modifications, can be turned into smart weapons, utilizing terminal guidance or preplanned flight routes.
It will function either autonomously (when drones are detected by the WINGMAN) or manually (constant jamming), and the internal directional antennas cover the 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz and GNSS frequency bands. With its directional antennas, the PITBULL is capable of jamming a malicious drone at the distance of 1000 meters. An external active antenna will be made available to cover additional frequency bands.
Additionally, it can be mounted to PALS platforms.
Technical Specs:
Weight: 775 grams
Dimensions (D x W x H): 60x90x165mm (2.36 x 3.54 x 6.50 inch)
Battery (standby): >20 hours
Battery (continuous jamming): 2 hours
External battery: AN/PRC-148 and AN/PRC-152
Operating modes: Automated and Manual
Transmit power: 2W
Frequency bands: 2.4 & 5.8GHz
Internal antenna: 6 dBi antenna gain, EIRP of 8W (39dBm), Circular polarized, Half power beamwidth 60° hor. & ver.
Jamming range: 1,000 meters
Color: Black/Desert/Custom
Tactical Medical Solutions® in Anderson, South Carolina, is a global leading developer and manufacturer of pre-hospital medical gear for both the tactical and civilian world. TacMed is the manufacturer of well-known products including the SOF®T-Wide Tourniquet and OLAES® Modular Bandage and is a medical supplier to DoD, US government agencies, law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies, private institutions and individual purchasers. TacMed provides everything from individual kit components to stocked kits of all sizes that can be customized to best fit your needs.
In 2016, TacMed created its training arm and rescue brand Rescue CraftTM. Rescue CraftTM team members have backgrounds in Special Operations, law enforcement, and fire rescue as they relate to rescue and vertical rope access.
The primary course that Rescue CraftTM teaches is the Operational Vertical Specialist (OVS). OVS is the overarching name of a variety of courses that teach the same principles to targeted audiences. For the California Association of Tactical Officers (CATO), it is a 3-day Tactical Rope Access Course for SWAT team members. For tactical medics, it is the 4-day Tactical Rescue Technician Course, which includes more medical capabilities. There are also courses geared for SOF climbing teams and USASOC medics. Rescue CraftTM has the ability to customize any training to an organization’s specifications. The end state certification is consistent with the relevant job performance requirements found within NFPA 1006 (2017) Rope Rescue Technician.
The purpose of OVS is to provide special operations team members and medics a common baseline of rigging, rescue, and vertical access that is applicable to a full spectrum of variable environments (urban through mountain) and variable operational constraints.
The OVS technique and equipment selection takes into account that many end users are not full time “rope handlers,” where “technical rescue” may not be their primary, secondary, or even tertiary team function. But when it is needed, it is needed without second thought and must be executed innately in less than optimal circumstances. Difficulty in the execution of rescue should arise from the emergence of outlier tactical variables, not from the techniques and equipment utilized. It is for these reasons we deemphasize many hallmarks of traditional courses, such as memorizes numerous and complicated knots. We prefer to teach various wraps and hitches due to their inherent ease to recall, execute, and utilize under the stress of the operational rescue environment.
One of the primary requirements within the OVS curriculum is to de-mystify complicated rescue systems. Our technique selection is designed with redundant fail-safes, dynamic adaptation, and universal foundations that can be applied to multiple areas of operation. Specificity of techniques and gear is de-emphasized due to the dynamic nature of SOF personnel.
Most commercial and many military training and education programs exist for the purpose of encoding a specific response to a specific problem, which effectively teaches the student “what to think” instead of “how to think.” We believe that a program of instruction should always focus on encoding principles, requiring performance under unpredictable and varied conditions, resulting in giving the student operational skills that are the result of being shown “how to think” in an asset-depleted dynamic environment.
The world is dynamic and ever changing. Training for the modern domain of friction and violence must incorporate exercises that require participants to think, engage chaos, rapidly problem solve, and perform under varied conditions with varied assets.
Rescue CraftTM is available for unit level evaluation and training. Individuals seeking training should look at the below announcements. Contact for training opportunities will be Dana@tacmedsolutions.com and Ryan@tacmedsolutions.com.
Written by Raymond J. Mauer and directed by Anthony Rizzo of Archer Productions and made with the help of schoolchildren from New York City and Astoria, New York, this cartoon was shown in schools as the cornerstone of the government’s “duck and cover” public awareness campaign.
According to the United States Library of Congress (which declared the film “historically significant” and inducted it for preservation into the National Film Registry in 2004), it “was seen by millions of schoolchildren in the 1950s.”
Duck and Cover lyrics:
There was a turtle by the name of Bert
and Bert the turtle was very alert;
when danger threatened him he never got hurt
he knew just what to do…
He’d duck!
And cover!
Duck!
And cover! (male) He did what we all must learn to do
(male) You (female) And you (male) And you (deeper male) And you!’
Duck, and cover!’
Polymer80 will soon be releasing a ‘Hybrid’ 80% pistol frame dubbed the PF940CL. This frame is designed for those looking to make an EDC-friendly build with a longer slide, as it sports a full-size length, but has a compact-sized grip. Think the opposite of the 19X, and you’re on the right track.
The PF940CL will be available pre-textured or in non-textured ReadyMod, and is compatible for components for 3-pin G17, 34, and 17L, as well as the equivalent-sized .40 and .357 SIG Glock slides and barrels (G22, 24, 35, and 31).
Shipments are reported to begin late September or early October to Polymer80 dealers.
This famous fin, with its durable rubber construction and distinctively beefy shape, has been seen on dive boats, research vessels and in the world’s most remote dive locales since 1965, and it’s still the fin of choice among a host of professional divers the world over. The Jet Fin set the standard for power and durability when it was ?rst introduced over 50 years ago. Today, tech divers, deep divers, military divers, commercial divers and dive instructors, as well as old-school recreational divers, still strap on a pair of Jet Fins before hitting the water.
SCUBAPRO sold over 100,000 units in the first few years. That was an amazing feat in those days and set the standard for dive fins. We took the concept and proceeded to popularize the fin with the US Navy and other commercial diving operations. The fact that Jet Fins have been almost exclusively adopted by the Navy and the commercial diving sector speaks volumes about what type of diver would benefit from them – someone who needs thrust, durability, control and convenience. Its hard to not like a fin that Thomas Magnum and TC used when they dove on Magnum PI. Just saying.
Episode SO6 E11
-Rubber construction is known for its durability, promising a lifetime of use. The Jet Fins are molded from one piece of rubber which makes them very durable and vertically indestructible. This will cut down on any maintenance that you will have to do on the fins, or the likely hood that you might damage them, meaning you will have them for many years to come. Jet Fins are made by using only one single compound which is rubber, molded in one piece and therefore unable to have “component failure” being as there are no screws, welds or connections to break as happens so often with modern fins. The Jet Fins are also flexible enough to provide excellent thrust, stiff enough to transfer all the diver’s leg energy into pushing the water backwards and robust enough to take literally any harsh conditions a diver can throw at it.
-The Proven vented design. Just below the foot-pocket, allows water to flow through the blade, reducing drag on the weaker upstroke, while enhancing trust and power on the down stroke. Many divers have their pair of SCUBAPRO jet fins for decades and literally swear by them. They are perfect for the frog kick and other kicking maneuvers.
-The Jet fin is also very compact. This feature is a must in confined spaces like cave, wreck divers and piers. The Jet Fins are broad and short, which means divers, are able to avoid kicking each other and the ocean floor.
The Jet fin comes in, black, camo, red, orange, yellow, white green and pink. We can also make special orders if needed.
-The jet fins weighing about 5-7 lbs, and might not be suited for all divers but Mention “JET FIN” to virtually anybody who has a dive card or has gone to a military dive school and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. (I know memories of flutter kicks with them on, are running thru your head)
SCUBAPRO now offers two styles of Jet fins and two versions of heel straps.
The original adjustable fin strap and the stainless steel spring heel. The original fin with the standard adjustable fins strap is still Made in the USA. The other version comes with a rugged stainless-steel spring heel strap that can lasts forever and makes donning and doffing as easy as can be. The steel spring was invented by cave divers that needed a fin strap that could last in some of the toughest places on earth and was quickly adopted by the military and other professional divers worldwide. The spring can be put on any of the jet fins.
SCUBAPRO has two styles of Jet fins available. With or without a hole on the blade. Each fin includes a pairing hole that allows the fins to be hung or stored together, minimizing the possibility of misplaced or mismatched fins. It also make coming out of the water on a beach or climbing a ladder easier. You can also attach the fins to you wrists or back with the SCUBAPRO fin keepers or carbineer and 550 cord will work.
The Jets are renown for its power and its durability. They can last a life time and with proper care. They don’t really get sun damaged, salt eroded, chlorine discolored, travel battered, coral gouged or split. They are the strongest pieces of equipment that you will ever own. We had a retired master Diver that wanted to get a new pair as the ones that he had received in navy dive school in the 60s where getting a” little old” as he said. He called SCUBAPRO and asked about buying a new set. We told him we would give him a free pair. We asked if we could put the ones he has in our museum. He gave us a very polite “hell no I am not giving away my Jet fins”. We gave him a new set and he when home a happy man with two pairs of Jet fins.
When you’re diving with JET FINS, you are diving into a long line of history.
