Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Pixels on Target Awarded Contract to Produce MAS-N Squad

April 22nd, 2025

Pixels on Target LLC (“Pixels), Sunrise, Florida has been awarded a 10-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum ceiling of $92,527,353 for Miniature Aiming System Night-Squad kits, spare parts and accessories, repairs, new equipment training, and engineering change proposals in support of US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The work will be performed in Sunrise, Florida, and the last day to order under the contract is March 12, 2035. USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

“The MAS-N Squad is a significant upgrade in thermal target acquisition and brings game-changing capabilities to our Special Operators,” said Sumeet Suri, President and Co-Founder of Pixels on Target. “We are proud to provide systems to USSOCOM that increase their readiness, lethality and mission effectiveness.”

MAS-N Squad is a SOF-Specific variant of the Pixels on Target VooDoo-S Multi-Mission Thermal Sight, of which Pixels has built and delivered over 6,000 systems to US and Allied forces since 2019. MAS-N Squad and VooDoo-S share a high percentage of common components, which enables Pixels to fully utilize its already-established production capabilities and supply chain to deliver maximum value to USSOCOM.

About Pixels on Target: Pixels on Target LLC designs, builds, and delivers the Next Generation of Thermal Optics for the world’s most elite tactical users. Located in Sunrise, Florida, Pixels has assembled a team of the best product developers, engineers, subject matter experts, and supply chain partners. Pixels on Target is a privately held, US-owned and operated company.

MAS-N Squad Mounted on Rifle with Day Optic

Posted in Contracts, Optics, Press Release, SOF | 3 Comments »

Dead Air to Display at 2025 TTPOA Annual Training Conference

April 22nd, 2025

Heber City, UT – Dead Air, a leader in the firearm suppressor and tactical accessories industry, announce its involvement at the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association (TTPOA) Annual Training Conference, taking place& April 23-27, 2025, in Round Rock, Texas. The Texas Tactical Police Officers Association supports officers and agencies in Texas by researching, developing, and providing training and resources to enhance tactical operations and improve preparedness for the challenges faced by special operations units.

At this year’s conference, Dead Air will showcase its lineup of hard-use suppressors, including the Sandman X. This innovative suppressor features the Triskelion™ Gas Management System™—a 3D-printed baffle system engineered to reduce weight, enhance strength, and optimize sound suppression.

“Our mission to deliver top-tier suppressors aligns with the TTPOA’s dedication to enhancing training and operational excellence,” said Michael McKee, LE Sales for Dead Air. “The Sandman X is designed for high-pressure environments, excelling for semi-auto and full-auto 7.62 NATO rifles, and we’re honored to display demonstrate its performance to Texas’ law enforcement members.”

Dead Air will be on-site to answer questions, offer detailed product insights, and discuss the full range of Dead Air silencers suitable for various law enforcement applications.

For more information, visit Dead Air Silencers.

Posted in LE, NTOA, Press Release, Suppressors | Comments Off on Dead Air to Display at 2025 TTPOA Annual Training Conference

RAND Study – Setting Higher Close Combat Standards for the Army Combat Fitness Test

April 22nd, 2025

In the announcement to transition this June from the Army Combat Fitness Test to the Army Fitness Test, the Army referenced a study by RAND, published in late December, 2024. Here is a link to the full study as well as a summary.

www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA3000/RRA3092-1/RAND_RRA3092-1

Key Findings

There is sufficient evidence to inform the Army’s decision on raising ACFT standards for close combat MOSs

The ACFT with current administration protocols and standards has been evaluated against injury outcomes.

Higher ACFT standards for close combat MOSs can be implemented as a strategy to ensure that overall fitness is maintained at the higher levels demonstrated by soldiers in close combat MOSs.

For the MDL, there is strong evidence that can inform a specific higher minimum standard for combat MOSs based on combat task performance. For the other five ACFT events, the quality and quantity of evidence varies.

Results from the Practice Phase highlight trade-offs among alternative standards

Evidence from the Practice Phase suggests that an overall ACFT score minimum of 450 points and 150 pounds on the MDL may be too high to achieve a 95 percent overall pass rate and 90 percent pass rate for select subgroups. Under all options considered, the reserve component exhibits lower pass rates.

Alternative approaches to higher standards affect ACFT pass rates differently. Younger, female soldiers have lower pass rates when the MDL standard increases, while several MOSs have lower pass rates when the standard for total ACFT points is increased to 450.

However, prior research shows that soldiers’ performance improves with experience, so the pass rates observed in the Practice Phase may understate the extent to which soldiers will continue to improve toward new standards.

Recommendations

The Army should weigh the evidence across such key decision criteria as defensibility and relevance to general fitness or combat task performance and select a standard accordingly.

Consider compensatory approaches that raise as a new standard the overall points requirement to ease implementation and minimize variation in subgroup outcomes.

Supporting policy should be implemented to facilitate the movement to higher standards. This could include glide paths to allow soldiers sufficient time to train, access to training resources, and clear messaging about the goals of the higher ACFT standard.

Consider re-norming the scoring system at the same time as adopting higher standards to reflect current age and gender norms throughout the Army and ensure that norms are appropriately set for soldiers in both close combat and non–close combat MOSs.

Collect further evidence for minimum ACFT standards through criterion-related validation studies that examine the relationship between each ACFT event and organizational outcomes, such as combat task performance, retention rates, and other relevant metrics.

Posted in Army, Profession of Arms | Comments Off on RAND Study – Setting Higher Close Combat Standards for the Army Combat Fitness Test

Darley Releases New Defense Capabilities Brochure

April 22nd, 2025

Itasca, IL, April 21, 2025 – Darley Defense is thrilled to share our new defense capabilities brochure. Proudly highlighting our exceptional supply partners and their cutting-edge capabilities, this brochure showcases Darley Defense’s unique advantages, including our rich history as a family-owned small business. It features 36 pages of procurement solutions, advanced technologies and a “system of systems” approach that delivers the?Right Item, at the?Right Price, and at the?Right Time?to the Troops on the Front Lines.

James Long, President of Darley Defense comments, “Our most important capability is our people with their willingness to listen to customers and foster solutions. Darley is well suited to meet the needs of the military community with our flexible contracts, growing network of industry partners and in-house manufacturing.?We really have no limitations on how we can help support the mission.”

This release marks a significant step forward in Darley’s mission to passionately serve the world’s first responder and tactical communities by providing high quality, safe and innovative products with unmatched commitment and service. Explore the new defense capabilities brochure at

www.darley.com/who-we-serve/defense/

Posted in Advertiser, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on Darley Releases New Defense Capabilities Brochure

Shaw Concepts x Veil Solutions MagBlock

April 22nd, 2025

The Shaw Concepts x Veil Solutions MagBlock in Bright Purple is now live to enhance your training and celebrate six years of Shaw Concepts.

The MagBlock is a training aid meant to demonstrate the ‘Cleared’ status of the rifle during training events where wielding the rifle is needed. This can include dry CQB runs, patrolling in the woods, staging during competitions or dry fire practice.

SAW NOT included. It’s a STANAG pattern 5.56 mag don’t works well in other platforms as well.

shaw-concepts.com/products/shaw-x-veil-magblock

Posted in Weapon Accessories | Comments Off on Shaw Concepts x Veil Solutions MagBlock

Defense Innovation Unit Releases Solicitation for Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform

April 22nd, 2025

The Defense Innovation Unit has released a solicitation for the Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP), seeking commercially available, demonstration-ready uncrewed systems that address these limitations, offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for long-range, high-capacity payload deployment. This procurement is using Other Transaction Authority.

Northrop Grumman Manta Ray UUV for DARPA.

To maximize operational effectiveness in contested environments, the United States military requires enhanced capabilities for deploying large payloads across extended ranges. Current UUV capabilities present limitations in range and payload capacity, hindering the effective deployment of critical resources in certain operational scenarios.

Desired mission sets include, but are not limited to:

-Emplacement of various sized payloads

-Bathymetric surveys and mapping

-Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance

-Communications across the air/water interface (acoustic and Radio Frequency)

-Ability to operate in a GPS denied environments

Desired Solution Attributes

A candidate platform should have some or all of the following characteristics:

-Exceptional range, capable of transits greater than 1000nm.

-Capable of performing deeper than 200m underwater.

-Modular payload capacity with ability to drop various payloads to the seafloor. Payload sizes include but are not limited to:

–5ft long, 19 inches in diameter

–21ft in length and 21 inches in diameter

-Autonomous operation including navigation, guidance, and obstacle/collision avoidance (including during emergence and at surface), as well as remote operation.

-Capability for RF communications, and capability or demonstrate a pathway for undersea communications.

-Modularity, including the ability to switch from different payloads and mission sets.

-Hardware and software architecture with open interfaces, with a demonstrable pathway to integrate with various third party payloads;

-Demonstrable pathway to integrate with third party control systems, including but not limited to government furnished common control system (CCS).

-Demonstrable pathway for UMAAcompliance.

-Demonstrable pathway to prevent, mitigate, and recover from the effects of tampering or cyber events to achieve an Authorization To Operate in alignment with applicable Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) recommendations for minimum standards for unmanned national security systems (NSS).

-Be transportable, deployable, and recoverable with commonly available commercial freight and transportation equipment, or demonstrate a development pathway to achieve this.

-Minimize surface expression and duration.

-Include modeling and simulation to inform specific vehicle behaviors and mission operations, or ability to integrate with 3rd party modeling and simulation solutions.

This project is dedicated to the late Michael Camp, former Deputy Director of Warfare Systems, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Responses Due By 2025-05-01 23:59:59 US/Eastern Time.

Visit www.diu.mil/work-with-us/submit-solution/PROJ00567 for full details.

Posted in Contracts, Maritime | Comments Off on Defense Innovation Unit Releases Solicitation for Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform

Army Establishes New Fitness Test of Record to Strengthen Readiness and Lethality

April 22nd, 2025

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army announced today the establishment of the Army Fitness Test (AFT) as the official physical fitness test of record for all Soldiers, replacing the Army Combat Fitness Test.

The five-event AFT, is designed to enhance Soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force.

The AFT consists of the three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up army extension, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run. RAND Corporation analysis and Army data from nearly 1 million test records helped inform the new standard.

Phased implementation of the AFT will begin June 1, 2025, with new scoring standards for Soldiers in 21 combat military occupational specialties (MOSs) taking effect on January 1, 2026, for the active component and June 1, 2026, for the Reserve and National Guard.

The AFT combat standard is sex-neutral and age-normed. Soldiers serving in combat specialties must achieve a minimum of 60 points per event and an overall minimum score of 350.

The AFT general standard is performance-normed by sex and age groups. Soldiers serving in combat-enabling specialties must attain a score of at least 60 points per event and an overall minimum score of 300.

Implementation guidance and associated execution orders will be released in May.

The change reflects the Army’s continued focus on building a physically ready force capable of meeting operational demands in austere environments.

The Army is also adapting its policy framework to support implementation, including support to Soldiers with medical profiles and governance to monitor the impact of the new standard on readiness, retention, and end strength.

Army Public Affairs

Below is the implementing memorandum.

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, Warrior Athlete | 4 Comments »

Beez Combat Systems Avon MP-PAPR Sleeve

April 21st, 2025

The AVON MP-PAPR SLEEVE supports AVON PROTECTIONS’ MP-PAPR. The sleeve was designed to be a low profile design using advanced laminate materials The low profile design increases operational performance and flexibility. Tested at Dragon Spear CBRN RDAX 2024 exercise.

The sleeve allows the end user the ability to carry/mount the MP-PAPR multiple ways. The GRIDLOK MOLLE attachment system, removable harness system and/or sling/belt style. This provides multi-faceted operations for military, law enforcement, first responders, and the responsible citizen.

The MP-PAPR SLEEVE cover provides a way to cover the filters/battery powered air flow system to improve the camouflage capabilities without affecting the function of the PAPR system. Tube covers are available for different hose lengths.

AVON MP-PAPR – www.beezcombatsystems.com/collections/cbrn-gas-mask-accessories

***all Avon Protection trademarks, brands, etc are the sole property of the respective companies. Avon Protection does not endorse this products***

Posted in CBRNE, Load Carrying, Press Release | Comments Off on Beez Combat Systems Avon MP-PAPR Sleeve