With commissioning season just around the corner you might be looking for a unique gift idea. Officially dubbed the M-73 Liquid Prismatic Compass, it is manufactured from aluminum, glass, and brass by the firm Francis Barker. This liquid filled compass is accurate to within 1 degree and features a prismatic aiming system as well as five tritium light sources. In addition to the M-73, Telluric Group offers several other compasses including the highly sought after SAS survival compass.
The T-11 parachute, also referred to as the Advanced Tactical Parachute System has already begun to replace the venerable T-10 with operational units. As Fort Benning’s Basic Airborne Course trains new parachutists, they too have have begun the transition to the new system. Students will continue to train with both since the transition to the T-11 will take about three years, but the class graduating last week was the first to have jumped the new parachute.
This PEO-Soldier video of a recent jump by the 18th Corps Staff gives you a good idea of the characteristics of the parachute.
One of the first things you will notice about the new canopy is its shape. Rather than the traditional conical shape of the T-10 the T-11 boasts 28% more surface area and assumes a somewhat square shape due to a modified version of a cross/cruciform. This results in a slower rate of descent and a softer landing (19 fps vice 24 fps). Additionally, the T-11 replaces not only the round canopy but the harness as well which is designed to displace opening shock forces of the reserve parachute equally along the long axis of the jumper’s body. While the T-10 relies on the Modified Improved Reserve Parachute System (MIRPS) which includes a standard T-10 reserve parachute canopy assembly integrated with a commercial deployment assistance device to throw the canopy out away from the jumper, the new T-11R is based on the British Low Level Parachute (LLP) aero-conical design that includes apex scoop pockets at the top of the reserve canopy and skirt assist lines at the system’s hem to promote fast opening of the reserve during low-speed malfunctions. Unlike MIRPS, the T-11R reserve uses an omni-directional, center-pull deployment system.
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While this graphic actually dates from 1992, it does contain quite a few details that are of use both offensively as well as defensively. Originally, published in the New York Times the data came from NYPD Detective Robert Gallagher based on criteria he used to size up suspects. Megan Jaegerman, the artist who translated this information into a readily usable format has been lauded for this and other work. She succinctly synthesizes a great deal of information into a story that can be interpreted with the eye.
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We are only a few weeks out from the 2010 SpecOps Warfighter Expo East held at Fayetteville, NC’s Crown Expo Center April 13-16. Like last year it will be held in conjunction with the annual Special Forces Branch Symposium. The expo is open at no charge to all active duty, active reserve, law enforcement and government personnel. However, there is a fee for attendance by industry.
As you can see from recent posts, there is a lot of innovation going on in what could be considered the commercial side of the tactical market. Kitanica has long been on the leading edge of clothing design. Their latest creation, the PNT X.A not only epitomizes their design creed, but also comes in at a price point that is much more in reach to the average guy. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t cheap. But then again, the PNT X.A features quite a few innovations you won’t find with other brands. A niche brand? Perhaps, but isn’t that what this is all about? Most of the features are quite evident in the graphic. Hopefully, they will add additional colors beyond Black to their palette.
Made in the USA from US materials, the PNT X.A is available from www.kitanica.net.
If you want to know more about Beej Cronin, the powerhouse behind Kitanica, the folks over at www.tacticalpants.com caught up with him for an interview.
Tags: Kitanica Posted in Clothing | Comments Off on PNT X.A from Kitanica
Vickers Tactical has posted a series of videos focused on the AK family of weapons on their Youtube channel. They have proven very popular with enthusiasts of the Kalashnikov as of late. Compiled of footage from the TV Show “Tactical Impact“, be sure to check them all out.
“Progressive Tactical” is Hazard 4’s motto. A new division of Civilian Labs, Hazard 4 made their debut at SHOT Show and we were impressed with what we saw. Most of their products fit in the unique column but their 3-D Rubber Patches are simply sublime. If any one product could sum up what is Hazard 4, this is it. This isn’t yet another embroidered patch. Instead they are manufactured from rubber and feature raised lettering and features a hook back to make them easy to attach and remove from your equipment. Available in Black/Grey, Coyote, or glow in the dark. The Infidel patch seen here is joined by the American flag as well as the Hazard 4 logo. Go to www.hazard4.com and check out their entire line of new products.
Tags: Hazard 4 Posted in Clothing | Comments Off on 3-D Rubber Patches
If you use the Redi-Mod from Blue Force Gear on your carbine like I do then you might want to pay close attention to the information they passed to me today.
Customer Service and Product Performance are top priorities at Blue Force Gear. It has come to our attention that Redi-Mods we provided between November 5, 2009 and March 22, 2010 may have magazine catches which are insufficiently staked. While this condition has no effect on the host weapon reliability or safety, the magazine catch on the Redi-Mod itself could work its way loose over time causing the spare magazine to drop free unexpectedly. If you purchased a Redi-Mod between the dates above, we would like to inspect and re-stake your Redi-Mod (on an as need basis) to ensure that it continues to function properly. We will perform this inspection and re-staking at no charge and will pay ground shipping both ways. Customers who received Blue Force Gear Redi-Mods in the affected date range should email returns@blueforcegear.com or call 877-430-2583 to receive exact return instructions.
The Redi-Mod is an excellent modification to the highly popular Redi-Mag designed to keep a spare mag right where you may need it. On the weapon and next to the mag well. It’s stuff like this that makes me proud to be associated with Blue Force Gear who stand behind their product.
With commissioning season just around the corner you might be looking for a unique gift idea. Officially dubbed the M-73 Liquid Prismatic Compass, it is manufactured from aluminum, glass, and brass by the firm Francis Barker. This liquid filled compass is accurate to within 1 degree and features a prismatic aiming system as well as five tritium light sources. In addition to the M-73, Telluric Group offers several other compasses including the highly sought after SAS survival compass. 
