SureFire

Mayflower x Hodge Defense Universal Case V2 Available from O P Tactical

September 28th, 2021

O P Tactical Inc is proud to bring back the Mayflower Hodge Defense Universal Case in a new version.

Designed by Hodge Defense, built by Mayflower / Velocity Systems. The goal in creating the Universal Case was to provide a discreet solution to carry a fully assembled rifle or other equipment when an innocuous profile is required for transport or trips where you are a stranger in a strange land. The case was born out of common experiences in less than desirable places, complete collaboration between the three companies’ founders and a desire to create a truly universal utility case capable of fulfilling multiple roles for end-users.

As a weapon case, it can hold a 16” barreled AR-15 or similar platform and perfectly accommodates a 10.5” to 12.5” M4, with suppressor attached. For general transport or range use, one end of the 37” x 10” case can be unzipped to accommodate larger weapons. The exterior flap secures with three low-profile adjustable ITW G-hooks and the case can be carried by the sewn in carry handle or the shoulder strap clipped into one of the five attachment points. The shoulder strap utilizes a single piece of 1.5” webbing and doubles as an improvised weapon sling,

The Universal Case exterior is 1050D Cordura, with 500D internally. A 2” x 8” internal pouch on the right side of the case is capable of holding a suppressor, two M4 magazines, long-range camera lens, cleaning kit, or anything else similar in size. There is an 8” x 11” internal document pocket sewn into the center of the case to stow small items, data books, maps, NFA Trusts, or other documents. Two sewn in Velcro loops secure the main contents and along the inside of the top flap, there is a row of PALS webbing. The length of webbing can be used to secure other ancillary items such as bipods, weapon lights, and secondary optics via the two ITW QASM Picatinny RAMP attachment points included. 1/4” closed cell padding offers protection and structure without adding excessive bulk.

The design of the end flaps and the geometry used for the heavy-duty, locking zippers, enables the Universal Case to unzip and convert into a 31” x 37” workstation for extended urban observation operations or range use. In addition to its suitability for common uses, the nondescript design lends itself to transport of many other items without outwardly giving away its contents. Because a hard-sided case is not always practical, the Universal Case is an ideal solution for use in low-visibility SOF or LE operations when transporting elongated items like weapons, collapsible breaching tools, tripods, communications antennas, tripods or lightweight medical litters such as the Matbock S-Lift with Combat Carbon Fiber Poles.

What is the difference between V1 and V2?

With the growing popularity of LPVOs among end users, OPT had Mayflower add a middle strap to the bag, due to billowing created by the larger optics.

As of this posting there will be only one run of these bags.

Made in the USA

www.optactical.com/mahodeunca

Introducing the New K Series of Kilo Rangefinders from SIG SAUER

September 28th, 2021

The new KILO10K-ABS HD 10×42 mm laser rangefinding binocular and KILO8K-ABS 7×25 mm laser rangefinding monocular, both with BDX 2.0, are the latest in the new K series of KILO rangefinders.

The KILO10K-ABS HD has a maximum reflective range of 10,000 yards while the KILO8K-ABS has a maximum reflective range of 8,000 yards. Both include Applied Ballistics Elite (BDX Elite) along with onboard environmental sensors and a digital compass as well as support for BDX External (BDX-X) for connecting to external devices such as Kestrel and Garmin device. In addition, they integrate with BaseMap to provide remote waypoints on ranged targets and can be fully configured with the SIG SAUER BDX App.

The new Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting graphic display provides all relevant ballistic information such as range to target, elevation holdover, wind hold, energy on target and velocity at target distance.

KILO8K is shipping now. KILO10K will be shipping in late November.

USSOCOM Publishes Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan

September 28th, 2021

About once a decade the call goes out to “diversify” America’s Special Operations Forces. Each time, a study is completed and it turns out that not enough minorities are volunteering for the various training pipelines associated with SOF. Various “fixes” are proposed and invariably fail.

Regardless, SOF is more diverse today than it was just even a few years ago, as more jobs have been opened to female service members. As big as the personnel numbers look (over 70,000 at last count), the enablers in the command are far greater in number and diversity than their operations counterparts. However, few of them spend a career in SOF as they are assigned and promoted by their parent services. Looking out for their careers is hardly the purview of SOCOM. Obviously, this is a double-edged sword for SOF leaders. The operations side of the command isn’t diverse due to lack of interest and the enabler side is diverse but isn’t the primary mission of the organization, leading to support troops often feeling like “second class citizens.”

While efforts should be made to interest a wider audience in service in special operations, abandoning standards for quotas will eventually result in mission failure. As the nation’s political leadership continues to rely upon its special operators to accomplish missions of national importance, failure is not an option. 

While the plan doesn’t call directly for quotas, the words used by bureaucrats are there to justify their agenda of mediocrity. The tip of the spear must be free of political interference. 

The plan is available for download here

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TMS Tuesday – New Task Trainer: The Tourniquet Task Trainer Arm

September 28th, 2021

The new Tourniquet Task Trainer Arm is a rugged, hyper-realistic hemorrhage control training solution designed for teaching proper tourniquet application both in the classroom and in field scenarios. Its unmatched lifelike design looks identical to human tissue, and the arm is durable with self-healing properties to withstand repeated use.

Its features include:

1. Lifelike Detail

From a distance and close-up, the hyper-realistic arm looks exactly like a real human extremity – from its skin texture to the lines in the palm to how the structure reacts during tourniquet application.

2. Full Arm Design

The full-length arm trainer is modeled off a 6’2” male for optimal hands-on training to develop muscle memory.

3. Integrated Wound

The gunshot entry wound site can bleed using the integrated vessel system for increased realism and demonstrating proper tourniquet application to stem severe bleeding in upper extremities.

4. Self-Healing Skin

In addition to its high-strength materials, the device’s skin features self-healing properties to increase the product’s life for repeated use by trainees in numerous courses.

For more information, check out tacmedsolutions.com/products/tourniquet-task-trainer-arm

Army EOD Soldiers First to Field Test Unmanned Aerial System

September 28th, 2021

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from the 707th Ordnance Company (EOD) were among the first U.S. Army EOD Soldiers to conduct field testing with the Skyraider Unmanned Aerial System.

EOD Soldiers from the company put the UAS through its paces from a village in Training Area 4 on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Aug. 23 – Sept. 2.

According to Capt. William R. Hartman, the commander of the 707th EOD Company, the UAS provided greater visibility of the heavily forested training area.

“They can mostly be used for reconnaissance of terrain and to identify possible explosive hazards,” said Hartman, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, who has deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

Hartman said the UAS was also used to deploy lightweight robots called Throwbots that helped his EOD Soldiers to identify hazards in less accessible areas and structures.

The 707th EOD Company is part of the 3rd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command. Based 19 installations in 16 states, 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the Army’s EOD and CBRN units, as well as the CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, 1st Area Medical Laboratory, Nuclear Disablement Teams and Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams.

Soldiers and civilians from the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered command work with joint, interagency and allied partners to defeat CBRNE threats around the world. Since 2003, 20th CBRNE Command EOD Soldiers have partnered with U.S. Navy EOD technicians to disable hundreds of thousands of improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hartman said the highlight of the fielding was connecting Light Detection and Ranging or LDIR technology to the UAS system and using it to map terrain.

The EOD company commander said the UAS could be a great use in a combat zone.

“We could definitely benefit from its capabilities in that environment,” said Hartman.

By Walter Ham

Aptima Receives USSOCOM Contract for Holistic Sleep Optimization and Remediation Platform

September 27th, 2021

RESTORE aims to enhance a warfighter’s ability to achieve the restorative effects of sleep through innovative restoration technologies and personalized regimens.

July 28th, 2021—Woburn, MA— Aptima, Inc. announced today that it has received a contract valued at up to $1.29 million from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), to develop RESTORE: Restorative & Efficient Sleep Technologies for Optimizing Operator Resiliency and Effectiveness, a holistic sleep optimization and remediation platform.

About one-third of a human being’s life is spent sleeping, the need for sleep is an undeniable biological imperative, however, methods for reducing amounts of sleep without long-term negative effects remain elusive.


Sleep issues are prevalent across all the Services, including USSOCOM

Adults need at least six, ideally seven to nine, hours of sleep within a 24-hour period to perform at peak efficiency. Military operations, particularly in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) domain, are unpredictable and do not lend themselves to a tidy 24-hour period. Furthermore, sleep issues can persist after returning home from overseas combat or training deployments, for both SOF and non-SOF personnel.

Aptima and partners at West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Oura Health Ltd., and Fusion Sport, will develop a holistic sleep optimization and remediation platform that will provide restorative sleep solutions throughout an operator’s entire deployment cycle, through training, recovery, and deployment. RESTORE leverages existing technologies that can optimize or remedy sleep in controlled settings, narrowed down to the three most


Data sources utilized in RESTORE’s personalized sleep recommendation system

effective and practical technologies: the enhancement of slow-wave sleep activity via auditory stimulation, photobiomodulation (PBMT) therapy, and floatation therapy. The platform packages these technologies so that they can be used when they are needed most. RESTORE employs a cyclical sense-assess-augment taxonomy for optimizing human effectiveness. The first sense component of the RESTORE platform is a measurement strategy that collects data on current sleep patterns, including objective measurement techniques such as polysomnography (PSG) for laboratory studies, wearable commercial sleep monitors for applied applications, and subjective measures such as sleep scales and other smartwatch-based survey methods.

The platform intelligently and securely fuses human state assessment data with  enviornmental factors to get a complete picture of the user’s sleep and subsequently deliver tailored sleep recommendations via personalized sleep regimens and cutting-edge, empirically validated technological interventions.

Despite RESTORE being developed to address military needs, Aptima’s Business Development team sees a great deal of potential for RESTORE to address the needs of a wide array of consumers in commercial markets who are prone to sleep disruptions such as collegiate/professional athletics, business travelers, on-call physicians, parents of newborns, etc.…

This article reflects work performed on a SBIR Phase II project entitled, “RESTORE II: Restorative & Efficient Sleep Technologies for Optimizing Operator Resiliency and Effectiveness”, sponsored by the USSOCOM, Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Science and Technology Directorate, whom the authors wish to thank.

For more information about RESTORE, please contact aptima_info@aptima.com.

SOFWERX – Unattended Maritime Systems Optical Subsystems Assessment Event

September 27th, 2021

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM PEO Special Reconnaissance (PEO-SR) Program Management (PM) Office Technical Collection & Communications (TCC), will host an Assessment Event (AE) on 8 November, 2021, to identify technologies and techniques for Unattended Maritime Systems (UMS), in particular the SV-3 Wave Glider. The prototype optical subsystem will be integrated onto the SV-3 in time for a demonstration at a test event in July 2022.

Submit NLT 18 October 11:59 PM ET with details at events.sofwerx.org/ums.

Kitanica Bag Lab – Squadron 40L Duffel

September 27th, 2021

Features:
• Wide access main compartment opening with No.10 YKK zipper
• “Boot Barn” expandable compartment for dirty clothes/boots
• Exterior access pockets
• Stowable shoulder straps with spacer mesh and sternum strap.  Top mounted straps so clean side of duffel wears on your back.  Straps can be used for pack style carry or a singe strap can be attached for over-the-shoulder or sling carry
• Four 3X thickness webbing handles for multiple carry options
• Geometric design allows for multiple Squadron 40L’s to stack neatly
• 3 interior mesh organizer compartments
• Closed cell foam bottom insert for shape and protection

Made from 1000D Cordura Shell with 210D Lining and offered in Black or Ranger Green.

Made in Vietnam.

kitanica.com/collections/bags/products/squadron-40l-duffel