National Molding recently showed us a few of their new items and this one in particular will find lots of use once it hits the market. Manufactured from Acetal, the Berry compliant MOLLE Tee Mount allows you to suspend either a male or female portion of a side release buckle from a MOLLE channel. It’s easy; attach the Tee Mount to a piece of bartacked webbing, slide it into place in the channel, and attach the positive snap bar found on one of their repair buckles to the the other end of the webbing. It’s a great DIY piece.
The MOLLE Tee Mount is available in a variety of military colors. Visit www.nationalmolding.com.
They really did it this time. No more of that temporary protection crap. Point Blank Solutions filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Federal District Court in Wilmington Delaware on Wednesday citing the same reasons they asked for temporary protection last month. According to recently filed documents, they list assets of $63.9 million and debt of $68.5 million as of Feb. 28 so no word on the impact of the $20 million of Debtor-in-Possession (“DIPâ€) financing they had arranged for in April. A sizable portion of the debt is said to be tied to their former CEO so it has been difficult to find a buyer to get them back on track.
This is just precious. In a recent press release from the MoD, Colonel Stephen James, Project Team Leader for the Defence Equipment and Support Clothing Team, who was responsible for delivering the new British Multi Terrain Pattern to British forces had this to say, “We have presented the new designs to the US Department of Defense and, following our recommendations, the US Army are about to adopt the same technology for their uniform in Afghanistan.â€
Ok, so there you have it. The recommendation of the British Army, after their experience in adopting MTP a MultiCam-like pattern developed by Crye Precision, is what is responsible for the US Army’s recent decision to field MultiCam to units operating in Afghanistan. I guess it has nothing to do with the results of an arduous selection process carried out by PEO-Soldier and their partners at Natick, AWG, ATEC, and the Infantry Center in which MultiCam was deemed superior to the other candidates.
In response to our query on the reasoning behind the recall of 44,239 Advanced Combat Helmets produced by ArmorSource LLC (formerly Rabintex USA LLC), PEO-Soldier informed us that after testing a statistical sample of ArmorSource helmets, results showed that they did not meet Army standards for ballistic protection. We found it unusual for a product to be recalled by manufacturer rather than lot number, and PEO-Soldier went on to explain that the testing was specific to ArmorSource. It was conducted in conjunction with an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, and the Army concluded that it was in Soldiers’ best interests to recall all ACHs made by ArmorSource. Thanks to PEO-Soldier for the clarification.
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Troops in Afghanistan have begun to receive the new Soldier Plate Carrier System and many are beginning to realize its greatest shortcoming; the lack of a cummerbund. Interestingly, every other design assessed by PEO-Soldier during last year’s search for a plate carrier sported a cummerbund which helps support the weight of the vest as well as side plates when they are worn, provides additional space for modular equipment, and holds soft armor inserts. While the SPCS provides a minimalist option to our fighting forces, a more modular approach can easily be fielded with the addition of a removable cummerbund. There is no need to permanently modify the vest already in service or remove it even temporarily from service for additional sewing. Such a self-help mod improves the scalability of the system and affords the commander more options in adapting his troops’ protection level to the threat.
Based on such a requirement, enters Mayflower with the perfect solution. Their Cummerbund Adapter Kit converts any plate carrier with PALS webbing on front and back into a hard plate carrier with front flap. It features PALS webbing as well as elastic and accepts 6×6 or 6×8 plate pockets. What’s more, the cummerbund accommodates up to 48″ circumference. It is easily applied to any plate carrier lacking an integral cummerbund and requires no permanent alteration to the carrier. It is quickly attached and removed via PALS webbing.
For a better idea of how the adapter works, take a look at this in depth video.
Offered in a variety of colors including MultiCam and UCP, the Berry compliant Cummerbund Adapter Kit from Mayflower Research and Consulting is available from Grey Group Training.
In order to support the switch to MultiCam for troops in Operation Enduring Freedom, the Army plans on purchasing an additional 26,800 Soldier Plate Carrier Systems in MultiCam to supplement the initial purchase of SPCS in UCP. PEO-Soldier has confirmed that they issued a sole source contract for 6,800 SPCS on May 5th and plan to issue an open solicitation for the remaining 20,000 in FY11. The Army is in the process of purchasing the Technical Data Package for the SPCS from designer KDH. The First Unit Equipped for the MultiCam SPCS will be in August. The First Unit Equipped with the SPCS in UCP was the 10th Mountain in January of this year.
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SSD friend Rob Curtis is currently on assignment in Afghanistan shooting a documentary on the Marines for PBS. He is accompanying war correspondent Robert Hodierne and working as videographer. We all hope that Rob comes home safe but what we really want to know is if Rob wore those sporty Wenger SWAT boots he picked up at OR last year. Be sure to follow his exploits at www.combatoutpost.blogspot.com.
Tags: Rob Curtis Posted in Admin | Comments Off on Rob Curtis – Assignment Afghanistan
Here’s a little eye candy for you. The Utility Bag from Kill Spencer combines military styling with some of the finest materials available such as Cobra buckles, leather accents, and FR canvas. Several other material options are available including vintage fabrics. Another cool feature is the retractable wall mount system and hub.
National Molding recently showed us a few of their new items and this one in particular will find lots of use once it hits the market. Manufactured from Acetal, the Berry compliant MOLLE Tee Mount allows you to suspend either a male or female portion of a side release buckle from a MOLLE channel. It’s easy; attach the Tee Mount to a piece of bartacked webbing, slide it into place in the channel, and attach the positive snap bar found on one of their repair buckles to the the other end of the webbing. It’s a great DIY piece. 
