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Land Forces 22 – Wraith Multi Spectral Combat Uniform

October 6th, 2022

The Wraith Multi Spectral Combat Uniform was developed with the cooperation of Australian Defence Apparel (manufacturer), FibroTex Technologies (material provider) and Spearpoint (design) to create a uniquely Australian camouflage system to replace standard combat uniforms and introduce true Multi Spectral concealment to the individual Soldier.

Spearpoint has represented Israel’s FibroTex in Australia and New Zealand since 2019. FibroTex manufactures the US Army’s Ultra Lightweight Camouflage Net System (ULCANS) as well as the Marine Corps’ NOA personal modular camouflage system which can be seen on the mannequin on the right and on top of the Catoma Wolverine individual shelter.

The Wraith pictures below is worn in lieu of a combat uniform and in conjunction with base layers, generally FR. The material is breathable and offers multi spectral concealment. However, the Soldier can use vision augmentation system to see out of the suit, even when the face is covered. This point is critical as a great deal of thermal exchange takes place in the facial area, often leading to detection even when the rest of the body is well camouflaged.

Individual equipment is intended to be worn under this oversuit design. As you can see, they have integrated access to equipment.

The Wraith is reversible and the visual camouflage patterns can be specified by the user such as Woodland/Alpine or Desert/Urban.

Additionally, the team has developed an Australian version of the famed Israeli Mitznefet Multi Spectral Helmet Cover System called Mulgara Helmet Cover System (HCS), which uses the latest multispectral material, adds neck flaps, and breaks up the unique profile of the helmet.

While the Wraith system was designed with the Australian Digger in mind, it can be adopted by any friendly foreign military force. Spearpoint intend to set up a Sovereign manufacturing capability in Australia to meet Australian and regional requirements. This will provide Australia with the ability to further develop patterns, capabilities and systems specifically for the ADF requirements. This will include personal, small team, mobile, modular and static systems.

Posted in Camo, International | 1 Comment »

Land Forces 22 – Ghost Robotics

October 6th, 2022

Ghost Robotics‘ Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicles are making a great showing in the Australian Defence Force stand, conducting demos of their capabilities. Available in Australia from Omega Dev Group, ADF currently has two dogs they are using to shape their ground robotics requirements under the Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office (RICO).

Posted in International, Robotics, Tradeshow | 1 Comment »

Land Forces 22 – Papua New Guinea Clothing and Individual Equipment

October 6th, 2022

Provided via the Defense Cooperation Program, Platatac manufactures clothing and individual equipment for the Papua New Guinea Defense Force. Platatac also produce all of the fabrics for this program including the webbing. The pattern is Kumul which is a derivative of DPM with an added shade of green. The uniforms are 50/50 NYCO and load carriage is 1000D Cordura.

Kurtz Shirt

Willard Trouser

MDAM Armor Carrier with mag placard and zip-on assault pack which also fits to the Belt Order

PK JW Chest Rig

Belt Order

LRR Long Range Reconnaissance Pack which fits on OEM frames

SPUR Tropical Pack

Finally, there is a PK V Chest Rig which is currently not part of the contract.

Posted in Advertiser, International, Load Carrying, Tradeshow | 5 Comments »

Land Forces 22 – More Weapons from Thales

October 6th, 2022

In addition to the 6.8×51 prototypes we showcased the other day, Thales Australia the manufacturer of the currently issued EF88 are displaying a couple of other rifles under the Lithgow Arms mark. Lithgow Small Arms Factory has provided Australian built weapons to the ADF for over a century.

First is the F90 PDW variant with suppressor under the handguard.

Next up is a Stoner pattern carbine in 5.56mm and .300 BLK designed in the event the ADF decides at some point to adopt this type of rifle, or alternatively for export.

Here is a look at Serial Number 001.

Posted in International, Tradeshow, weapons | 2 Comments »

Air Force Releases the ‘Purple Book’

October 6th, 2022

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

The Air Force added another guide, titled The Joint Team, or the “Purple Book,” to its arsenal of foundational documents dedicated to developing Total Force Airmen.

The “Purple Book” educates Airmen on how airpower fits into the Joint Force construct and identifies the joint doctrine, values, capabilities, and warfighting concepts that capture how the Air Force effectively partners with other services to protect America’s interests across the globe.

“Today, we find ourselves in an era of strategic competition against adversaries who seek to outpace and eventually overtake us,” said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass. “Every Airman must know what is at stake and understand the critical importance of synchronizing our capabilities with our joint partners to amplify our collective strength and power.”

The new book provides a baseline for understanding the value each service contributes to the Joint Force and outlines the essential framework to work with other branches to compete, deter, and win the high-end fight.

The new “Purple Book” explains all service members are part of a Profession of Arms. This holds them to a strong set of Joint Core Values and supports a foundational strategy to defeat any threat, anytime and anywhere.

Additionally, it clarifies the fundamental questions all Airmen must answer: “How do I fit into the Joint Force;” and “How can I ensure I hone and deliver my unique capabilities to assure its success?” This guide helps Airmen internalize what it means to fight jointly, understand the missions of the joint force, appreciate the joint organizations that are leading the fight, comprehend how to integrate into a joint warfighting environment, and identify how the Air Force fits into the joint construct.

“Airmen of tomorrow will be required to collaborate and communicate with our joint teammates to win in future complex and contested environments,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. “We owe our Airmen a solid foundation on jointness much earlier in their careers.”

Developing and updating these guides was part of the 28 Enlisted Force Development Action Plan objectives focused on developing the future enlisted force. The new “Purple Book” can be found here. The revised “Brown Book” can be found here. The revised “Blue Book” can be found here.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | Comments Off on Air Force Releases the ‘Purple Book’

Join TenCate Protective Fabrics for Happy Hour at AUSA 2022

October 5th, 2022

Heading to AUSA? Join TenCate Protective Fabrics for Happy Hour at their booth (#2611) beginning at 3pm on Monday, October 10th for an afternoon of good drinks and great friends. During that time, TenCate Protective Fabrics will be giving out Free Anchor Lite™ T-Shirts (Booth #2611 *while supplies last).

Checkout TenCate Protective Fabrics at booth #2611 to see their full lineup of innovative fabrics designed to keep you comfortable and protected in the field and on the job.

Posted in AUSA, Guest Post | Comments Off on Join TenCate Protective Fabrics for Happy Hour at AUSA 2022

Persistent Systems to Unveil Next-Generation ISR at AUSA

October 5th, 2022

Solution offers seamless, bidirectional, air-ground video connection without cumbersome receivers

Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”), a leader in mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) technology, will demonstrate for the first time its Cloud Relay™-powered Next-Generation ISR concept at the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) 2022 Annual Meeting and Exposition, held October 10-12, in Washington, D.C.

Leveraging Persistent’s Cloud Relay™ solution, which extends the company’s powerful Wave Relay® mobile ad hoc network to beyond line of sight (4G/LTE, SATCOM, or standard Internet), Next-Generation ISR offers warfighters a seamless, persistent, bidirectional air-ground video connectivity that greatly speeds up the tempo of operations.

“Currently, troops on the ground are passive recipients of airborne video,” says Christopher Knapp, Director of Business Development at Persistent Systems. “They rely on cumbersome receiver hardware to get video, and even then, the operator with the gear has to be out in the open to watch the feed. All this slows downs operations.”

But with Next-Generation ISR, Persistent has reimagined air-ground video transmission for the networked battlefield.

Now video can be instantly accessible to warfighters, whether they are operating near an aircraft—or at an operations center half-way around the world. Next-Generation ISR also reduces the cognitive load on the soldier and makes mission-critical information available to the entire team.

“When we click on a video on our smartphones, it immediately starts playing. We don’t think about whether we are on Wi-Fi or 5G. With Next-Generation ISR, soldiers can now realize this same convenience on the battlefield,” said Knapp.

By utilizing the Wave Relay® and Cloud Relay™ networks for video transmission, Next-Generation ISR eliminates the need for special receiver equipment. Now a soldier’s MPU5 networking radio is enough. This change both reduces weight and increases capability. Indeed, dismounted users can also talk directly with the sensor operator and control the camera on the aircraft.

“In building this capability, we’ve collaborated with aircraft camera manufacturers to ensure that the dismounted warfighter can control their cameras,” Knapp said. “We’ve also collaborated with the TAK Product Center to ensure that the feeds and camera control information is auto-discovered in TAK. This is really an industry-wide initiative.”

Persistent Systems will be demonstrating its Next-Generation ISR capability during the upcoming AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, at the company’s exhibitor booth (#4552), at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C. Visitors will get to see how a user of Persistent’s Wave Relay®-powered MANET with Cloud Relay™ can receive video and control cameras from anywhere in the world.

For more information about Persistent’s solutions, visit our website: www.persistentsystems.com.

Posted in AUSA, ISR, Press Release | Comments Off on Persistent Systems to Unveil Next-Generation ISR at AUSA

DroneShield Announces $1.8 Million U.S. Department of Defense Contract

October 5th, 2022

DroneShield is pleased to advise that it has received an $1.8 million contract for its DroneGun MKIII handheld counterdrone system from the United States Department of Defense (DoD).

Delivery will be completed this month, with full payment due to be received in the current quarter.

This follows a previous down selection of DroneGun MKIII for evaluation by the DoD’s Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO).

“It’s an honor to provide our DoD customers with advanced cUAS solutions to help address complex security requirements,” said Tom Branstetter, DroneShield’s Virginia-based Director of Business Development. “DroneShield is committed to delivering critical Force Protection technology that enables security personnel to rapidly respond to this growing threat,” Branstetter added.

Matt McCrann, U.S. CEO of DroneShield added, “As the threat of UAS continues to seemingly adapt in real-time, countermeasures need to be both effective and flexible.”

“DroneGun MKIII is that lightweight, flexible countermeasure that can go anywhere and serve as the ideal gap fill capability to protect personnel and assets wherever they might need to operate. We look forward to continuing to support our DoD end users wherever, whenever needed.”

This contract is the largest US sale by DroneShield to date, and follows several recently announced contracts by DroneShield, including the $2 million European sale of DroneSentry fixed site systems and the initial US airport deployment. The Company is also progressing active discussions on sales to Ukraine, following the initial deployment at the start of the war earlier this year.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on DroneShield Announces $1.8 Million U.S. Department of Defense Contract