Ranger Up! has just released this Liquid Metal version of the Special Forces Distinctive Unit Insignia.
Limited to 100 sculptures, this 22″ x 22″ version is cut with a plasma cutter and then hand polished and finished so that every piece will be completely unique. The sculptures include a variety of unit insignia and skill badges.
(yes, I know a green beret is a hat)
SSD readers might be interested in a new half hour special from from G4TV. ‘Field Test‘ with Weston Scott will take a look at a variety of equipment and weapons. Scott is ‘Attack of the Show’s’ military corespondent and has covered SHOT Show for G4tv over the past few years.
He spent some time with our friends at Blackheart International and his previous visits to West Virginia have been pretty good.
This half hour special is airing Wednesday, April 11th, at 8PM ET on G4tv.
The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded BAE Systems an $11 million contract to procure the SkeetIR thermal monocular.
The combat proven monocular can be used in a variety of modes. It serves in weapon clip-on, handheld, and helmet mount modes and piggy-back to provide visual augmentation for image intensified (I2) devices. This turns a simple I2 device into a fusion device. Additionally, because it is a thermal imager it can be used day or night and used to peer through smoke or obscurants.
“Our primary focus is to allow our operators to see the enemy before they’re seen, and the SkeetIR does just that,” said Vadim Plotsker, president of BAE Systems OASYS in Manchester, New Hampshire, where the devices are designed and produced. “The SkeetIR has undergone extensive Department of Defense review and testing and is often referred to as a game changing operational capability.”
The SkeetIR is one of the smallest and most versatile thermal imagers on the market. It fits within the dimensions of a credit card and it allows for seamless operational transition from an observation to a targeting device. These uncooled LWIR sights can be turned on and put into action in less than four seconds and are controlled by a combination of hot buttons and an intuitive menu. Calibration is quickly accomplished when needed and a red dot sight can be instantly boresighted with the SkeetIR. The SkeetIR also includes a red laser for target designation. Finally, the devices are configured in such a way that the firmware can be altered or upgraded as needed. In fact. they are working on increasing battery life and decreasing warm up periods.
BAE uses the same remote as Insight for laser activation so the UTM is backwards compatible with the PEQ-2A, PEQ-15, PEQ-16, PSQ-18, and M3X/M6X weaponlights. There is no need to purchase additional new accessories and if a cable is lost or damaged it is easily replaced from existing spares. Finally, to conserve power, the SkeetIR utilizes a Hall Effect Sensor to go into standby mode and eventually shut down when disconnected from its mount.
BAE Systems OASYS has expertise in thermal imaging technology, optical assembly design and manufacture, precision optical components, and rapid development of multi-mission use devices. The company continues to improve its systems providing customers with smaller, lighter, and lower power devices.
Having worked with the SkeetIR I can tell you that it is simple to use and greatly enhances situational awareness. Additionally, I really like the versatility of the sight’s various mountain options.
Note: This is an ITAR restricted item.
If you are a Range Safety Officer or member of EMS / Fire then the newly introduced Red color for FirstSpear’s Sleeper soft armor carrier might be just the ticket.
Designed in conjunction with Crye Precision, the Sleeper SOCOM’s SPEAR BALCS soft armor as well as Hard Armor plates cut to SAPI/ESAPI/SPEAR as well as Swimmer cut. The Sleeper is also available in Black, Coyote, Ranger Green and MultiCam sizes Small – XLarge.
Magpul Dynamics has a new Director. Duane Liptak Jr is a former Marine Corps Major. According to a Magpul Dynamics press release he is a decorated combat veteran with experience in Tactical Aviation and Special Operations. He also brings a vast knowledge of the shooting industry as well as experience developing, managing, and executing training programs from his previous position at Brownells Inc, where he held the position of Director of Government Programs and Training
Duane’s military achievements include stints as a Squadron XO, FAC(A) (Forward Air Controller-Airborne) Instructor, Pilot and Flight Lead for a USMC F/A-18D Squadron deployed to Iraq, and Plank Owner in Marine Special Operations Command, where he stood up the first operational Marine Special Operations Company as Air Officer, Operations Officer, Team FAC, and Weapons, Lasers, Night Vision, and Communications subject matter expert.
‘Every Other Chest Rig On The Planet Is Now Too Heavy’ – That’s a pretty bold statement made recently by gear manufacturer High Ground as they introduced The Chest Rig. Even the name implies that there can be no other.
The rig is reversible – MultiCam to Coyote and features integrated ITW buckles to allow instant transition from H-Harness Shoulder Straps to Plate Carrier integration. As you can see it’s PALS compatible and relies as much on the pouches for structural support as they do upon The Chest Rig. It’s as bare bones as it gets.
Yes, some of us have seen a similar product in the past from Crye Precision where users obtained extra AirLite cummerbund panels for the Jumpable Plate Carrier and attached them to the front in order to rapidly reconfigure loads. It wasn’t by design as much by user adaption and its difficult to obtain a JPC let alone an AirLite cummerbund. The major difference here is that this was designed to work this way from the outset and includes a chest rig H harness with articulated shoulder straps seen here. I’m sure it’s going to be popular but I’m just as sure that there will be detractors based on its similarity to the Crye design.
www.highgroundgear.com/products/chest-rig
The new Aegis Echo from Smith Optics Elite Division was designed specifically to be compatible with hearing protection/ communications systems. As you can see from this photo, the earpieces are the secret to the design and are a scant .6mm thick. This is the lowest profile temple in the industry and crafted from stainless steel making them rigid yet adjustable. These earpieces allow you to get as close to the head as possible without breaking the seal on the headset or causing a hotspot or worse yet, a headache.
Look for the Aegis Echo coming early May 2012.
BAE Systems (and others) has been working on liquid body armor for some time. It’s a very promising, low weight ballistic solution. They are using a shear thickening fluid which hardens as force is violently applied against it. You can make some up with cornstarch and water. Pour it out on a flat surface and then hit it with a hammer.
Unfortunately, you aren’t going to get much out of this video other than seeing body armor do what it is designed to do; act like a catchers mitt.
Part 1 shows 10 layers liquid armor in a durable casing
Part 2 shows 31 layers of untreated Kevlar
When I was in industry and we were working on the Explosive Formed Penetrator threat, one of my team’s engineers suggested using a non-newtonian fluid. While the technology shows promise, we decided that for our application, the material itself might compromise its ability to work when needed. Based on the magnitude of teh threat we’d need to go with a true shear thickening fluid. Form our standpoint, the issue was ensuring that the material would be in place when needed. A combat vehicle such as an MRAP is exposed to a wide variety of threats and environmental hazards any one of which might compromise the armor’s integrity and result in the fluid leaking from its section in the armor array. Instead we came up with another way to dissipate the energy of an EFP.
Body armor will present its own set of challenges in maintaining the proper amount of ballistic material in the proper place on the panel. Gravity tends to work against you with liquids in non-rigid containers, even in the case of thickened fluids or in this case coatings. Additionally, the fluid coating might dry out over time. What BAE has done to mitigate this effect is to use their “fluid” to treat woven Kevlar. Not only does this give the coating “body” but gives the material even more surface area to spread the energy of a ballistic threat across.
BAE testing has indicated that they can maintain ballistic protection at a 45% reduction in the thickness of the armor which results in increased mobility.
