Chest Rig preference

[CBH99]

Me in 2010…
View attachment 93470

We need an emoji with cool sunglasses for pics like this

@KevinB the only guy I (kinda/sorta) know that can legitimately say that SOCOM has a vanilla side...

 

[CBH99]

Right. I suppose that is an option, but can I jus ideally bitch about thing I don’t understand instead?

Even if you attended the course and passed it, I imagine you could STILL very well bitch about these things and NOT understand them...

A year long course? With THAT stuff as the main content? Yeah no thanks...

 

[CBH99]

One year for the info request, one year for bidders to advise on the requisition, and one year to issue the requisition, review bids, and sign the contract.

Part of the friction of the public purse: processes intended to increase transparency add time and effort.

I'm pretty sure the process can be transparent and fair, and not take 3 bloody years...

A whole year for bidders to submit bids? A whole year for them to review the bids & sign a contract? A whole year in the middle for the bidders to advise or discuss their product with the project management office?


I'm with the others in saying I just don't understand how on earth this stuff can take so long...

 

[CBH99]

.

 

[KevinB]

I still don’t understand why the CAF cannot accept that some of these systems can’t be looked at as a cascading continually evolving process.

Realistically even before 9/11 the CA was aware that the STANO/IFF was sadly lacking for its forces.

Every soldier should have:
Helmet compatible with fixed plate (Wilcox) NOD, electronic ear pro
Helmet mounted NOD, with helmet mounted battery pack.
Multi function aiming laser
Helmet complaint, and comms plug in compatible electronic ear pro
NOD compatible eye pro
NOD compatible NBCW mask (ideally that is SCBA compatible - but I’ll make that optional outside of SOF, and NEO role troops)
Helmet mounted (Velcro or bolt on) IFF beacon
Camouflage cover for helmet compatible with the accessories in Arctic, temperate and arid region camo.


Lasers, and NOD’s should be viewed as a cascading item.
Buy a Bde worth every year - and cascade to the lower readiness groups.

The CA G-8/CDD guys for VAS (visual augmentation systems) have been asleep at the switch for years.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I still don’t understand why the CAF cannot accept that some of these systems can’t be looked at as a cascading continually evolving process.

Realistically even before 9/11 the CA was aware that the STANO/IFF was sadly lacking for its forces.

Every soldier should have:
Helmet compatible with fixed plate (Wilcox) NOD, electronic ear pro
Helmet mounted NOD, with helmet mounted battery pack.
Multi function aiming laser
Helmet complaint, and comms plug in compatible electronic ear pro
NOD compatible eye pro
NOD compatible NBCW mask (ideally that is SCBA compatible - but I’ll make that optional outside of SOF, and NEO role troops)
Helmet mounted (Velcro or bolt on) IFF beacon
Camouflage cover for helmet compatible with the accessories in Arctic, temperate and arid region camo.


Lasers, and NOD’s should be viewed as a cascading item.
Buy a Bde worth every year - and cascade to the lower readiness groups.

The CA G-8/CDD guys for VAS (visual augmentation systems) have been asleep at the switch for years.

Does the US Army have all that?

 

[KevinB]

Does the US Army have all that?

Yes PM Sensors and Lasers have fielded 4 different MFAL since 2003, and 5 different NODs.

Generally fielded to XVIII Airborne Corps first and cascaded down.

 

[Fabius]

The CA’s current $100 million dollar project to purchase new dual NVGs was just recently amended to reflect an intensifier tube spec that will eliminate all but US manufacturers.

Apparently the various Euro companies were less than thrilled by the last minute changes to the RFP despite the years of consultations.

Supposedly once the NVG contract is signed, the project staff will move onto the MFAL component of the overall project.

 

[markppcli]

The CA’s current $100 million dollar project to purchase new dual NVGs was just recently amended to reflect an intensifier tube spec that will eliminate all but US manufacturers.

Apparently the various Euro companies were less than thrilled by the last minute changes to the RFP despite the years of consultations.

Supposedly once the NVG contract is signed, the project staff will move onto the MFAL component of the overall project.

And anticipate the whole thing to be relaid when European manufacturers sue us.


@daftandbarmy yes, most if not all European armies are using newer night vision and laser aiming devices. Hearing pro is less common.

 

[KevinB]

There are some very good European WP tubes out there. A lot of US manufacturers are putting them into devices for folks.

 

[markppcli]

There are some very good European WP tubes out there. A lot of US manufacturers are putting them into devices for folks.

Safran makes great stuff. The JIM Compact / Mosquito are incredible.

 

[KevinB]

I was more thinking about Exosens, Exosens
The parent to Photonis Photonis Defense - Unleash Superior Vision Potential
They had some crazy FOM WP tubes that where well ahead of US stuff 5-6 years ago, and now are making them in the US simply due to our appetite for NOD’s is larger than the rest of the West.


Since NV is so quick to be OBE, I don’t get why the CA doesn’t do smaller buys of 5-6k units annually.
Lasers and Observation Devices are constantly being developed and upgraded and one doesn’t want to end up with an obsolete fleet.

But I’m also not seeing how $100M is going to do much. It’s not going to outfit all of the CA with BNVG’s. Crane spent 49.5M USD on spares a few years ago

I can’t see the CDN Gov getting a better price than 8k USD / unit based on USG prices.
Roughly 11k CDN/unit
So that would be 9k units, less than half the Reg Force Army at the absolute best case.

 

[CBH99]

I still don’t understand why the CAF cannot accept that some of these systems can’t be looked at as a cascading continually evolving process.

Realistically even before 9/11 the CA was aware that the STANO/IFF was sadly lacking for its forces.

Every soldier should have:
Helmet compatible with fixed plate (Wilcox) NOD, electronic ear pro
Helmet mounted NOD, with helmet mounted battery pack.
Multi function aiming laser
Helmet complaint, and comms plug in compatible electronic ear pro
NOD compatible eye pro
NOD compatible NBCW mask (ideally that is SCBA compatible - but I’ll make that optional outside of SOF, and NEO role troops)
Helmet mounted (Velcro or bolt on) IFF beacon
Camouflage cover for helmet compatible with the accessories in Arctic, temperate and arid region camo.


Lasers, and NOD’s should be viewed as a cascading item.
Buy a Bde worth every year - and cascade to the lower readiness groups.

The CA G-8/CDD guys for VAS (visual augmentation systems) have been asleep at the switch for years.

To be fair to our current situation, we may not even have G-8/CDD guys manning a G-8/CDD office somewhere...So there!!

(Have been asleep for years? Man, they ain't sleepin'...the whole cell died of old age like 10 years ago... after enjoying a decade or two of retirement...)

---

By the way, your proposal is absolutely preposterous. I'd even reckon bordering on sheer lunacy...

Buy a brigade worth of night fighting kit...ANNUALLY...and distribute accordingly as units pass it down & receive their updated versions?

Drastically upgrade & expand the CA's night fighting abilities in a relatively affordable way, that keeps those capabilities relatively modern even at reserve units?

Do all of that in a way that wouldn't actually require a budget increase? (Haha, calm down everybody! I know there's probably some reasons why it isn't that simple...I know, I know...)

Logical. Practical. Affordable. Would result in a very real capability upgrade at all levels.






Get out. We don't do that sorta thing here...

 

[Fabius]

I can’t see the CDN Gov getting a better price than 8k USD / unit based on USG prices.
Roughly 11k CDN/unit
So that would be 9k units, less than half the Reg Force Army at the absolute best case.

That estimate of units procured is very accurate.