Lighter, Better Rifle Gear

Despite what might appear to be obvious tradeoffs with ruggedization and durability of equipment, Special Operations Command officials wish to evaluate and acquire lighter rifle gear to obtain multiple benefits.

Lighter gear can help make military personnel harder to detect by the enemy, protect their hearing and help better communicate with partners during military operations, according to DoD contractors.

Since SOCOM runs its own research and development operation and makes its own acquisitions based on its own doctrine, techniques, tactics and procedures, it can work with vendors on highly customized gear and more mass-produced ones, including helmet- and rifle-mounted sight systems, hardware and rails, and sound and flash suppressors, in addition to optical and thermal sights and fusion lights.

Streamlight has designed flashlights for use with night vision gear, the TLRVIR and the Sidewinder, according to Loring Grove, global brand manager at Streamlight Inc. of Eagleville, Pa., a high performance flashlight company.

“Lithium batteries are more powerful,” she said. “Lithium batteries have a higher energy density than alkaline batteries, so they can pack more power in a compact size. In addition, they are lightweight.

“We have designed the Sidewinder Compact II so that it can be powered by one CR123A size or one AA lithium or one AA alkaline battery, providing more battery options in the field.”

Streamlight’s tactical gun mount lights, designed to be attached or detached in two seconds or less, were designed by the company’s engineers for special operations and law enforcement. The mount lights have 2.5 hours of lithium battery run time, are impervious to shock and have a 50,000 hour lifetime. Streamlight’s lithium ion batteries have a 10-year shelf life.

Streamlight also sells the Sidewinder Compact, a hands-free flashlight which in its military model has four levels of output, as well as a strobe function. The Sidewinder, meanwhile, is standardissue helmet-mounted gear in the Marine Corps, has an unbreakable polycarbonate lens and shrugs off shock, boasting a 50,000-hour lifetime. It can be clipped onto an operator’s head strap. “Multiple functionality is important” with flashlights in a tactical environment, Grove said. “If you can clip it on a vest or clip it on a helmet, it’s easy to use.”

Defense Department program managers aim to leverage all of the capabilities they’ve already purchased into the rifle during a time of tightening budgets, according to Michael Presz, vice president of government programs at Kopin Corp. of Taunton, Mass., a NASDAQ- traded company that sells advanced display products that exceed high definition. “I think we’re learning from the deployments” in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

Presz predicted an increased focus on DoD research and development given the tight budgets. “The [Army Acquisition Objectives] have been largely met,” he observed.

Presz sees more focus on multispectral imaging and intelligent weapon sights. When asked how Kopin Corp.’s products are working in the field, he commented, “What we do know is when the hardware goes out, it doesn’t come back,” so there are very few returns for defects or malfunctions. Thermal imaging systems can give soldiers and military personnel the ability to see well in the darkness, a critical capability for warfighters who must own the night. The thermal weapons sight, in the fourth year of a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract though which the Army is purchasing nearly 22,000 thermal weapons systems for $194 million by June 30, 2012, is a major program for Kopin Corp. The company acts as a subcontractor on the three prime contractor teams: BAE Systems, DRS Technologies Inc. and Raytheon.

“Soldiers and snipers need data,” such as wind and conditions down range, according to Mark Luker, vice president of business development at Vectronix, a Leesburg, Va.-based U.S. subsidiary to a Swiss company. A retired Army major who served as a contracting officer for the Army First Corps in Iraq, Luker reports that Vectronix’s Vector binoculars have sold 27,500 units globally with a .01 percent return rate. “We build products to last, with a focus on size, weight and power,” he commented. Vectronix officials are working on rifle accessories that can withstand the shock coming from .50 caliber rifles.

The Sterna precision target locator system (PTLS) by Vectronix, meanwhile, can “range out to five kilometers,” Luker said. Soldiers at Fort Sill who tried out the Sterna PTLS (in late 2011) were amazed at the accuracy of the target location,” he said.

The Sterna PTLS is an ultra-light (total system weight starts at 9 pounds), non-magnetic unit that “essentially gives the sniper a fused image when using the Long Range Thermal Video,” combining images from two or more sources into one, according to Luker. The Sterna PTLS is a rangefinder that gives independent north-finding, eye-safe long distance laser range-finding, strong day view optics and required north-finding capabilities to operators. The Sterna PTLS is a man-portable solution that can operate in magnetically charged or GPSdenied settings.

“SOCOM and the Rangers are our incubator for mission critical needs,” Luker said. Operators have tested Vectronix’s Clip On Thermal Imager, and next-generation Night Spot scopes for snipers and designated marksmen will be available by March 2012.

“A pretty good indicator of our field performance is anytime I go to a conference, people put our GEM products in their system, whether they are military, partners or industry suppliers like BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman or L-3 Communications,” he said.

Vectronix builds the SORD ballistics and ranging system with Horus Vision LLC, which provides “ballistics calculation for almost any type of weapon,” according to Luker. The SORD can give precise target coordinates, he said, which are invaluable for snipers because they reduce collateral damage while attaining high first round munitions accuracy.

Vectronix also sells NiteSpot 50, a clip-on night sight for snipers, which allows operators to upgrade their weapons when night falls, without a need to adjust scope.

“The lighter the load on the operator, the better,” said Don Alexander, director of military sales for SureFire LLC, of Fountain Valley, Calif., reflecting a common sentiment among contractors. “They’re also looking to decrease each operator’s signature,” he said of SOCOM, with lower muzzle blasts and more subdued flashes coming from their rifles, since a decreased signature means personnel are less likely to be detected and killed by the enemy. Surefire has been in business for 30 years.

“We have seen a high emphasis on signature reduction in Afghanistan,” Alexander said. The Army purchased nearly 2,000 flash hiders from SureFire in 2011 for use in Afghanistan, according to Alexander, who served for 26 years in the Army Rangers and special forces. SOCOM has adopted SureFire flash hiders and suppressors but hasn’t fielded them yet.

One example of a special operations mission that required such a decreased operator signature was the successful May 2 operation in Pakistan by Navy SEAL forces that led to Osama bin Laden’s death. It was orchestrated by Navy Admiral Bill H. McRaven, who since has been elevated to command the U.S. Special Operations Command.

How did Tampa, Fla.-based SOCOM make its decision on adopting flash hiders and suppressors? “They didn’t select us because we were the cheapest,” Alexander said of SOCOM, since there are less expensive competitive alternatives to SureFire’s flash hiders and suppressors. “We were the highest performing,” in SOCOM field tests, he claimed, which ultimately proved to be the decisive reason for SureFire’s selection.

Flash suppressors can help shooters engaged in night operations by reducing the muzzle flash from the weapon to preserve the operator’s night vision, usually by directing the incandescent gases to the sides, away from the shooter’s line of sight, and by reducing the flash visible to the enemy. Night combat operators still must move quickly after firing to avoid receiving return fire, since they are still visible when firing, especially with night vision gear.

Another leading contractor seconded Alexander’s observation. SOCOM officials are looking for “lighter weight, more durable” rifle gear, according to Jay J. Quilligan, managing partner with Quicksilver Manufacturing LLC, of Shoshone, Idaho, one of the first manufacturers of titanium silencers. With a U.S. military mandate to use silencers, Quilligan reports a growing interest in Quicksilver Manufacturing’s products. “Titanium [alloy] fits the bill very well,” he said of DoD’s needs for rifles with less of an operator signature. Titanium is lighter and stronger than stainless steel.

Titanium alloy can hold up well under automatic and semi-automatic fire, according to Quicksilver Manufacturing officials. The company is beginning to gather metrics on the durability of its titanium alloy silencers.

Quicksilver Manufacturing has seen its silencers tested by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq but hasn’t seen significant fielding to date, although tests first started in 2007, showing that SOCOM officials are very deliberate in their proceedings and may occasionally have budget shortfalls. Quicksilver Manufacturing silencers can make it easier for military personnel in the field to talk with their combat partners, protect their hearing, and reduce the flash from their muzzles, according to Quilligan, who is a medical doctor. SOCOM personnel recently tested Quicksilver Manufacturing silencers in Afghanistan and Iraq for up to seven months.

In response to customer demands, Quicksilver Manufacturing is working on producing a quick-detach mechanism for its silencers, as opposed to ones that screw on, despite the obvious difficulties involved with detaching a red hot silencer. Quick detach mechanisms tend to have a high failure rate, and some operators prefer to have the option of using them in case of catastrophic equipment failure. Quicksilver Manufacturing officials advise their customers to put the silencer on their weapon and leave it on.

Meanwhile, Gemtech is a Boise, Idaho-based firearm silencer design company with a strong record for decibel reduction, according to Kel Whalen, the company’s government and industry liaison. He pointed out that Gemtech offers a bit more than decibel reduction. “Sound abatement is, of course, one of the main features of a silencer, but we also have a strong focus on reducing visual signature,” he said.

Founded in 1993 with the tagline “quiet things for quiet professionals,” Gemtech makes sound suppressors that directly connect to many host firearms. It also produces flash hiders that act as mounts for quick-disconnect silencers, according to Whalen.

Gemtech’s sound suppressors mount securely on standard barrel threads of most rifles, carbines and personal defense weapons using innovative and patented quick disconnect systems, according to Whalen. They also mount securely to threaded-barrel handguns with a unique retention feature to avoid loosening while firing. One of the largest U.S. manufacturers of its kind, Gemtech has been in business for nearly 20 years and has earned praise for the durability and longevity of its products, according to Whelan.

Vendors of bipods, suppressors and other equipment are producing gear that can mount on the limited space available on a Picatinny rail or elsewhere on a weapon. Given the military’s experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, vendors also report a growing appetite in the Army, Marine Corps and SOCOM for visible, infrared and laser lights, optical and thermal sights, fusion sights, accessory weapons such as grenade launchers and multifunction grip controllers. Vectronix sells a grenade launcher, the Rapid Acquisition Aiming Module, that can significantly increase the probability of a first-round hit by 40mm grenades fired from stand-alone and under barrel launchers.

SureFire, in addition, produces flashlights, headlights, helmet lights and other illumination tools, such as the WeaponLight, a weapon-mounted flashlight. Illumination tools can temporarily blind, unbalance and disorient a threat. One Marine serving in Afghanistan at the time posted a testimonial on the SureFire website about how SureFire had enabled him and two fellow Marines to illuminate a road in front of them during a nighttime patrol when their vehicles’ lights had died. Their ability to detect IEDs in front of their vehicle may have saved their lives.

Given SOCOM’s ongoing need to recruit and train personnel to serve as close air support, support, forward observer, forward air controller and joint tactical air controller specialists, it would appear that the trend toward lighter gear that makes SOCOM operators harder to detect by the enemy will continue unabated. The broader global war on terror, meanwhile, predicates that U.S. military and coalition partners develop the ability to strike lethally with smaller, quicker forces than those found in conventional warfare.

Small arms manufacturer Smith Enterprises Inc. (SEI) of Tempe, Ariz., for example, sells a sound suppressor, the Wind Talker, that mounts on the Vortex Flash Suppressor. “Our Vortex screws onto the front of the muzzle. We also sell scope rings and bipods that can be attached to the Picatinny rail system,” said Ron Smith, company president.

SEI has been in business for more than 40 years, and its sound suppressors can vary from a lightweight, less rugged version to ones that are heavier and more battle hardened. Weights on flash suppressors, by contrast, tend to be standard. In addition to being a manufacturer, SEI also does weapons upgrades and enhancements and sells accessories.

Organizations that have given SEI gear positive reviews after field testing, according to Smith, include the Army 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne) from Fort Benning, Ga., the Army 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., and SOCOM.

SOCOM was the first major command to begin using red dot sights, with the first widespread adoption in 1997, according to Cormac O’Hanlon, national sales manager for government at Aimpoint Inc. A solid marksman can make a kill at distances up to 400 yards using red dot sights, he said. “They’re looking for very small, light packages,” O’Hanlon said of SOCOM and its rifle gear needs.

Aimpoint continues to work with the Army and SOCOM to “piggyback” on optical innovations, including more ruggedized gear that could better operate in rainy and dusty conditions, according to O’Hanlon, whose Swedish-based company has U.S. headquarters in Chantilly, Va., and has been working with DoD for 35 years. “Our accuracy has been proven over and over again,” he said. “Only the shooter sees the red dot.”

Gemtech’s Sandstorm .300 caliber compact silencer, meanwhile, weighs 13.3 ounces, and its sound meters quieter than products inches longer and much heavier, according to Whelan. Gemtech has a line of featherweight hybrid-construction sound suppressors, incorporating titanium where weight can be saved and machined inconel components that are up to seven and a half times thicker than competitors that use stampings.

“For example, in our G5-T, the hybrid titanium/inconel version of our National Stock Numbered G5 5.56 mm silencer, this translates out into Gemtech having advantages of an overkill ‘cast iron frying pan’ approach to durability in some areas,” Whelan said, and “significant weight savings in others, balancing out to be a lightweight quick-disconnect suppressor that doesn't compromise longevity.

“We also make traditional stainless steel suppressors that provide the same flash and sound reduction, but where lower cost is a factor to a client,” Whelan said.

In speaking about maintaining Gemtech’s gear, Whalen said, “Of the systems we make that require disassembly for cleaning, such as a pistol suppressor, we lead the industry with tool-free ability to be serviced. Maintenance is simple and can be performed in the field.”

SEI’s Smith calls his company’s rifle gear affordable, made of quality materials with quality manufacturing and well thoughtout. In addition, “Our Vortex flash suppressor is patented and reduces the most flash. It is hardened and made from the best materials. It has corrosion resistance. It is affordable,” Smith said.

“Our Wind Talker Sound Suppressors are the same: very durable, affordable, corrosion resistant. They reduce sound very well,” Smith said. “We have technologies in our sound suppressor that no one else has. It is rebuildable, field cleanable, and reduces the muzzle first shot flash. We also make the Good Iron Muzzle Brake that is the best out there,” Smith said. The Iron Muzzle Brake is heat treated and made of ordnance grade material. Gemtech sells through GSA Schedule contracts, 8(a) vendors and the Special Operational Equipment Tailored Logistics Support program at the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia. Smith Enterprises, meanwhile, is a small business that is womanowned and veteran operated, in addition to selling through GSA Schedule contracts. Aimpoint, Quicksilver Manufacturing and SureFire sell through dealers.

 

Πηγή