Apr 24, 2010

Surefire Crank EW 10

EW-10
Crank combines compact size and maximum functionality, making it a superb everyday-carry, outdoor, or backup knife. Its compact blade, made from 154 CM stainless steel renowned for holding an edge, has excellent slicing geometry and enough point for good penetration. Sized and sculpted for a secure grip, Crank's aluminum frame features a hexagonal opening that serves as a wrench for 1/2" nuts. Slots in the opening hold various coins for use as a field-expedient flathead screwdriver, and rounding out Crank's functionality is a built-in cord-cutter and a bottle opener. 

Features
  • COMPACT 154 CM STEEL BLADE designed for utility work
  • ALUMINUM FRAME reduces weight
  • MACHINED-IN HEX SLOT serves as light-duty wrench for ½" nuts
  • COIN SLOTS hold coins securely to serve as field-expedient flat-head screwdriver
  • CORD-CUTTER, BOTTLE OPENER built into frame
Specifications

Length Closed 4 .0 inches
Length Open 6 .56 inches
Blade Length 3 .0 inches
Weight 3 .20 ounces

Apr 21, 2010

Making the Army’s First Titanium Machine Gun

First adopted by the Army in 1977 as an armor vehicle mounted secondary weapon system, the M240 7.62mm medium machine gun series has long been a dependable workhorse. After Army and Marine infantry units began employing the M240B in the mid 90s, the popularity of the gun soared as it became known for reliability, durability and low maintenance requirements. Despite its success, however, Soldiers still pointed to the added weight and length of the M240 as compared to its infantry squad predecessor, the M60. This feedback inspired the remedy which has arrived today in the titanium built M240L.

“We’ve taken a great gun and made it better,” said COL Douglas Tamilio, Project Manager (PM) Soldier Weapons for PEO Soldier. “The M240L meets all the standards of the M240B, but in a significantly lighter package. More than ever, we need weapons in the fleet that reduce the burden on our Soldiers who have to operate with heavy loads in extreme terrain.”


Manufacturing a Titanium Gun
The concept for the M240L originated on the drawing boards of PM Soldier Weapons at Picatinny Arsenal and the M240 manufacturer. The organizations collaborated to develop a variant of the M240B that would reduce the weapon’s weight by four to seven pounds without compromising the gun’s operational characteristics and outstanding reliability. To achieve this objective, engineers started evaluating high-performance, lightweight materials and alternative manufacturing methods.
After much research, engineers ultimately settled on using a titanium alloy as the primary metal for the M240L. Known as a “space age” metal, titanium is especially known for having the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. The new titanium parts on the M240L include the receiver body, the front site post, and the carrying handle.
Working with titanium called for adjustments to the manufacturing process. The lighter weight metal takes longer to machine than steel and requires more frequent replacement of tooling bits. Early on, engineers experimented with welding the titanium components together, but ran into warping issues. The final solution rested in using stainless steel rivets, which are more pliable than titanium and resist corrosion when in contact with titanium.
Once assembled, the weapon needed a protective coating to preserve the metal. Steel weapons typically get a phosphate coat and are subsequently oiled, but the titanium receiver required a completely different process.
“Titanium alloys don’t actually rust, they gall, causing the surface to become rough and deformed over time,” explained Thomas Walsh, M240 Product Management Engineer. “To solve this challenge, we researched coatings that could protect the metal under extreme operating temperatures. We found success with a chrome carbo-nitride coating used for industrial, high-heat applications. A ceramic-based top coat is added to complete the process.”
The final product weighs in at just 22.3 pounds, nearly five pounds lighter than the M240B. To those familiar with the M240B, there is hardly a discernible difference in the new gun beyond its lighter weight. The M240L meets all the operational requirements of the original while maintaining the same high standards of reliability and durability.

A New Weapon on the Battlefield
This January, PM Soldier Weapons delivered 50 M240Ls to dismounted Army and SOCOM units for operational assessment. Starting in September, more ground pounders in Airborne, Air Assault, and Special Forces units can look forward to receiving the new guns as production gets underway for the Army’s initial purchase of 4,500 weapons. Early Soldier performance tests indicate that Soldiers will like what they see.
In Aberdeen Proving Ground studies, Soldiers carried the M240L significantly faster than the M240B on the cross country course and turned in improved completion times in obstacle course runs as well. Soldiers also rated the majority of the mobility and user acceptability characteristics for the M240L significantly higher than the M240B.
Future enhancements to the M240L are already underway. This spring, testing will be completed on the short barrel, which will reduce the gun’s overall length by four inches and bring the weapon’s weight down to just 21.8 pounds. In addition, a collapsible buttstock for all M240 series guns will be available by late summer. Finally, an adjustable bipod is in the works.
“As we continue to listen, we continue to learn,” said COL Tamilio. “The titanium M240L represents a leap in weapons technology inspired by Soldier feedback. The lessons learned from this program will undoubtedly benefit future weapons systems that will maintain our continued advantage on the battlefield.”

Apr 20, 2010

Al-Qaeda suicide cat' sends US Iraq war robots out of control

Feline saboteur 'fried everything' at command base

Control over heavily armed US war robots fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan was lost last year after a cat climbed into machinery at an American command base and "fried everything", a US officer has confirmed.

The news comes from Colonel Grant Webb, describing technical problems at Creech Air Force Base outside Las Vegas, Nevada. This is famously the location from which US Air Force "Predator" and "Reaper" robot aircraft are controlled during missions overseas.

It should be noted that when the satellite link to a Predator or Reaper is lost, the roboplane doesn't plunge to Earth or embark on a frenzied orgy of mechanised slaughter or anything. In general the plane simply circles where it is, awaiting further commands.

After power has been restored, operators at Creech can generally relocate the errant wardroid and gain control over it again. There has, however, been at least one case in which a mutinous robot has refused to acknowledge any further orders: on that occasion the rebellious machine was shot down by a manned fighter plane before it could violate the borders of a nearby neutral country.

Although losses of drone control are seldom serious, then, with a Reaper able to carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles (each capable of destroying a tank) such occurrences are scarcely reassuring.

For landing and takeoff the planes are handled by pilots located at the base in question, to reduce latency, but the bulk of each flight is run from the USA.

The US Army, by contrast to the air force, keeps its robocraft controllers in theatre with the other troops. It is also moving to automate landing and takeoff, removing any need for drone operators to be fully-qualified officer pilots. Instead, Army roboplane operators - while highly trained - are less-expensive noncommissioned technical personnel. 


"A cat climbed into one of the electronic nodes and fried everything," the colonel says (skip to about 1:10 seconds in the video above).


Apr 13, 2010

Thodio ABox

The newest addition to the Thodio arsenal, the A-BOX. straight from the army, an original ammobox with a design from the fifties so good its still in use.
The A-BOX is made of 1mm steel plate fortified from the inside with 6mm trespa and made as inert as possible with vibration dampening material to ensure a ridiculously good sound for piece of metal.
Added to that are the high quality insides of its luxurious brother, the iBox, for a crystal clear sound, even at high volumes. the A-BOX comes equipped with an integrated rechargeable battery like you would expect from such an outdoor ready product.
The iPod/mp3 player can be connected on the outside of the A-BOX as well as the inside so you can listen to your tunes while running around with the A-BOX for example or just protecting your iPod from bullets and stuff.

The A-BOX comes in 2 models: the light version with 2 x 25 watts rms amplifier and woven glass fiber speakers (carbon color) this model will cost 350 euros but because of it's introduction the price will be 250 euros (339.00$) temporarily. and the heavy version sporting 2 x 70 watts amplifiers and woven kevlar speakers (the yellow material used in bullet proof vests) this version will be selling for 475 euros normally, now for 350 euros (475.00$) intro price.
Both versions have indication lights in the bass tube which will indicate the status of the battery with white, orange and red colors. the heavy version however has an extra feat, indication lights behind the speakers which will warn against distortion when driven too loud. this gives a funky disco effect when driven slightly too loud.

The A-BOX is not really bulletproof, why should it be? but the speakers are really made of kevlar, just not in the thickness required to protect anything from bullets.
 
 

Apr 12, 2010

Supermandolini Target Poster

It is time for some peace of mind... the protest has just begun and the message is coming through loud and clear.
• approx. 120cm x 65cm
• framed Hahnemühle fine art canvas
• giclée print (340 gsm)
• archival pigment inks
• comes with certificate of authenticity
• limited to 100 prints

Apr 5, 2010

Sniper Shot through Sniper Scope

Very interesting video with Steve Reichert shooting through Sniper Scopes. 

Steve Reichert earned Bronze Star. Read the story and watch the videos HERE


Gunfire vs Military Batteries

A gunshot damage test of traditional military batteries and our zinc-air batteries. Below is the list of the batteries that were used: 
Traditional Military Batteries
BA-5590/U - Lithium Sulfur Dioxide
BB-2590/U - Lithium Ion (rechargeable)
Zinc-Air Batteries
BA-8180/U
BA-8140/U
BA-8140s/U

The weapon that was used to shoot the batteries was an AK-47, 7.62x39mm.
**NOTE: When shooting the zinc-air batteries, multiple shots were done on each battery. The time between the shots was around 5 - 10 seconds. The video has been edited - removing the time gaps between shots.

We also conducted a voltage/duration gunshot test on the BA-8140/U. One shot was fired through one of the panels on the battery, then we monitored how long and how much voltage the battery continued to produce. The output of the BA-8140/U before the shot was 15.00 volts. Once it was shot with 1 round, the voltage dropped to around 11.20 volts and varied between that and 11.40 volts. The battery continued to output that voltage for approximately 38 minutes before it fully expired.

KRUGER DTS 1-8X40

The Next Generation of Tactial Riflescopes...

DTS™ 1-8x40 Dual Tactical Sight
Designed for complex combat situations, this U.S.-made sight is actually two scopes in one compact package. For close combat situations, the sight is a high-resolution 1 MOA dot with a 60 MOA circle reflex sight. A flip of a lever transforms it into a 2-8x40 sniper scope with Mil-dot reticle. All adjustments can be quickly made while looking through the sight, so there is on need to lose sight of a target. A patent-pending "zoom-slider" makes magnification adjustments quick and easy.

Other features include:

* Brightness-controlled "smart" illumination system
* Locking ¼' windage and elevation tactical adjustments
* Fully multicoated optics
* Made in the U.S.A. (manufactured in Oregon from U.S. and imported parts)
* Waterproof, fogproof, nitrogen processed
* Shockproof
* Length < 11.5"



                                                                  

Apr 4, 2010

Gear Sector Mount

A new offset mount from Gear Sector for Surefire Scout is coming soon.

Click pictures to enlarge.

Apr 3, 2010

ENVG Enhanced Night Vision Goggle AN/PSQ 20

Mission
Provides the Soldier with enhanced situational awareness day or night in all weather and degraded battlefield conditions.

The AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) is a helmet-mounted passive device for the individual Soldier that combines scene data from a low-light level sensor and a long-wave infrared sensor into a single, integrated image. The ENVG improves the Soldier’s situational awareness by providing the capability to rapidly detect and recognize man-sized targets while maintaining the ability to see detail and use weapon-mounted aiming lights.


A digital upgrade package for the ENVG will take advantage of image processing techniques to improve image clarity and situational awareness for the Soldier. A digital system will lend itself to the battlefield of the future with the ability to import and export digital files (data/map injection).

The ENVG weighs two pounds, with four AA batteries, and provides target recognition ranges comparable to, or better than, the AN/PVS-14. The ENVG is compatible with the Multifunctional Aiming Lights currently in the Army inventory.

                                                                  

Product Manager Soldier Maneuver Sensors (SMS) provides Soldiers with products for enhanced vision, improved targeting, and greater lethality. Development of the Enhanced Night Vision Google (ENVG) is one example of PEO Soldier’s leadership in this area. The ENVG, initially fielded to units supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in FY09, provides the individual Soldier with enhanced situational awareness day or night in all weather and degraded battlefield conditions. The ENVG is a helmet-mounted passive device that combines scene data from a low-light level sensor and a long wave sensor into a single, integrated image.


Apr 2, 2010

Chinese training Hand Grenade

A new recruit threw a hand grenade to the wall and it bounced back at him. He was saved by his captain who dragged him to safety with just 3.5 seconds before the grenade went off.

ANA soldier wound by 14.5 mm round

This Computerized Axial Tomography Scan shows the placement of a 14.5 millimeter high explosive incendiary round which was removed from the scalp of an Afghan National Army soldier at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 18. 2010. The injury was sustained during an improvised ordinance device attack.

by Staff Sgt. Richard Williams
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs


4/2/2010 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- 
Airmen from the Craig Joint Theater Hospital trauma team here removed an unexploded ordnance from a patient's scalp March 18 here.

The patient, an Afghan National Army soldier, was involved in an improvised explosive device attack and had a 14.5 mm high explosive incendiary round with approximately 5 grams of explosives lodged in his scalp.

"We were informed a few hours ahead of time from the forward operating base at Salerno that we had some patients coming in who were victims of an IED blast," said Maj. John Bini, the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group/Task Force Medical East trauma director.

The initial report stated this particular patient had a metal fragment retained in his head as a result of the blast.

Major Bini, deployed from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, initially assessed the patient in the emergency room trauma bay where he was stabilized and taken for a computed axial tomography scan to assist the medical team in further evaluating his condition.

Once the patient received CAT scans of the head, chest, abdomen and pelvis, the team moved him to the operating room to prepare him for surgery.

Lt. Col. Anthony Terreri, a 455th EMDG/TF MED-E radiologist, viewed images from the CAT scan and didn't initially see anything unexpected for an IED trauma patient. He explained initially patients received a scout scan, which is a snap shot of the whole body. Then a more thorough scan is performed starting at the head, and the radiologist and surgeons review the images to formulate a more thorough diagnosis of injuries and how to proceed with surgical operations.

"Initially I thought it was a spent end of some sort of larger round," said Colonel Terreri, who is also deployed from the Wilford Hall Medical Center.

"I saw that it was not solid metal on the inside," he added. "I then looked at the scout image and could see there was an air gap on one end and what looked almost like the tip of a tube of lipstick at the end and decided this didn't look quite right."

Colonel Terreri, a native of Tonopah, Nev., explained when reviewing scans, the radiologist may come across images that reveal information for which the surgical team must be prepared for, and a unexploded ordnance is one of those cases.

He immediately went to inform the neurosurgeon who had already left to prepare for surgery.

"I went directly to the operating room and evacuated all unnecessary personnel," Major Bini said. "I had the anesthesiologist remain in the room in his Interceptor Body Armor to monitor the patient."

Major Bini then notified his chain of command and the explosives ordnance disposal team and began to secure areas of the hospital to protect patients and staff.

To add another twist to this already intense situation, Major Bini explained there was another surgical team operating on a patient with multiple life threatening injuries in another operating room and they couldn't safely evacuate as the patient was in critical condition.

"It was kind of a case of Murphy's Law coming into play," said Tech. Sgt. William Carter, the 455th EMDG/TF MED-E NCO in charge of central sterile processing and a medical technician deployed from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. "We had an (operating room) full of trauma cases and we had people in other rooms who were busy taking care of patients and it was really an all hands on deck event."

Sergeant Carter explained one of the greatest difficulties the teams in the other operating rooms faced was the ability to pass through the cordoned area to gain lab work and blood products.

"We donned our IBA and made sure the individuals in the other operating room did not have to pass through the area and had everything they needed," he said.

He referred to it as a tag team effort and the team ensured their ultimate goal, which is to save lives, could still be accomplished.

When the explosive ordnance disposal team arrived at the hospital, Major Bini took them to review the CAT scan images. He then proceeded to the operating room, donned his IBA and removed the round from the patient's head.

After the unexploded ordnance was removed from the patient and given to EOD, the areas were reopened to normal operating room traffic. Major Bini turned the operation over to the neurosurgeon and the operating room team to complete the operation.

The procedure from the patient's initial arrival to completion of the neurosurgery took more than five hours, Sergeant Carter said.

The major pointed out that everything that transpired from the surgery to the recovery was a success.

"The patient does have a traumatic brain injury, but his neurologic condition continues to improve on a daily basis," he added.

"You hear about this type of thing on television and read stories about it in the news, but to actually see the way people react in this type of situation is remarkable," said Sergeant Carter, a native of Fort Myers, Fla. "It was a real concentrated effort on everyone's behalf to ensure that we were all safe and the patient was safe as well."

"This is something that I train and teach," added Major Bini, who is the course director for the Air Force Emergency Warfare Course at Wilford Hall. "It is; however, an extremely rare event."

Major Bini pointed out that there have been similar cases where a potential unexploded ordnance had to be removed, but as far as he knew since the beginning of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, this is the first confirmed case and in the past 50 years of modern warfare there have been less than 50 cases of this type.

Although this was a unique situation from even a trauma medicine standpoint, for these professionals it was just another day at the office.

The operating room doctors do not care whether patients are coalition forces, local nationals or U.S. military servicemembers; everyone receives the same level of top notch care, Major Bini said.

"What we did is what we are supposed to do," Sergeant Carter said. "We do this every day. We may not pull a UXO from someone's head but we save lives."

For U.S. military servicemembers who come through their operating room, they have a 100 percent survival-to-discharge rate and for coalition and local patients the rate of survival-to-discharge is 96 percent, according to hospital officials.

"This is what we train to do," Major Bini said. "It is no different than what we do every day. It was something that needed to be done and the team did their job."

Apr 1, 2010

MadBull Ultimate Silicon Oil.


Why to buy MadBull Ultimate Silicon Oil?

Reason one: 
MadBull’s silicon oil is thinner(lighter) than others. 
Thicker silicon is much cheaper than thinner silicon. Thicker oil will attach (sticky) with your gears and will add more friction in between gears.
Reason two:
MadBull’s silicon oil is made in Germany and is selected by our chief engineer.
We will ask our engineers do experiment and will show on youtube.

GRAUER IGRS

Designed to meet the demands of soldiers in real battle situations,
IGRS is a unique magazine grip rail system that serves as a
total weapon enhancement platform for today’s combat rifles.

The Grauer IGRS™ Story
Some of the more significant advancements in today’s warfare did not originate from enormous military R&D efforts, but instead from soldiers making necessary adjustments in the field to achieve and survive their missions.  One example is the popular rail systems currently deployed on many combat rifles. The idea for these rails originated in Vietnam, where soldiers secured flashlights to their weapons using duct tape. 
IGRS perfects the “Magazine Hold”
Grauer observed that many warfighters use their weapons differently in combat than how they were trained - by holding the magazine well with their non-shooting hand.  This “magazine hold” is often preferred even when ARs are equipped with vertical fore-grips.
Warfighters do this, of course, for very intuitive and ergonomic reasons. But grasping the weapon in this manner using current AR configurations has its limitations. The hands are positioned too close together with this hold, which impacts weapon stability. The non-shooting hand also comes into contact with the magazine, which can lead to jams.
Grauer both embraced and improved upon this widely used combat technique by incorporating the MagGrip into IGRS in a way that improves performance while addressing the shortfalls. IGRS maintains all the ergonomics, intuitive nature and tactile feedback of the traditional magazine hold, but spreads hands further apart for better weapon control. This also keeps the shooter’s hands off the magazine, avoiding jams. But Grauer has advanced the design several steps to further improve the overall ergonomics and weapon synergy by integrating the MagGrip into the rail system. 
IGRS improves the “Horizontal Hold”
To effectively stabilize the weapon and control recoil, the predominant force applied by the non-shooting hand must be rearward, pulling the weapon into the shoulder.  By its nature, a magazine hold does this without compromise.  IGRS extends this principle to the traditional “horizontal hold” as well.  Using the bottom of the palm of the non-shooting hand to butt up against the MagGrip provides a superior means to apply a rearward force. This represents a significant improvement over the traditional grasp, which requires the shooter to squeeze tightly with their non-shooting hand to apply the desired rearward force. eliminating the need for the shooter to squeeze with fingers and thumb.  Not only is the IGRS more ergonomic, but it also frees up both the fingers and thumb to activate switches for light and laser.

MadBull XCR Project

No more details for the moment, only: MadBull XCR project is coming in 2010.