FirstSpear TV

The Armored Group, LLC Enters the South Asian Market

May 29th, 2019

The Armored Group Now Providing Armored Vehicles to U.S. Ally Bangladesh

(Phoenix, AZ – May 21, 2019) The Armored Group, LLC (TAG) has announced the delivery of seven Ballistic Armored Tactical Transport (BATT®-X) armored vehicles to Bangladesh, a brand-new market for the armored vehicle manufacturer. The vehicles will be used by local law enforcement departments. In addition to providing the vehicles, The Armored Group also developed a comprehensive training program for over 20 police officers that will be using the vehicles.

The BATT-X can carry 10 officers, depending on the size of the operators and amount of gear. It was designed to comfortably accommodate law enforcement agencies and tactical teams while offering the highest level of security features such as the B7/NIJ IV+ .50 Cal Ball Ammo Protection or B7/NIJ III Armor Levels.

These particular vehicles were customized with partial V-bottom hulls for increased blast, which is unique on the F550. In addition, individual blast seats were installed.

Other features include:

• Blast mitigating floor.

• Internal armored firewall.

• Rifle-rated roof protection.

• Fully armored hood clip.

• TAG Exclusive Flip Forward Front Clip System

• Best-in-class climate control system.

• Dual heating and air conditioning systems in front and back.

• Oversized rear deployment bumper with steps.

• Front door lockout ability at 90° and 45°.

• Rear door lockout ability at 90° and at full open

• Heavy Duty Oversized Running Boards

• Optic-ready gun ports.

• Four-wheel drive off-road capabilities.

• Enclosed under-seat storage in rear compartment with back board slat cut outs

• 360° Rotating Turret with Oversized flush-mounted sniper step.

• Roof Hatches

• Emergency Lights and Siren System

“We are happy to enter the South Asian market and help our allies in Bangladesh. Both of our countries have shared values in the matters of regional and global security and counter terrorism. In fact, they were a key participant in Obama’s international development initiatives including food security, healthcare and environmental concerns,” said Robert Pazderka, President and founder of The Armored Group. “This new alliance with Bangladesh has opened the doors for TAG to provide the highest level of protection to our allies in South Asia and keep those fighting for positive changes as safe as possible.

The comprehensive TAG training program included the following Technical, Mechanical and Driving training programs:

Technical training:

·         Training on all the accessories and their functions:

o   Gunport operation 

o   Door operation (various angles, lockout function)

o   front winch operations

o   STIS compressor operations

o   Turret functionality and movability

o   Police lights, strobe lights, infrared lights operations

o   OEM (original equipment manufacturer) operations of the vehicle

Mechanical Training 

·         Training of how to maintain the vehicle and how to do preventative maintenance

·         Daily inspections to be conducted before vehicle can be deployed

·         Service Maintenance (Oil change, Oil filter change, Transmission fluid change, Steering fluid change, Battery monitoring and signals to look for when to replace the battery, fuel filter replacement, AC filter replacement, Air filter replacement)

·         General Maintenance (Lubrication of all joints, Hinges, bearings)

·         Scheduled maintenance timings (When the vehicle should have a service and when the parts needs to be checked or replaced)

Driving Training

·         Each trainee had to learn how to drive the BATT X

o   Operating various functions while driving

o   Emergency brake testing

o   Various maneuvering techniques  

o   General driving safety principals

www.armoredcars.com

LMS Gear Flannel Shirt

May 29th, 2019

During Enforce Tac we gave you a sneak peek at the new low-viz Flannel Shirt from Swiss company, LMS Gear.

Our friends at ePIG Group created a great video to go over its features. Don’t worry, even though the video was in German, there are subtitles in English.

It’s available through tacwrk.com, LMSGear.net, and tripleaction.de.

Outdoor Research Doubles US Manufacturing to More Than 200 jobs with Second Onshore Factory

May 28th, 2019

New facility in El Monte, Calif., joins existing Seattle factory to drive apparel, gear innovation in the military/tactical, outdoor markets.

SEATTLE, Wash. (May 29, 2019) – Outdoor Research, the Seattle-based leader in performance apparel and outdoor gear, has expanded its decades-long commitment to making products in the U.S. by investing in a new manufacturing facility that opened in April, doubling the number of OR staff building apparel and gear onshore.

The new, wholly owned factory is located in El Monte, Calif. It joins the manufacturing enterprise that Outdoor Research has operated for decades at its Seattle headquarters, helping the brand continue to raise the bar for apparel and equipment innovation.

Thanks to its U.S. manufacturing capabilities, which are unique in the outdoor market, Outdoor Research has created purpose-built products for the U.S. military and tactical markets for 25 years.

Highly respected in the outdoor industry for developing functional solutions for extreme environments, Outdoor Research has a long history of successfully leveraging the best commercial market technologies to serve the needs of the U.S. armed forces. OR tactical products have been improved through cross-pollination from user groups, including the elite communities of military, law enforcement, and government agencies.

Innovations developed for the military and tactical markets have, in turn, driven innovations in products for outdoor consumers. Having highly skilled manufacturing located in the U.S. gives Outdoor Research the ability to prototype products on-site, allowing new products to be developed more quickly and to go through more rounds of improvement. In addition, innovations pioneered for the military and tactical markets have been incorporated into outdoor products.

“Developing cutting-edge military and tactical products has been a key part of our business since 1994, and it’s been an integral part of what has allowed us to maintain and build upon the domestic manufacturing capabilities that Outdoor Research has always had,” said Michelle Wardian, President of Outdoor Research.

“This new investment will allow us to continue to accelerate our product-development cycle so we can more rapidly field the latest innovations to the end-user, helping increase the mobility and protection of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and law-enforcement officers, and also driving innovation company wide in the process. We’re proud that we’ve been able to bring American manufacturing to the table to accomplish this.”

Over the past two years, Outdoor Research conducted a comprehensive review of the U.S. supply chain and is in active development with textile mills and materials providers to expand and elevate the capabilities of products that are 100-percent American-made. It has also made significant capital investments in cutting-edge machinery and process efficiency to improve and modernize its Seattle factory, along with hiring more site engineers. This template was replicated in El Monte to significantly increase the brand’s U.S. manufacturing capacity. The new facility doubles the number of OR employees manufacturing products in the U.S. to more than 200.

These investments allow Outdoor Research to take advantage of the company’s global knowledge of design, materials, and innovative manufacturing techniques while producing the next generation of tactical and outdoor products at its U.S. facilities.

www.outdoorresearch.com

Rampart Range Day 19 – Blackhawk T-Series Light Bearing Holster

May 28th, 2019

Last month, Blackhawk launched their new T-series line of holsters with its thumb actuated release mechanism. As part of a phased roll out of additional models, they just introduced a level 2 and level 3 light bearing holster.

Seen here is a level 3 retention model. What makes the introduction of this model even more significant is that it accepts the Streamlight TLR–1 light. Previous light bearing holsters from Blackhawk have only accepted the Xiphos light.

Blackhawk products are available in Canada from Rampart International.

Rampart Range Day 19 – Colt Canada Eagle 40mm Grenade Launcher

May 28th, 2019

The Eagle From Colt Canada is a single shot, side opening 40mm grenade launcher.

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Manufactured in Kitchener, Ontario, it can be undermounted to a rifle or used in stand-alone mode with a detachable chassis. The side opening breech can be configured to open from right or left. The safety lever is located on either side of the receiver.

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The trigger is double action with a long takeup but the trigger can be immediately pulled in the event of misfire without revolving the weapon. Additionally, the breech is opened with a forward press of the release located at the front of the trigger guard.

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Colt Canada products are available from Rampart International.

Rampart Range Day 19 – Aku Selvatica Tactical Mid GTX

May 28th, 2019

Aku is no stranger to longtime SSD readers, but the Selvatica Tactical Mid is new to North America. It’s cold and rainy on the Stittsville Range today so getting my hands on this pair was quite welcome.

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The upper is made from Aku’s proprietary AIR8000 nylon with welded PU reinforcing ribs. The liner is Gore-Tex Extended Comfort.

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The outsole is Vibram Selvatica Megagrip combined with an injected EVA midsole and the boot comes with an OrthoLite anti-microbe and breathable insole.

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Aku products are available in Canada from Rampart International.

Rampart Range Day 19 – M2 Machine Gun Accessories from BE Meyers & Co, Inc

May 28th, 2019

BE Meyers & Co, Inc offers two upgrades for the venerable Ma-Deuce.

On the left of the photo is the 2300F Flash Hider and is designed for legacy barrels which aren’t threaded.instead it uses a floating locking collar and locking ring.

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To the right of the photo is BOARS-M2 (B.E. Meyers Optics & Accessories Rail System), a low-profile mounting solution that offers a quick-disconnect with true return-to-zero reattach.

Key features for the BOARS-M2 include: a quick detach optics/laser rail, snag free design, non-marring installation, low height-over-bore, and oversized pass through aperture for use with iron sights.

BOARS will also fit the M2, M2A1, M3 series .50 caliber heavy machine gun platforms.

B.E. Meyers products are available in Canada from Rampart International.

Editor’s note: Story was updated with correct flash hider model.

Rampart International Is Colt Canada’s Exclusive Canadian LE Distributor

May 28th, 2019

I just found out at Rampart Range Day 2019 that Rampart International is now the exclusive law enforcement distributor in Canada for Colt Canada.

This is Colt Canada Law Enforcement Brand Ambassador Mark Ruffolo showing us the MRR in 11.6″ (top photo) and 14.5″ (bottom photo).

The Modular Rail Rifle features a monolithic upper with a full length M1913 rail along the top and M-Lok slots along the sides of the hand guard portion of the upper. It also features a free floating, cold hammer forged, chrome lined barrel and ambidextrous controls. Offered in 5.56×45 mm NATO, 7.62×51 mm NATO and 300 BLACKOUT.