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TECHNOLOGY/GEAR
Click, Click,
BOOM!
Commercial Innovations Keep Corps Floating, Flying and Firing Compiled by Isaac D. Pacheco
Two Marine Corps M1A1 tanks tread through open desert in the An Najaf province, Iraq. The CATOX system should improve tankers’ abilities to operate in hazardous environments by filtering out harmful particles in the air.
Special “Air Freshener” Turns Tanks Into “Clean Air” Vehicles An air purification system may not seem like a very exciting piece of gear to the ordinary Joe, but to a tank crew on the battlefield, it can be the difference between life and death. Honeywell International Inc. has designed a Catalytic Oxidation (CATOX) system that builds on existing catalytic converter technology found in everyday automobiles and integrates it into battlefieldscaleable systems that provide clean, breathable air for Marines working under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) threat. Unlike other systems that filter out and store harmful particles, the CATOX system actually destroys When disassembled, the offending agents. CATOX can be integrated into marine vessels and large vethe Micro Air Vehicle hicles like tanks or used in buildings and is small and light shelters. enough to fit inside a Marine’s pack. Floating Eye Serves as It quickly can be Urban Battlefield Sentry deployed to serve as a With the modern battlefield looking floating forward less like “The Sands of Iwo Jima” and observer. more like “Terminator III: Rise of the Machines,” it’s fitting that another of the most talked about pieces of new gear is autonomous in nature.
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COURTESY OF HONEYWELL AEROSPACE
SSGT JIM GOODWIN
With years of experience in the commercial aviation industry to guide it, Honeywell Aerospace has incorporated specially refined guidance, propulsion and navigation systems into its latest batch of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Its new Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) has military officials looking up and taking notice, even if they can’t find it. The man-packable, vertically-launched, hovering eye in the sky is more than just a fancy radio-controlled battlefield camera. MAV uses a micro electro-mechanical sensor (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) that allows it to “hover and stare” at an altitude up to 10,500 feet in 20-knot winds, rain and fog. Enemy units won’t likely see the MAV coming and they certainly won’t be able to hear it, considering it’s inaudible above 100 meters. MAV capitalizes on its stealthy profile and hover capability by returning high-quality color and infrared images to troops on the ground. Operators can store up to 60 minutes of information from a MAV flight and manually re-task the device for high priority “hot-fill” missions during an autonomous run. When it’s time to call it a day, the Micro Air Vehicle can land and act as an unattended ground sensor until Marines retrieve it. www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck
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Next-Gen Amphibs Receive Jet-Powered Boost The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) might not be going anywhere anytime soon, but it’s not from a lack of physical propulsion. Honeywell has designed a 1,300-horsepower waterjet propulsion system for the EFV that delivers a walloping 11,000 pounds of thrust from each 23-inch impeller. The newest waterjet propulsion system shaves 15 inches off the old design and performs more efficiently under increased power requirements. When the EFV is ready to hit the waves, this is the motor that will paddle it out. Specially Formulated Concrete Eats Bullets, Spits Lead In order to be effective, Marines have to train like they fight. Unfortunately, live-fire training can contribute to environmental damage when lead from spent rounds seeps into the surrounding soil and water table. Lead contamination can cause serious health hazards and birth defects, which has led to restrictions on its use and disposal. In the past, urban assault courses and ranges have had to dispose of contaminated materials, like concrete in “shoot houses,” in the same manner as other forms of hazardous waste. The Army Corps of Engineers through its Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) has developed shock-absorbing concrete—SACON—to help solve these problems and answer a variety of small-arms
Two powerful waterjet thrusters propel an EFV during testing. The dinner-plate-size impellers (inset) generate enough force to push the EFV in excess of 35 knots. (Photos courtesy of Honeywell Aerospace) range engineering challenges. SACON is a foamed, fiber-reinforced concrete that contains no coarse aggregate. The Ohio-based Terran Corporation uses this hybrid concrete to build training structures that don’t just absorb training rounds—they neutralize them. Polyethylene fibers in the mixture keep SACON from shattering when struck by small-arms fire. The special concrete’s high-alkaline chemical composition forms a carbonate layer around lead and cop-
AccuScope Greatly Simplifies the Sight-In Process For Firearm Scopes
www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ISAAC D. PACHECO
The process of precisely sighting-in a scope can be lengthy, expensive and tedious. With AccuScope, gone are the days of wasted time, unnecessary expense and frustrating guesswork that is usually associated with sighting-in. AccuScope is a detailed slide chart that simplifies the task of sighting-in a scope by quickly providing the information needed to efficiently and effectively get the job done. AccuScope designers created this chart system to allow the user to sight-in using minimal shots. With the user providing the shooting distance from the target and the number of inches off-center, AccuScope calculates the precise number of “klicks” to adjust the windage and elevation, simultaneously helping to ensure the next shot strikes dead center. AccuScope’s outer jacket and sliding insert card are constructed of heavy-duty, weather-resistant laminated material.
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ISAAC D. PACHECO
Marine Corps Base Quantico’s upgraded MOUT course features structures built with SACON. This special concrete contains tiny synthetic fibers (inset) to increase strength and prevent shattering, while the unique chemical composition neutralizes heavy metal pollutants.
ISAAC D. PACHECO
per, which prevents leaching and contamination. According to Terran Corp., SACON bullet traps and “shoot houses” significantly reduce or eliminate the problems of heavy metals accumulation, toxic air emissions, hazardous materials disposal and soil erosion. When a SACON bullet trap reaches the end of its life cycle, officials can dispose of it as construction debris instead of hazardous materials and recover up to 80 percent of the lead inside for recycling.
The 500SE streamlines the process of integrating quality images into mapping software applications. The 500SE’s large liquid crystal display (LCD) provides precise real-time position information derived from either the camera’s detachable GPS module or from external GPS devices. As content is captured, location data is embedded into the digital photo file. Built to withstand the harshest of outdoor environments, the 500SE captures stunning 8-megapixel images and superb video in any condition—a vital capability considering Marine scouts would likely use these features to help complete the information necessary for their SALUTE (size, activity, location, unit, time and equipment) reports on the bad guy. The camera’s large buttons and dials mean Marines can easily access all functions when wearing gloves. The camera’s bidirectional communication capabilities allow Ricoh’s new GPS-enabled camera could serve as a useful tool for forward observers and recon Marines. (Photo courtesy of Ricoh Geoimaging)
GPS Camera Knows Where Troops Are Even When They Don’t Anyone who has ever looked through an old photo album has wondered where at least one of those fuzzy, out-of-focus pictures was taken. Ricoh Geoimaging has solved that problem with their Global Positioning System-enabled digital camera.
Tactical & Survival Specialties Inc. recently released a new medical bag that fulfills the needs of operational tactical medics, corpsmen and the emergency medical community. The 3-inch-thick M-9 Assault Medical Backpack was designed to provide a very thin profile that allows a corpsman to sit safely and comfortably in a vehicle or aircraft, or to maneuver through narrow openings. The M-9 was designed by an Army Special Forces medic and has a main compartment with four modular mesh pockets that can be removed or relocated for any desired configuration. There also are two interchangeable internal panels— one sewn with elastic loops and the other with webbing that is fully configurable by the individual user. Other features include external webbing, an expandable external/internal pouch, drain hole, and storable waist and shoulder straps. External Velcro patches are included for infrared identifiers.
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Corpsman’s Got a Brand-New Bag
www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck
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An explosive ordnance disposal variant of the MRAP, designed by Force Protection Industries Inc., undergoes the first of four test explosions at the Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in Maryland. MRAP vehicles are tested at the ATC to see if they can withstand the extreme effects of an IED attack. (Photo courtesy of ATC)
for instant image transfer to mobile devices via Bluetooth or other wireless networking systems (Wi-Fi). This could allow forward observers to send “dynamic” photos, including geographical information, back to commanders, thus giving their unit a better idea of what it’s up against. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles: From Contract to Reality Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) awarded nine Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts and a first delivery order for the testing, production and sustainability of 36 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles Jan. 26. Officials claim the MRAP vehicles will improve the current level of mine and improvised explosive devices (IED) protection with their V-shaped hulls and raised chassis. “MRAP vehicles have saved lives,” said Captain Taylor Biggs, MRAP vehicle survivor. “The Marines who work in these vehicles have the greatest confidence in its abilities to defeat the bad guys. IEDs are our greatest threat. They frustrate Marines who want to engage targets, not be targets themselves.” MRAP vehicle requirements include the increased survivability and mobility of Marines, Navy personnel and soldiers operating in hazardous fire areas against known threats such as small-arms fire and IEDs. “These mine-resistant vehicles gave us a capability to safely approach, confirm and in some instances neutralize IEDs,” said Biggs. Two categories of MRAP vehicles currently are being developed. Category I is the Mine Resistant Utility Vehicle for urban combat operations. Category II is the larger Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicle for multimission operations such as convoy lead, troop transport, ambulance, explosive ordnance disposal and combat engineering. “Success is in the hands of industry,” said Barry Dillon, MARCORSYSCOM’s executive director. “The vehicles need to have adequate survivability, need to be produced at a high rate and need to be fielded as soon as possible.” Under the IDIQ contracts, each manufacturer will produce two vehicles of each category for test and evaluation. Contracts have been awarded to these manufacturers: Armor Holdings Aerospace and Defense Group, BAE Systems; Force Protection Industries Inc.; General Dynamics Land Systems—Canada; General Purpose Vehicles; International Military and Government www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck
Armor Holdings
BAE Systems
General Dynamics Land Systems
General Purpose Vehicles
International Military & Government LLC
Oshkosh Truck Company
Protected Vehicles Inc.
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LLC; Oshkosh Truck Corporation; Protected Vehicles Inc.; and Textron Marine and Land Systems. “This is a tremendous opportunity for industry and should provide good, healthy competition,” said Dillon. “We are depending on industry to fulfill their contracts on time, to do what they said they would do in their proposals. We will encourage them to produce vehicles faster while they continue providing quality, safe vehicles.” In February, MARCORSYSCOM awarded low rate initial production (LRIP) orders worth more than $201 million to BAE Systems; Force Protection Industries Inc.; General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada; Oshkosh Truck Corporation; and Protected Vehicles Inc. for 395 MRAP vehicles. Officials placed these orders to accelerate the production and delivery of these safer vehicles to units in Iraq. “All nine manufacturers originally receiving IDIQ contracts are still active and competitive in this program,” said Paul Mann, MARCORSYSCOM’s program manager for MRAP. “The vendors that did not receive LRIP contracts have been afforded the opportunity to prove their capabilities in these areas and are still very much players in this program.” Marine forces in Iraq currently are using more than 60 MRAP vehicles. “These vehicles provide the best available protection for our warfighters,” said Brigadier General Michael Brogan, the MARCORSYSCOM commander. “Awarding multiple contracts simultaneously creates full and open competition so we can expand the production base and more rapidly put these lifesaving vehicles into the hands of our warfighters.” Bill Johnson-Miles MARCORSYSCOM
Marine Enhancement Program Improves on the Basics The Marine Enhancement Program (MEP) is a Marine Corps Combat Development Command entity dedicated to improving the “lethality, comfort and survivability” of the individual infantryman. It continues to achieve this dictum by utilizing commercially available technologies to quickly provide lighter, more improved “infantry items” to Marines.
COURTESY OF GRIP POD
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COURTESY OF MEP
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The Grip Pod will give Marines a stable, easily accessible shooting platform at the press of a button. In the last year MEP has been one of the driving forces behind fire resistant organizational gear (FROG); new vertical handgrips, known as “grip pods,” for individual weapons; and the recently released modular tactical vest (MTV). The MTV provides significant improvements over the outer tactical vest (OTV), including a quick release for emergency egress and medical access, increased lower back and kidney area protection, side small-arms protective insert (SAPI) carriers, pathways for communication cables, side openings for easy medical access, improved closures and a rifle bolster to improve stock weld. Combat-experienced leathernecks from throughout the operating forces participated in three separate test events that resulted in the final MTV design. Protective Products International was awarded a contract on Sept. 25, 2006, for 60,000 MTVs. Another recent MEP success story also is based on troop feedback. Grip pods, vertical handgrips with removable bipods, were developed to give infantrymen a more versatile shooting platform. The bipod attaches to the Modular Weapon System via the M1913 rail and is instantly deployable by pushing a button on the grip. For more information or to submit a proposal of your own, visit the MEP Web site: https://www.mccdc.usmc.mil/feature topics/mep/. Katie Leimbach MEP Working Group
COURTESY OF OTIS TECHNOLOGY INC.
Pocket-Size Cleaning Kit Saves Space and Hassle
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The Deluxe Military Cleaning System was designed for Marines who carry pistols and shotguns in addition to their rifles. OTIS Technology Inc. engineered this system to clean and maintain all issue small-arms weapon systems. This one kit eliminates the multiple kits required to service the issue weapons. The system includes the tools necessary to clean all 7.62 mm, 5.56 mm, .50-caliber, 12 gauge shotguns, 9 mm through .45-cal. pistols. This handy accessory serves as a useful backup to the M16 series service rifle buttstock cleaning kit, or as a primary kit when the user’s primary weapon, like an M4, doesn’t have a compartment dedicated to the task.
www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck
