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Vista Outdoor Announces Plans to Sell Kinetic Group to CSG & Outdoor Group to SVP

October 8th, 2024

In separate announcements late last week, Vista Outdoors informed shareholders of plans to sell its Kinetic Group of companies? (formerly known as Sporting Products) seen in the graphic below to Czechoslovak Group a.s. (CSG) for $2.225 billion.

Contingent upon this sale, Strategic Value Partners, LLC, and its affiliates (“SVP”), a global alternative investment firm with approximately $19 billion of assets under management, has offered to purchase Revelyst (aka Outdoor Group) in an all-cash transaction based on an enterprise value of $1.125 billion.

According to a Vista press release, “The SVP Transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board and is expected to close by January 2025, subject to the completion of the CSG Transaction, as well as the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Vista Outdoor and CSG have received all regulatory approvals required under the merger agreement for the CSG Transaction and are prepared to close the CSG Transaction prior to the end of 2024…”

Posted in Industry | No Comments »

Team O’Neil’s Tactical Driving Tuesday – Pre-Mission Vehicle Check

October 8th, 2024

One of the most important functions in mission planning is preparing your equipment. Team O’Neil’s Wyatt reminds of what we need to look for as we prepare our vehicle for a mission.

In just a few weeks I’ll be putting these driving tips to good use at the Team O’Neil Tactical Driving Course at their facility in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This five-day course includes driving under NODS and is available to military and other government agencies as well as civilians.

Posted in Mobility, Training | No Comments »

The Best D*MN EDC Pants

October 8th, 2024

If you’re someone who believes in being prepared for anything, Vertx pants were made for you.

From the rugged Defiance Jean to the sleek Delta Stretch 2.1, Vertx pants are purpose-built for the prepared man and everyday defender. Each pair is CCW-ready and designed to handle anything life throws at you. From tactical training to your daily grind – these pants adapt seamlessly and are built from high-quality materials that withstand wear and tear while keeping you comfortable.

These aren’t just pants; they’re your new favorite piece of gear—shop now: vertx.com

Posted in Advertiser, Clothing, Guest Post | No Comments »

Large Caliber Product Office Has Army Modernization Priorities In Its Sights

October 8th, 2024

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md – The U.S. Army’s Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS), located on Picatinny Arsenal, recently traveled to the Aberdeen Proving Ground on September 5, 2024, to successfully test the XM1204 High Explosive Airburst with Tracer (HEAB-T) prototype.

Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A), observed the test at the Aberdeen, accompanied by key personnel from PM MAS, including Deputy Project Manager Bob Kowalski, Assistant Product Manager for Large Caliber Ammunition Maj. A.J. Scocco, and the team lead for the 50mm program KC Koseoglu.

The 50mm XM1204 HEAB-T is one of three cartridges within the 50mm x 228 family of ammunition, tailored to provide an anti-personnel tactical solution. The munition is designed to defeat personnel both in open spaces and behind the cover of urban structures. The munition has the ability to function in point detonate, point detonate delay, and airburst.

The XM1204 HEAB-T, coupled with the XM913 main gun, is set to provide decisive overmatch for the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle imitative, the XM30 Combat Vehicle. This adaptability makes it a vital component of the lethality suite for the XM30 Combat Vehicle.

According to Scocco, the purpose of the testing was to evaluate the performance of the munition’s electro-mechanical programmable multi mode fuze. “The XM1204 HEAB-T is a significant lethality upgrade for our warfighter, and we’re on track to meet cost, schedule, and performance requirements for the XM30 Combat Vehicle,” he said.

Five Bradley Master Gunner-qualified Soldiers participated in a second round of testing focused on burst-point accuracy of the XM1204 HEAB-T at Aberdeen Proving Ground on September 11, 2024. These Soldiers, representing First Army, the Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross- Functional Team, and the U.S. Army Maneuver Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate, evaluated the ammunition’s performance and provided critical user feedback.

The exercise aimed to inform both the requirements for the XM1204 HEAB-T and the wider user community about the capabilities of the 50mm ammunition, including its pairing with the XM913 50mm main gun. The XM913 is the primary armaments for the XM30 Combat Vehicle and is a critical part of the Army’s modernization strategy.

“The recent XM1204 HEAB-T test is a clear demonstration of PM MAS delivering on Army modernization priorities and delivering a new level of lethality to the battlefield,” said Reim. “The lethality and flexibility of this round, paired with the XM30 platform, will give our Warfighters the tools they need to maintain overmatch on the battlefield, and I look forward to seeing this round fielded.”

By ABRAAM DAWOUD

Posted in Ammo, Army, Guest Post | No Comments »

American Rheinmetall Vehicles Wins Award for U.S. Army’s S-MET Inc II Program

October 7th, 2024

American Rheinmetall Vehicles, Sterling Heights, MI, has won one of two contracts awarded in the U.S. Army’s Small Multi-Purpose Equipment Transport vehicle (S-MET) program. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) will provide the Army with a versatile and resilient platform capable of efficiently transporting supplies and equipment over rugged terrain to support combat operations. American Rheinmetall Vehicles collaborated with lead partner Textron Systems on the proposal.

American Rheinmetall Vehicles will manufacture and deliver eight proto¬types to the Army in 2025 for testing, evaluation, and to compete against the platform delivered by the second awardee before the Army downselects to a single platform and the program transitions to full scale production.

Rheinmetall has substantial expertise in developing unmanned ground vehicles, exemplified in its Mission Master family of vehicles, which encompass a range of modular, autonomous platforms designed for diverse missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, cUAS, and logistical support. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ S-MET solution leverages the ground-breaking advancements in unmanned technology found in the Mission Master vehicles to deliver a UGV tailored to meet the unique requirements of the Army’s S-MET program. The platform also uses many mature commercial components already found in the Army’s inventory or the commercial ATV space which drives affordability and reliability, and addresses electromagnetic concerns through its unique composite structure and use of materials.

“American Rheinmetall Vehicles is honored with the Army’s selection and excited to deliver our S-MET platform which is particularly attractive due to its technological excellence, affordability, and reliability,” said Jim Schirmer, Senior Vice President and Deputy Managing Director of American Rheinmetall Vehicles.

Textron Systems brings to the team more than three decades of experience designing, manufacturing, fielding, and supporting unmanned platforms across air, land and sea domains.

Textron Systems and its subsidiary, Howe & Howe, contribute extensive knowledge of robotics and systems integration to the S-MET Inc II program, having developed the mature, multi-mission capable RIPSAW® M5 and M3 ground robotics platforms for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) programs. Leveraging the control architecture developed for Textron Systems’ RCV solutions, the team’s S-MET vehicle provides a commonality that enables operators to utilize a common interface for both the RCV and S-MET programs. This approach reduces the overall training burden and maximizes investments made.

About American Rheinmetall Vehicles
American Rheinmetall Vehicles delivers next-generation, advanced tactical wheeled vehicles and innovative tracked and wheeled combat vehicles in support of today’s highest combat vehicle modernization priorities. Rheinmetall’s collaborative global structure allows for the maturation and strengthening of the U.S. Industrial Base now and into the future. American Rheinmetall Vehicles is part of the American Rheinmetall family of U.S. companies including American Rheinmetall Munitions in Stafford, VA, Windham, ME, and Camden, AR, American Rheinmetall Systems in Biddeford, ME and U.S. corporate parent American Rheinmetall Defense in Reston, VA. www.rheinmetall.com/arv
Unmanned and Unmatched.

Posted in Army, Contracts, Press Release, Robotics | No Comments »

Mission First Tactical 9mm Take Down Chamber Safety Flag Insert

October 7th, 2024

Horsham, PA – (October 7th, 2024) – Mission First Tactical (MFT), manufacturers of state-of-the-art holsters, firearm accessories and EDC bags, is proud to introduce the new MFT 9mm Take Down Chamber Safety Flag Insert, the perfect accessory for every responsible gun owner.

“Our new MFT Take Down Chamber Safety Flag Insert will virtually eliminate the potential for negligent discharges when disassembling pistols that require the trigger to be pulled for disassembly,” said David Edelman, Vice President, Mission First Tactical. “The bright yellow colored safety flag insert alsomakes it easy for quick visible and physical confirmation of your unloaded firearm.”

The Take Down Chamber Safety Flag Insert fits 9mm semi-automatic pistols with up to a 5” barrel length. It can be installed or removed without disassembling the firearm. When in use, it will eliminate the potential for negligent discharge when disassembling firearms that require the trigger to be pulled first. It’s useful during dry firing training, to show clear and safe at the range or during transport. It has an easy to identify bright color for quick visible and physical confirmation of unloaded firearm. Made from barrel and chamber safe impact-resistant polymer. This 100% made in the USA product is made from a barrel and chamber safe impact-resistant polymer.

Features:

• Fits 9mm semi-automatic pistols up to 5” barrel length

• Install or remove without taking the pistol down

• For use during dry fire training

• Shows clear and safe at the range or during transport

• Eliminates potential for negligent discharge when disassembling firearms that require the trigger to be pulled first

• Easy identifying bright color for quick visible and physical confirmation

• Barrel and chamber safe impact-resistant polymer

• Made in the USA

MSRP: $14.99

To learn more about the MFT 9mm Take Down Chamber Safety Flag Insert and the complete product lineup from Mission First Tactical, please visit www.missionfirsttactical.com. Stay connected with the latest updates by following MFT on Facebook and Instagram.

Posted in Advertiser, Weapon Accessories | No Comments »

Carrington Textiles Aligns All Cotton Fabrics with Better Cotton

October 7th, 2024

Adlington, United Kingdom: Carrington Textiles, a global leader in the manufacture of workwear, flame retardant and defence and security fabrics, has made a significant announcement underlining its commitment to sustainability by pledging exclusive support for the Better Cotton initiative with all the company’s products containing cotton.

The announcement was made on the occasion of World Cotton Day on 7th October 2024, an ideal opportunity for Carrington Textiles to highlight its commitment to developing workwear fabrics that not only offer high levels of quality and performance, but also support the production of responsibly sourced cotton globally.

What is Better Cotton?

It’s an initiative that promotes sustainable cotton farming practices to improve the environment and the livelihoods of farmers while ensuring high-quality cotton for consumers.

In 2019-2020, Better Cotton licensed over 2.4 million farmers from 23 countries across five continents. Together, these farmers produced 23% of the world’s cotton.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those sourced.

How can this benefit customers?

When customers buy any of Carrington Textiles fabrics containing cotton, Better Cotton Credits or BCCUs are generated. These BCCUs can be claimed by a registered company directly on the Better Cotton Platform and used to communicate the responsibly source nature of the fabric’s cotton by using hang tags, labels and other marketing materials.

Neil Davey, Carrington Textiles’ Managing Director, announced this pivotal commitment to sustainability reflecting the company’s dedication to reducing its environmental footprint and providing customers with responsibly sourced materials.

Neil stated, “With 99% of fabrics from our FR, workwear and defence ranges containing cotton, this is a huge step towards our sustainability efforts, all of which we are proud to cover in our latest Sustainability Report. This initiative is expected to have a lasting positive impact on our products and the planet.”

Posted in International, Materials, Press Release | No Comments »

TacJobs – S&T Directorate SME at SOFWERX

October 7th, 2024

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Science & Technology Directorate, requires a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide technical oversite and management for tasks associated with multiple projects in support of USSOCOM S&T.

Provide SME support to USSOCOM for a period not to exceed (NTE) 1-year with an expected commitment NTE 30 hours per month. It is expected the SME will primarily work remotely but also be expected to be available for travel to Headquarters USSOCOM and the SOFWERX facility in Tampa, FL as well as various Continental United States (CONUS) vendor locations.

Submit a CV/Resume NLT 18 October 2024 11:59 PM ET

U.S. Citizens Only

Visit events.sofwerx.org/s-and-t-directorate-sme-position for full details.

Posted in SOF, TacJobs | No Comments »