Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Astronaut Food

July 19th, 2009

The space program has been all the rage this year as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Moon landings. Along with books and videos commemorating the event some unique items have been released. Among them is space food. You’ve always been able to purchase Astronaut ice cream from various NASA visitor centers and the national Air and pace museum but some of these items I haven’t seen for ages. Gadget superstore Think Geek has a package deal on sale that it is a great sampler and may take you back to your childhood.

Included in the box:
* Freeze Dried Ice Cream Sandwich (1.1oz)
* Freeze Dried Strawberries (0.5oz)
* Freeze Dried Cinnamon Apple Wedges (0.5oz)
* Space Food Stick – Chocolate (1.05oz)
* Space Food Stick – Peanut Butter (1.05oz)
* Splashdown Drink Mix – Lemon Lime (mixes with 16.9oz of water)
* Splashdown Drink Mix – Orange (mixes with 16.9oz of water)
* Space Food Sticks Magnet – for sticking on things

Not bad for just under 20 bucks. To order visit www.ThinkGeek.com.

Posted in Off-Duty, Sustainment | Comments Off on Astronaut Food

Cablox Cable Organizer

July 19th, 2009

Fobbit or not, everyone deploys with a computer these days and some of us are more obsessive than others when it comes to cables and wires in the hooch. For the more organized out there comes the Cableox cable organizer. The 4×4-inch panels are self-adhesive and feature nubs to secure errant cables.

We haven’t identified a US distributor yet so if you are interested you will need to visit av-cables.dk.

Posted in Gadgets | Comments Off on Cablox Cable Organizer

MIT Develops Camera Fabric

July 18th, 2009

Thanks to PhysicsWorld.com we know that MIT has developed a new fiber that would allow a soldier to detect threats by seeing in all directions at once or to collect information to feed a stealth suit that projects an image of the surrounding environment.

SEM micrographs of the resulting fiber cross-section, illustrating the uniform conservation of the cross-section structure from the macroscopic preform to the microscopic fiber.
CREDIT: Courtesy of the Fink Lab/MIT

“The individual fibers created by the MIT team consist of two separate sheets of semiconducting glasses â€” just 100nm thick â€” folded up like a Swiss roll. Electrodes are worked into the fibers and the resulting cylinder, which is 35cm long, is covered in an insulating cladding. The fibers can detect light because photons interacting with a semiconductor material can ionize the component atoms, thus triggering a current in the presence of a potential difference.”

Tags: Stealth
Posted in Gadgets | Comments Off on MIT Develops Camera Fabric

Isakson Amendment

July 18th, 2009

Ok, so you are asking yourself, “What’s the Isakson Amendment?” Well, if you are a Soldier or Airman deploying to combat in the future this may be one of the most important pieces of legislation ever. Based on an urgent need for Fire resistant uniforms Congress passed a waiver to the Berry Amendment last year for the procurement of foreign produced fire resistant rayon fiber. Unfortunately, the waiver runs out in 2013. In budget years, that’s right round the corner.

Sponsored by Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga, this Amendment to the 2010 Defense Authorization Act permanently raises the sunset on the Berry waiver.

Photo: US Army

While some may assume that this foreign produced fiber might pose a threat to the US textile industry, this is not true. for one thing, the fibers cannot be produced here in the US due to EPA restrictions. Additionally, the material is shipped from Austria in bales and once it arrives in the US is spun into yarn. Only then is the FR rayon woven into cloth, printed, and cut and sewn. The use of this fabric supports over 10,000 jobs in 14 states. Obviously, it isn’t a threat to the American textile industry. In fact, the opposite seems true.

If the waiver is not renewed, critical FR ACUs like the one that saved 1SG Sather will come in short supply. Unfortunately, the US industrial base would not be able to keep up with the current and projected demand for FR fabrics which are made up of a combination of domestic materials augmented with 65% of the FR rayon fiber. This combination was chosen by the US Army as the best performer from among over 24 candidates as the rayon provides added strength to the fabric and helps our domestically produced fibers go further.

Please support this important legislation.

Tags: Congress
Posted in Congress, FR | 1 Comment »

BHI-15 Lower Receiver Builder

July 17th, 2009

Blackheart International recently released their new Billet Lower Receiver. Now they are offering lower builds with full guns coming soon.

Built on a BHI-15 Lower, the price is computed based on the selected options.

Trigger Options:
Standard Mil-Spec Trigger Group
Geissele SSA Trigger Group – a non-adjustable, 2-stage combat trigger
Geissele DMR Trigger Group – an adjustable, 2-stage tactical and military trigger

Buttstock Options:
Standard AR-15 Collapsible Stock
Magpul CTR Collapsible Stock
Vltor ‘Clubfoot’ Collapsible ModStock

Pistol Grip Options:
Standard M16A2 Style Grip
CAA Ergonomic Pistol Grip

Last week Governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin, visited BHI in Philippi, WV to test the new BHI-15 rifle. The governor had no problem making the steel ring with the new AR.

Tags: Blackheart International
Posted in Black Rifle, weapons | Comments Off on BHI-15 Lower Receiver Builder

No Melt, No Drip Performance Tees

July 17th, 2009

New from Cocona Fabrics in partnership with ADS is a no melt, no drip performance T-shirt. The concept is fairly new and intended to provide a lower cost alternative to FR performance Tees. This new undershirt is manufactured from fibers containing carbon from coconut shells. Originally, Cocona technology was designed as a coating for a Chemical Defense program to adsorb (Adsorbance is the addition of a molecule to a surface of a molecule) chemical agents into the carbon pores so that they would not come into contact with the user’s skin. Now, the technology provides evaporative cooling, odor management and UV protection (50 UPF wet or dry). What’s more Cocona fabrics are “green” using activated carbon made from recycled coconut shells. By using natural ingredients incorporated into yarns and fibers, there are no harsh chemicals or topical treatments to irritate the skin. Additionally, the no melt, no drip properties associated with this natural fiber make it an excellent candidate for those who face the threat of exposure to blast and fire. Cocona fabrics are used in over 65 outdoor and sporting good brands and ADS has produced a limited number of undershirts in Sand. Other clothing products are already in the works. I received one of the undershirts and my initial impression is that it is just as comfortable as combed cotton. I will keep you updated on how the shirt holds up to repeated wear and launderings. At half the price of an FR T-shirt, the comfort of natural fibers, and performance normally associated with synthetics, it looks like a winner to me.

For more information on the fabric visit www.coconafabrics.com and those interested in the garment should contact ADS.

Tags: ADS
Posted in ADS, Clothing, FR | Comments Off on No Melt, No Drip Performance Tees

TAG; A New Direction

July 16th, 2009

Tactical Assault Gear’s genesis was in the retail business selling quality tactical and outdoor products. As market demand shifted, TAG began to develop and manufacture their own line of tactical nylon products but retained their retail store front presence in three markets; Coronado NAB and Camp Pendleton, California as well as Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As the manufacturing business grew, TAG’s CEO Chris Osman began to implement a transition to a purely online business model combined with a host of retailers in key markets. In order to fulfill their commitments to retail space property owners, the closure of each of the three stores coincided with the end of the leasing period. The stores in California have been closed for some time but the full transition was completed recently as TAG fulfilled their four year Lease in Fayetteville. TAG has partnered with local retailers in these markets to offer their products to walk in clients and continues to serve its customer base on the web for all others.

For more information visit www.theoperatorschoice.com

Tags: Tactical Assault Gear
Posted in Admin | Comments Off on TAG; A New Direction

More GPS Software

July 16th, 2009

As a follow up to our recent article on GPS software, one of our readers pointed out that Blackstar Navigation produces a GPS software for the Blackberry. What’s more, it’s free.

Tags: GPS
Posted in Gadgets | Comments Off on More GPS Software