Happy Mother’s Day!
May 12th, 2019Schiebel Wins Norway’s Tender For Unmanned Air System Deployment In The Arctic
May 12th, 2019Vienna, 2 May 2019 – Norway’s Andøya Test Center selected Schiebel’s market- leading CAMCOPTER® S-100 Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Air System (UAS) for extensive search and rescue trials as part of the Arctic 2030 project.
The CAMCOPTER® S-100 was selected for its exemplary international reputation and its successful record of accomplishments in the maritime domain with customers all around the world. In a typical configuration, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 operates six hours continuously and is able to simultaneously carry multiple payloads, offering significant payload flexibility to the user. Therefore, the S-100’s missions deliver aerial views that reach considerably farther than manned helicopters.
The S-100 also offers a number of key advantages for naval operations in the Arctic. As a VTOL platform, the CAMCOPTER® does not require any additional start or recovery equipment and its minimal footprint is perfect for offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) with small deck sizes. The S-100 also distinguishes itself through its ability to perform in the harshest weather conditions, flying at temperatures down to -40°C. This has been successfully proven in a series of intensive trials, such as the Canadian icebreaker operations. In this particular case, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 was deployed 60 nautical miles north of Fogo Island, providing a wide-view image of the ice structure as well as identifying the boundaries between flat and rough ice.
The goal of the Andøy Municipality project is a demonstration of VTOL UAS use in the Arctic region in an effort to increase maritime safety. For this purpose, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 will be equipped with an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera gimbal, an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch payload, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver and a Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR) by Radionor. Such a combination of payloads is intended to strengthen emergency preparedness in the region and provide search and rescue mission support.
Tests are scheduled to commence in the fall of 2019 with the UAS being deployed from Norwegian Coast Guard vessels in Andfjorden, Northern Norway. More operations are planned in Spitsbergen in the spring of 2020.
“This is clearly an important milestone in the project,” said Gunnar Jan Olsen, General Manager of the Andøya Test Center. “We have already gained some experience with the Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS during an impressive demonstration in 2017. We believe that these current, more extensive S-100 trials will demonstrate that maritime safety in the Arctic can effectively be increased with the help of VTOL UAS.”
“The CAMCOPTER® S-100 has performed a series of challenging demonstration flights in the Arctic over the years and has proven its operational value and mission effectiveness,” added Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group.
The Shoes Just Set The Whole Thing Off
May 12th, 2019
This 1970s-era image is of a Swedish police officer equipped with experimental body armor, helmet, and Carl Gustav SMG.
Camouflaged Silkies Now Available From Perseverance Survival
May 11th, 2019Woobie Pullover makers Perseverance Survival have introduced Tigerstripe and Woodland camouflage silkies.
Heads up, my experience is that sizing is a bit on the snug side.
Hill People Gear – Coyote Knife
May 11th, 2019The Coyote Knife is inspired by a custom knife belonging to the Hill brothers’ had, who had made the late 1960s by Robert’s Roost in St. Ignatius Montana. To this day, that knife is the archetype for what they like in a knife. The HPG Coyote knife, made by LT Wright Handcrafted Knives to their design.
Just like its namesake, the HPG Coyote knife is a generalist – eminently suited to a wide variety of tasks and uses. It’s equally at home in the wilderness of the high Rockies and the nocturnal streets of Los Angeles.
Features:
? 3.5″ blade length
? 8.25″ overall length
? 5/32″ thick A2 full tang with lightening holes under the scales
? micarta scales
? brass guard and pins
? leather sheath with dangler and firesteel loop
The Coyote Knife is not currently in stock. To be placed on the notification list, email info@hillpeoplegear.com. To learn more, visit hillpeoplegear.com.
By Eric Graves
UF PRO Gear Now Available From Tactical Distributors
May 11th, 2019UF PRO clothing is finally available in the US thanks to our friends at Tactical Distributors.
Initially, they have Striker Pants and Shirts, as well as knee and elbow pads. Over time, they will bring more styles and colors in.
www.tacticaldistributors.com/collections/uf-pro
DDR Grenzaufklärer
May 11th, 2019
If you ever patrolled the border trace of the Inter-German Border between East West during the Cold War, you invariably encountered the Grenzaufklärer, or Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic.
NDIA Favors Executive Order Moving Security Clearances to Pentagon
May 11th, 2019ARLINGTON, VA – The National Defense Industrial Association offers the following statement regarding the executive order from the White House, signed Wednesday evening, that transfers the governmentwide suitability, credentialing and security clearance portfolio from the Office of Personnel Management to the Defense Department:
NDIA supports the administration’s decision, announced today, to transfer responsibility for all security clearances to the Pentagon. It’s a solid step that consolidates process and resources with the excellent work Pentagon officials have done to build the concepts and infrastructure of a modernized security clearance ecosystem.
This measure bodes well to solve the security clearance backlog; moreover, it offers a way ahead for more interagency security clearance reciprocity and, ultimately, a modern, trusted workforce across agencies and industry that is essential to our national security.
