BLACKHAWK Dynamic Entry Mini Deployment Kit

Portable, easily stored and quick to put into action, the Mini Deployment Kit is the law enforcement officer’s solution to active shooter callouts. The specially designed entry tools are lightweight, portable and feature handle systems that are electrically nonconductive to 100,000 volts AC. The kit comes with BLACKHAWK!’s Mini BoltMaster™, Micro Thundersledge™ and Mini Breacher™.

BLACKHAWK® Dynamic Entry® now offers the Mini Deployment Kit. This compact and portable entry kit was created based on the unique demands patrol and tactical entry officers face today—including ever-increasing active shooter callouts.

Fast, Effective Entry
The Mini Deployment Kit™ consists of the Mini Deployment Bag™ with individual tool compartments for reduced noise signature and a secure carry of the Mini BoltMaster™, Mini Breacher™ and the Micro ThunderSledge™ entry tools.

The Mini Boltmaster is a compact and durable boltcutter featuring heat-treated cutting jaws with a 3/8” opening and a tension adjustment for fine tuning. The Mini Breacher gets teams in fast with its tempered, stainless steel wedge. Counter-angled friction ridges grip breaching surfaces securely and provide stability. It weighs less than five pounds and is just over a foot long—perfect for close-quarter situations.

The Micro ThunderSledge gives operators an effective tool that is compact and versatile. Its sure-grip handle system and lightweight design (4.6 lbs) make it an integral tool in any breaching kit.

Secure Carry
The Mini Deployment Bag can be worn over the shoulder and secured by thigh straps for added stability during extreme body movements. The shoulder strap has quick-release buckles for an immediate dumping of the kit if necessary. All three tools feature handle systems that are electrically nonconductive to 100,000 volts AC.

The BLACKHAWK Dynamic Entry Mini Deployment Kit can be easily stored in the trunk of a patrol or rescue vehicle and accessed quickly and easily when needed. The Mini Deployment Kit has a MSRP of $499.99.

About BLACKHAWK!
BLACKHAWK! was founded in 1993 by former U.S. Navy SEAL Mike Noell and is a leading US manufacturer of tactical, military, shooting sports and law enforcement equipment. BLACKHAWK! manufactures tactical gear, body armor, law enforcement duty gear, holsters, hydration systems, protective gloves and gear, apparel and footwear, knives, illumination tools, breaching tools, hunting gear and recoil reducing stocks. BLACKHAWK! is now part of ATK Security and Sporting and is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, with US manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Montana and Idaho. For more information on BLACKHAWK! and BLACKHAWK! products, log on to BLACKHAWK.com

About ATK Security and Sporting
ATK Security and Sporting, headquartered in Anoka, MN, is a leading technology developer and supplier of ammunition for law enforcement, military and sporting applications; a manufacturer of optics, reloading gear and sport shooting accessories; and a leading producer of tactical accessories. The company serves sport shooting enthusiasts, law enforcement professionals, military and tactical markets worldwide. The group’s products include some of the most widely known and respected brands in the industry, including Federal Premium, CCI, Speer, RCBS, Alliant Powder, Champion, Weaver, Eagle Industries, and BLACKHAWK!

About ATK
ATK is a global aerospace and defense company with operations in 24 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues in excess of $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Americans Buy a Close to 1 Million Guns in February 2011

NEWTOWN, Conn --(Ammoland.com)- The February 2011 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 963,746 is an increase of 13.6 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 848,036 from February 2010.

For comparison, the unadjusted February 2011 NICS figure of 1,463,138 is an increase of 18.2 percent over the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,237,617 from February 2010.

The adjusted NICS data was derived by NSSF by subtracting out all NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Kentucky, Iowa and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.

While not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provides a more accurate picture of current market conditions. Questions concerning NSSF-adjusted NICS data should be directed to NSSF research at 203-426-1320 or research@nssf.org.

In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearm sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns.

Additional information on NICS and a complete set of current monthly NICS reports are available online. NSSF members may access historical monthly NICS reports in the log-in members section of nssf.org.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

West Point Class of 2014 Cadets conduct research on own sleep habits

Photo credit West Point courtesy graphic
The graphic represents a typical cadet sleep pattern derived from the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool software. Note that the previous night's sleep has a major impact on the next day's cognitive abilities. By Friday, this cadet is operating just below 75 percent effectiveness. It is also worth noting that trying to 'catch up on sleep' takes multiple nights.

WEST POINT, N.Y., March 9, 2011 -- In the typical university psychology course, undergraduates are in the receive mode. In classrooms built to hold 200 students, an instructor lectures and the students take notes. Periodic exams help determine how much information a student retains.

West Point psychology classes are dramatically different. Eighteen students study information in the text nightly and the next day they apply what they learned to hypothetical leadership problems generated by their combat-experienced instructors. While this method of learning sounds intense and daunting, it is not new. It's know as the Thayer Method, which was brought to the academy in 1802 by Superintendent Sylvanus Thayer.

What is new are the projects and research.

"Every freshman cadet will participate in and complete a research project before moving on to their sophomore year," General Psychology Course Director Col. Diane Ryan said. "We consider research projects essential to the development of a creative problem-solver who can lead on today's battlefield."
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Gen. Martin Dempsey, Training and Doctrine Commander, have told West Point leadership that the Army needs leaders who are adaptive, can understand new environments and can generate new approaches. Research is all about questioning the validity of information and testing new ideas.
For freshmen, the projects do require some tailoring.
"We developed the Self-Referent Sleep Study because the cadets have access to the data, already have some preconceived notions and the results and learning are critical to leading a platoon during a highly stressful deployment," psychology instructor Maj. Dan Hall said. "The cadets track both the amount of sleep they get over a 10-day period and how that sleep schedule potentially impacts their performance (e.g., learning and retention of academic material).
"They use the knowledge they've gained on the effects of sleep to design an 'ideal' rest schedule, which they then implement into their daily routine for the remainder of the semester. They write a detailed report on how increased sleep helped enhance their overall academic, physical and military performances," Hall continued.

The cadets are given access to sleep data analysis software called the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool. Users simply input the amount of sleep received on a daily basis and the software provides them with predicted cognitive capability percentages that are correlated with blood alcohol content equivalencies.
"Prior to beginning this project, I knew that I didn't get enough sleep. It wasn't until after analyzing the resulting FAST data that I realized the full ramifications of my lack of sleep," Plebe Jacob Cook said.
"This was a very cool project," Cook said. "During the work week I typically slept around four hours a night. I knew that I was more tired and often had trouble focusing. One reason for my lack of sleep is time management. Another reason for my lack of restful sleep is that the conditions in which I was sleeping are still unfamiliar."
"I am on top of a bunk bed for the first time, and sometimes wonder if I might fall off in my sleep. I also think a lot about the next day's issues when I get in bed so when I did finally get to sleep, I did not sleep well," Cook explained.
"My solution was to increase my caffeine intake to counteract my fatigue. On the surface, I felt more alert after drinking caffeinated beverages," Cook continued. "This dependence on a substance, though, is not something I'd like to continue on a regular basis. The most shocking thing I learned was that I was operating at around 75 percent for most of my work week and on two notable occasions dropped below 60 percent effectiveness."

"The first was due to an extreme case of me only getting one point five hours of sleep because of stress and a combination of other factors, and the second was the result of three to four days of restless sleep combined with not enough sleep. On the weekends, I tried to make up for lost sleep, but it seems as if this strategy is less effective than I had anticipated,"
"The projects compare themselves to prior research on cadets conducted by the Naval Post Graduate School," Assistant Dean for Academic Assessment Tim Judd said. "That research found that many cadets were significantly sleep deprived. Interestingly, they also found that the most successful cadets were 'early birds.' Early birds go to sleep before 10 p.m. but wake up much earlier than the rest of the Corps to study and do homework. The least successful cadets tended to be night owls. Night owls wait until late in the evening to do their work."
Lt. Col. Carl Ohlson, director of the Center of Enhanced Performance, likes the content of this self-study.
"We work with cadets seeking to improve themselves and develop their own potential," Ohlson said. "When the cadets have data about their sleep habits, they can better form a plan to manage themselves and their work."
"Ultimately, these cadets are studying a complex environment and themselves, generating hypothesis and testing outcomes," Ryan said. "These are the skills that will develop into the adaptive leaders of the future."

U.S. Air Force launches mysterious X-37B robotic plane.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle waits in the encapsulation cell of the Evolved Expendable Launch vehicle. Image: Reuters.

The U.S. Air Force’s second mysterious robotic mini spacecraft, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, blasted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying classified payload. Soon after the launch a media blackout shrouded the mission in secrecy, fueling speculation about its possible military purposes.

The Air Force has said the unmanned mission is intended to test out new spacecraft technologies. The launch of a second secret space mission in two years has given room for renewed space weaponry rumors though the Air force says the mission is only about testing out hardware for future space shuttles.

“Partly as a result of the secrecy, some concern has been raised — particularly by Russia and China — that the X-37B is a space weapon of some sort,” according to space.com.

The spacecraft, which was built by Boeing for the U.S. military, looks like a NASA space shuttle and has a “payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.”

The U.S. Air Force had launched the unmanned X-37B spacecraft in April last year. It was never fully explained if it was entirely a military project though Air Force officials did make a mention of the ‘warfighter needs’. “If these technologies on the vehicle prove to be as good as we estimate, it will make our access to space more responsive, perhaps cheaper, and push us in the vector toward being able to react to warfighter needs more quickly,” an Air Force statement said at that time.

Source: Jijo Jacob for uk.ibtimes.com.

KQ-X Global Hawk First High Altitude Wake Survey Flight

Northrop Grumman Corporation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center took a major step toward demonstrating autonomous aerial refueling between two unmanned, high altitude aircraft, an operation never before performed. In a key risk reduction flight test, Northrop Grumman's Proteus test aircraft and a NASA Global Hawk flew as close as 40 feet apart at an altitude of 45,000 feet, an industry-setting record.

Lightfield's NEW line of Home Defender Rounds

Lightfield Ammunition now offers a full line of .410, 20ga and 12ga Home Defense ammunition. The ‘Home Defender’ line features several of our patented rubber projectiles. These products offer homeowners many new options for Home Defense at an affordable price. 

Website at Lightfieldslugs.com.

Stryker unit conducts live fire exercise in South Korea.

Photo credit Cpl. Hong Yoon-ki, Eighth Army Public Affairs
U.S. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team dismount their Stryker following live fire training March 7 on Nightmare Range, South Korea.

NIGHTMARE RANGE, South Korea - A U.S. Army Stryker unit engaged and destroyed targets here at this South Korean live fire range March 7 during Exercise Foal Eagle.

The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based 2nd Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team dispatched their targets with heavy vehicle-based machine guns and small arms fire in mounted and dismounted infantry operations.
Agile, mobile and lethal, the Stryker is the centerpiece of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, a multi-mission medium weight unit that complements the U.S. Army's heavy and light combat forces.
Named after Pfc. Stuart S. Stryker and Spc. 4 Robert F. Stryker who both posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions in World War II and Vietnam, respectively, the Stryker can be airlifted to any conflict, crisis or contingency on short notice.

The Fort Lewis-based 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division was the first Stryker Brigade Combat Team formed.
"They [Stryker Brigade Combat Teams] have a whole array of mission areas that they look at that they are ready to reinforce," said Col. Ross E. Davidson Jr., commander of the South Korea-based 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
Tested in combat in Iraq, the Stryker unit also proved its mettle during the training exercise in the blustery and rugged terrain near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Sgt. Bryson Hounschell, a 2-3rd Infantry Stryker vehicle commander from Stark City, Mo., said the exercise gave his team the chance to train in a different environment.

"This is very different from Iraq," said Hounschell who returned from a deployment there last October. "We're training for a different kind of fight here."
Held around the same time every year since 1961, Foal Eagle is a defensive field exercise. Exercise Key Resolve, an annual Korean Peninsula-wide command post exercise, occurs at the same time.
Col. Bob McAleer, chief of Training, Exercises and Readiness for U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, said the threat posed by North Korea requires ROK-U.S. Alliance forces to hold exercises like Key Resolve and Foal Eagle.

"We necessarily must have our plans, equipment and training level at a very high state," said McAller, who commanded a Stryker battalion in Iraq. "In Foal Eagle, we exercise the ability of U.S. forces to come from off the peninsula, primarily from the United States, to deploy here to Korea and then integrate with the ROK [Republic of Korea] and ensure that we are interoperable with the ROK military."
McAleer said several combat units from all four services are deploying for Key Resolve 2011 and training together with the ROK military until the exercise wraps up in late April.
"We have to maintain what we call a 'fight tonight' readiness," said McAleer. "We know that with the forces we have, especially because we're technologically superior, that we would prevail if they were to attack us."

Source

Magpul MBUS Gen II

Compatible with all Milspec 1913 Picatinny rails, MBUS2 features a slimmer profile for increased optics compatibility and a positive detent to securely lock the front sight post in place. Lightweight reinforced polymer construction keeps added ounces to a minimum, while the spring loaded folding design ensures that the MBUS2 will stay out of the way until you need it. All mounting hardware included. MBUS2 Front includes sight post adjustment tool.

NOTE: Front MBUS2 is not compatible with railed gas blocks.

New T-11 Parachutes for US Army Paratroopers

The US military is to gain new parachutes through a multi-million dollar order placed with UK defence/aerospace firm BAE Systems.

The contract will see BAE Systems supply it with T-11 Personnel Parachute Systems for use by US Army paratroops on air-drop missions and operations. It follows an earlier order, placed in late 2009, and – combined – the deals have a value of around $13.7m.

As a result, new parachute systems will be supplied on a rolling basis from now until November this year.

T-11 Parachute System

The T-11 parachute system is the follow-up to the T-10 design, use of which within the US military dates back to the 1950s. Compared to the earlier system, the T-11 offers a range of design improvements and safety boosts. 

The parachute canopy itself is a brand new design. It’s a different shape, to begin with – it’s square, not round. When expanded, it comes in at 28 per cent larger than the T-10’s canopy. On average, it provides a descent rate of 5.8 metres a second – slower than the T-10’s 7.3 metres per second. This acts as a safety feature, reducing injuries caused when soldiers hit the ground at too high a velocity. 

Together, the canopy and the harness, through which it’s attached to the body, have a weight of 17 kilograms. 

US Army Paratroopers

US Army paratroopers can, therefore, jump with weightier payloads, which could give them a battlefield edge. “Our airborne troops using the T-11 Parachute are equipped with a system that provides superior safety and reliability while improving mission readiness”, BAE Systems’ Individual Protection Systems Director of Warfighter Equipment Programs, Greg Kraak, commented in a company press release issued at the start of March 2011. “The improved harness system and slower rate of descent reduces the risk of injury, and the redesigned canopy provides the advantage of carrying more combat equipment.”As the T-11 enters service, the T-10 parachute design is now being gradually phased out. Paratroopers serve across all strands of the US military. Use of parachutes within a military context dates back to the start of WW2 and, from that point on, airborne forces became a significant component of major combat engagements.

Shadow RQ7B defies gravity with success

Photo Credit: Army Photo . Soldiers in Iraq prepare RQ-7B Shadow 200 for launch from a trailer-mounted pneumatic catapult. The "R" is the Department of Defense designation for reconnaissance while "Q" means unmanned aircraft system, "7" refers to it being the seventh of a series of purpose-built unmanned reconnaissance aircraft systems and "B" represents improvements over the previous A model.

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- An unmanned aircraft system in the Army's fleet today is defying gravity, soaring ever higher in performance and zooming down on cost.

And, in a budget-conscious Department of Defense, exceeding performance and cost goals are enough to make the RQ-7B Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle a target for recognition.
Such was the case last fall when Shadow won the prestigious Performance-Based Logistics Award from the Secretary of Defense. According to the award nomination package, the Shadow PBL contract achieved exceptionally high readiness with the system, while simultaneously reducing its costs and improving its reliability.
But such recognition doesn't mean the Shadow is coasting on its merits. Rather, its government-contractor team is honed in on even better performance and cost savings.
"We've taken cost very seriously and we've indoctrinated a lot of things into Shadow to bring those costs down. We've also decreased incident rates," Todd Smith, deputy product manager for Shadow, said of the 43 Redstone Arsenal-based employees whose work is centered on product development, sustainment, cost, scheduling, performance and other life cycle management issues pertaining to Shadow.

Described as the "workhorse" of the Army's unmanned aircraft systems, Shadow has exceeded 600,000 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan since it was introduced to the Army fleet in 2003, flying missions for the first time during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Army has fielded 98 Shadow systems, and the Marines 11. Its mission in unmanned, over-the-horizon reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition has made it a forerunner in providing situational analysis to Soldiers on the battlefield.
Even so, those early Shadow years did present challenges.
"The Shadow has been the Army's first and most successful unmanned aircraft program of record," said Col. Gregory Gonzalez, project manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Program Executive Office for Aviation.
"The program followed on the heels of other UAS programs that tried to do too much, too soon, failing in the process," Gonzalez explained. "Shadow's initial success was based on getting a simple capability quickly into the hands of the Soldiers."

Unfortunately, the simplicity in design caused problems with reliability, Gonzalez said. Early accidents of the Shadow system reached a rate of more than 400 per 100,000 flight hours.
"Even as the first systems were fielded to warfighters, the product manager embarked on a strategy to improve the capability and reliability of the system," Gonzalez said. "Early reliability improvements were easy to identify and fix. Over time it became much more difficult to build in reliability in a cost effective way, but the Shadow team pressed on and has done a miraculous job. The cumulative impact of these improvements is monumental."
For the quarter ending in December 2010, the Shadow fleet achieved the lowest accident rate in its history, approaching 29 incidents per 100,000 flight hours.
"It continues to fly unprecedented flight hours in theater," Gonzalez said.
Not only have the number of incidents been drastically reduced, so, too, have been the expense of repairs when incidents do happen.
"I think we can claim we're saving $5 million a year in aircraft repair," Smith said. "I think that's a very conservative number. It's hard to say. But we used to have this amount of mishaps costing at least $5 million a year."

Engine improvements have been the key to Shadow's increased reliability. In six months, accidents due to engine problems were reduced by 50 percent.
"Engine improvements led to the lowest mishap rate in the history of the Shadow," said Kristen Regula, who as quality lead for Shadow works with reliability engineer Ed Rymut on engine performance issues. "And, when we talk about preventing a mishap, we are saving $100,000 per mishap."
The Shadow uses a 40-pound, 40-horsepower engine on missions that put a lot of stress on its engine.
"It's the only engine in the world that works with the constraints of high performance, high stress and weight issues. The reason it has had reliability issues is because of what we are asking it to do," Smith said.
Engine improvements addressed carburetor icing, which occurs when Shadow flies in airspace ranging in temperature from 25 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, Rymut said. The improvement involved installing a heated throttle plate carburetor. In addition, the Shadow's oil pump was modified so that it could continue to pump oil at cold temperatures.
"Before the oil pump was modified, we had to restrict the Shadow based on temperature limitations," Rymut said.

"When it goes up in altitude, the air gets very cold quickly. So, Shadow was very limited in its mission. With the new oil pump, we were able to expand the mission significantly. Now, the Shadow can fly higher for a longer period of time, and it can fly in nearly all weather conditions in the winter months."
The product office has also incorporated post-flight inspections, requiring that a field service representative check Shadow engines after each flight.
"Twenty-one to date have been saved because of post-flight inspections that detected metal shavings, which means something failed internally in the engine," Regula said. "Ten of those 21 would have resulted in a mishap if they had flown again."
Instead, those engines were replaced so that the Shadows could continue their mission.
With as much flying as the Shadow does in battlefield conditions and often under poor weather conditions involving sand and heat on launch and landing, and cold temperatures at high altitudes, "engines will continue to deteriorate and, if not detected, result in a mishap," Regula said. "But we know what will deteriorate and what to look for, and we can replace the engine before a mishap occurs."
The Shadow's performance was also improved with the incorporation of a larger parachute, which was designed to decrease its rate of descent while also increasing weight and reliability, said Zach Zimmerman, system safety engineer for Shadow.

"We reduced the direct rate of descent from 45 feet per second to 30 feet per second," he said. "In addition, the parachute designed for earlier variations can only support a payload of 300 pounds. We were able to increase that payload to 400 pounds while working the descent rate exercise."
The parachute, now doubled in size, also "incorporated innovative and advanced technologies - like advanced packing techniques and deployment techniques - to minimize the weight of the system," said Jason Lucas, the Shadow's technical chief.
"The deployment of the parachute is very critical. We used six variants of older version Shadow aircraft in a controlled test environment to ensure that the new deployment mechanism worked."
In use since June 2009, the new parachute is more effective in controlling a smooth landing for the Shadow. Smoother landings mean more affordable repairs if there is a mishap.

"When we do have a mishap, the parachute lessens the impact so that repairs aren't as expensive," Regula said. "Instead of $280,000 to repair a Shadow, it costs $100,000."
Steps have also been taken to "error proof" Shadow operations, minimizing the affect operator mistakes can have on the system. Automation has been incorporated in the system, and serves to check the system during pre-launch to ensure Soldiers follow all steps for a successful Shadow launch.
"We've investigated every mishap we've had and what's caused those mishaps, whether they are operator related or material related," Lucas said. "We've instigated several advance technologies, and hardware and software solutions. We've increased automation, and decreased Soldier interaction and burden during the last three years. We've reduced operator workload and decreased the mishap rate."
The improvements are part of the growing pains that go along with a new system that is popular with Soldiers.

"As we fielded more and more units, Soldiers determine new things to do with them, and we are finding ways to incorporate those new missions to better serve the Soldier on the battlefield," Smith said. "For example, we've added an avionics and communications requirement to support Soldier requests."
"Some of our solutions have been very high tech and innovative," Lucas added. "We are using state-of-the-art battle technologies to provide a long duration of power in a lightweight package."
"Other solutions use simple technologies, such as instituting a break-away cable to solve problems with cables that tangled in the engine at launch. We look for the right solution to the problem, not necessarily the most expensive and highest tech."
Along the way, the Shadow's flight endurance has gone from five hours to nine hours, which decreases the number of Shadows needed to field a battlefield exercise. The Shadow's mission has expanded to include night-time reconnaissance, laser tagging of buildings and communications capabilities from Shadow operators to ground troops. Future capabilities will include arming Shadow with a weapon system and communications systems connecting it to manned aircraft.

"The technologies that we've incorporated have expanded the system significantly," Smith said.

Now used at the brigade level, the Shadow management team said there is a potential for more Shadows to be fielded to brigade combat teams as the Army looks for ways to "fill the gap between local tactical reconnaissance and strategic level reconnaissance," Smith said.
As long as the team "continues to maintain reliability as a top priority, as long as we stay focused on reducing life cycle maintenance and improving reliability, the Shadow will have new mission possibilities," Lucas said.
"If we continue to invest in technologies like we have in the last five years, Shadow will take giant leaps forward in its mission and its contribution will continue to be significant."