TNM_8

MILITARY • LAW ENFORCEMENT • SECURITY

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Eight years ago a Chinese entertainment company built a concrete replica of a U.S. Nimitz class aircraft carrier. The vessel can still be seen via Google Earth (31.10,121.01), outside of Shanghai, at the Military Education Center of the 380 hectare (950 acre) “Orient Green Boat After-School Camp for Youngsters.” A bus ticket to the carrier, from Shanghai, costs about eight bucks. Just in case you are in the area. The carrier is not to scale, it appears to be about ¾ scale and has replicas of Chinese warplanes on the “flight deck.” The “carrier” is actually a steel frame concrete building constructed in the shape of a carrier. Inside are meeting rooms and areas for the display of more military themed material.

What is this all about? Quite simply, since the 1990s the Chinese have gone nuts over theme parks. There are now over 2,000 of them, most recently constructed, like “Orient Green Boat After-School Camp for Youngsters.” But from outer space it looks like someone has built an aircraft carrier and set it in a small lake. Well, that might keep any potential invaders-from-outer-space at a safe distance.

Most of these new theme parks are now bankrupt. The one with the concrete Nimitz was popular for a few years but is now mostly empty and few vendors are left. What really killed the faux Nimitz was another park that opened two years ago, some 200 kilometers away on the coast. This Binhai Aircraft Carrier Park featured a real aircraft carrier, from which real helicopters took off and gave aerial tours of the area. The captive carrier is one of the four Russian Kiev class carriers that were retired in the 1990s and sold. Two were scrapped but one was rebuilt for India as

the Vikramaditya. The other became a tourist attraction at Binhai, having been rebuilt as a floating hotel. There’s another carrier that can only be seen from on high. This one is at a military base and is in the shape of the flight deck of China’s new carrier (the Liaoning). This one is not for entertainment but to train carrier pilots.

While the Kievs were basically large (45,000 ton) cruisers armed with hundreds of anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, they also had a flight deck for vertical take-off (V/STOL) jets and helicopters. India converted the Gorshkov, which was the fourth Kiev class “cruiser-carrier”. The first one entered service in 1975, and the last one in 1987. Based on the experience with the Kievs, Russia decided to build the larger Kuznetsovs.

China eventually bought one of the two Kuznetsov class carriers and rebuilt it as the Liaoning. Russia began building the Kuznetsovs in the 1980s. Originally they were to be 90,000 ton nuclear powered ships, similar to American carriers (complete with steam catapults). Instead, because of the high cost and the complexity of modern (American style) carriers, the Russians were forced to scale back their plans and ended up with 65,000 ton (full load) ships that lacked steam catapults and used a ski jump type flight deck instead. Nuclear power was dropped but the Kuznetsovs were still a formidable design, and Russia still operates the original Kuznetsovs, while China is using its own modified Kuznetsovs (as the Liaoning).

Mirko Gargiulo (Editor-in Chief)

Warships For Fun

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66TEST BY TNMGET A GRIP WITHOUTDOOR RESEARCH IRONSIGHT GLOVES

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90REPORT FROM29 JULY 2013MEMORANDUMFOR TNM READERS:KONSTANz, GERMANY 48762; ATTN: LAW ENFORCEMENT / MILITARY PERSONNEL.

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TNMALWAYS ON FRONT LINE

Military - Law Enforcement - SecurityNUMBER 8 - 2013www.tacticalnewsmagazine.eu Editor-in-ChiefMirko [email protected]

Advertising Sales Manager & Public RelationDanilo [email protected]

Advertising Sales Manager for USAJae [email protected]

Art directorMatteo [email protected]

Graphicechocommunication.eu

Editorial staffDaniel Sharon IsraelRobert Shaw UKJoshua A. Haarbrink USADaniel Wmann GermanyLucas Silvera BrasilRoger Higby USAPaolo Grandis ItalyJacopo Guarino ItalyPeter Capyo BelgiumSteph Macniven UKGiuseppe Marino ItalyNorbert Ciano GermanyMarco Bandioli ItalyTinus Etsebeth South AfricaYann Remersaro ArgentinaMike Haytack USAMateusz Kanigowski PolandWade Morrell USAAustin Bay USAGiannis Nikitas GreeceRyan Houtekamer CanadaAaron Coston USAJody Lewis USAChristian Nellemann NorwayJoseph D.R. OLeary USADanilo Amelotti Italy

Edit by:A&G Publishing GmbHMangoldstr 10A - 78462 Konstanz, Germany

Partner:

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the editor is prohibited.

TNM ••• 6

Colombian army aCquires additional Commando aPCs Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS) announced a $31.6 million contract award from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to provide 28 Commando Advanced Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), with 40mm/.50 cal remote turrets, to the Colombian Army (COLAR). Initial APC deliveries to the U.S. Army, for shipping to Colombia, are expected to begin in November, with all vehicles scheduled to be completed and transferred by April 2014.

The contract also includes repair services on two damaged Armored Personnel Carriers in the COLAR’s inventory, which consists of 39 Commando Advanced APCs in operation with its Armored Cavalry units. These repairs will coincide with vehicle support service work on COLAR APCs awarded to TM&LS earlier this year. Since fielding its APCs in May 2010, the COLAR has employed them extensively while combating internal revolutionary forces in Colombia. These vehicles have provided the mobility, protection and firepower needed to meet all COLAR tactical armored vehicle requirements. “Our Colombian Army customer values the performance, operator protection and reliability they have experienced with our Commando APCs during more than three years of demanding operations,” said Textron Marine & Land Systems Senior Vice President and General Manager Tom Walmsley. “We’re pleased to be growing this relationship and providing the Colombian Army with this important asset for its Cavalry units.” The Commando Advanced APC is an extended version of the Armored Security Vehicle, combat proven by the U.S. Army and other militaries in locations including Afghanistan and Iraq for more than 10 years. The APC’s additional two feet in length and six inches in internal height allow greater troop carrying capacity. These vehicles offer excellent on-road and off-road mobility, enabling them to operate in urban, jungle, desert and mountainous terrain. Crew protection is reinforced with a V-shaped hull bottom and 360-degree protection from

direct fire. Rigorously tested and proven in the toughest environments, the Commando family of vehicles offers a range of protection options, unmatched on-road/off-road mobility and ample firepower. TM&LS produces four lines of Commando four-wheeled vehicles – Commando Utility, Commando Advanced, Commando Select and Commando Elite. As an end-to-end armored vehicle provider, TM&LS offers customers a wide range of Commando products and services. Within the Commando family of vehicle lines, TM&LS has recently developed an enhanced recapitalization solution for HMMWVs, a 4×4 mortar vehicle, and command and control integration. Coordinated logistics support ensures proper fielding, training, maintenance and related services throughout each vehicle’s life cycle. Textron Marine & Land Systems designs, produces and supports advanced wheeled combat vehicles and cutting-edge maritime craft used by U.S. and international armed forces, as well as civilian entities around the globe. Its Commando family of armored vehicles offers a full range of vehicle options delivering enhanced survivability, mobility, lethality and sustainability. Textron Marine & Land Systems is an operating unit of Textron Inc.

latest version of ameriCa’s army game ready for downloadThe next version of the America’s Army video game is released and is now available for download. Players can register their Soldier name for the game at the America’s Army: Proving Ground website, www.americasarmy.com, and then jump into the Army action. America’s Army is developed out of the Software Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal. While more than a decade old, the game stays new and relevant with frequent updates and new product lines. This newest version emphasizes small unit tactical maneuvers and training that reflects the current day Army and emphasizes Army Values, teamwork, training and completing the objectives through gameplay that reflects the Soldier’s Creed. “We took a back to basics approach that highlights a move, shoot, communicate system within a fun gaming experience that echoes teamwork-based Army training,” said Marsha Berry, Project Manager for America’s Army. “Just like in the Army, America’s Army: Proving Grounds focuses on creating elite, well-trained Soldiers that will complete the missions as a fine-tuned team beginning with smaller, focused exercises and advancing up to larger, more complex exercises.”Highlights of the latest offering include fast-paced Battledrill Exercises for small engagements of 6-on-6 play; Forward Line Operation training for 12-on-12 play; new weapons such as the M9 and Remington 870 MCS shotgun and M14EBR-RI sniper rifle; and self aid where players can stabilize themselves and get back into the battle quicker.Set in a fictional country, The Republic of the Ostregals, players are in the role of an 11B Infantryman practicing combat maneuvers at Joint Training Center, or JTC, Griffin, a fabricated training military operations on urban terrain, or MOUT, environment created by Conex modular containers and found materials. The America’s Army Comics series at comics.americasarmy.com unveils the storyline that influences the plot for the game’s missions and maps and gives the player a better understanding of their assignment and the challenges they will face. By reading the comics, players learn the saga of American forces deployed to Czervenia, a tiny foreign nation in the middle of a chaotic conflict. From a seemingly insignificant nation of Czervenia, President-General Adzic and his army set upon a campaign of annihilation against the neighboring Republic of the Ostregals, setting in motion a mysterious plan that could change the course of world power forever. America’s Army must create new experimental combat teams, forged together in secret Proving Grounds, and uncover the General’s insidious plot before time runs out.

us gave iraq intel in 1980s, ignored ChemiCal attaCksBaghdad would respond with chemical weapons, Foreign Policy magazine reported Monday.Citing declassified CIA documents and interviews with former officials, the magazine reviewed the US record as Washington weighs military action against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons near Damascus last week. The magazine said the United States knew in 1983 that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would not hesitate to resort to shelling Iranian forces with sarin or mustard gas. “As Iraqi attacks continue and intensify the chances increase that Iranian forces will acquire a shell containing mustard agent with Iraqi markings,” a top secret CIA report said in November 1983. “Tehran would take such evidence to the UN and charge US complicity in violating international law,” the agency warned.In late 1987, US satellite imagery showed that Iran was concentrating a large force east of the southern Iraqi port city of Basra in preparation for a spring offensive. The images also showed that the Iranians had identified a strategic weakness in the Iraqi defenses. The report, titled “At the Gates of Basra,” was shown to president Ronald Reagan, who wrote a note in the margins that said, “An Iranian victory is unacceptable,” according to Foreign Policy. The United States decided to inform Baghdad of its findings and help the Iraqis with intelligence on Iranian logistics centers and anti-aircraft defenses. Saddam’s forces smashed the Iranian buildup before it could get off the ground, launching a vast offensive in April 1988, backed by bombardments with chemical weapons, on the Fao Peninsula. Chemical agents were used four times, each time killing between hundreds and thousands of Iranian troops, according to the CIA.“The Iraqis never told us that they intended to use nerve gas. They didn’t have to. We already knew,” said retired Air Force colonel Rick Francona, a military attache in Baghdad during the 1988 attacks. During the same period, in March 1988, Saddam used chemical agents in an attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, killing 5,000 people

TNM ••• 8

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou said the island will continue to acquire arms from the United States, dismissing reports that the US and China could discuss ending such sales. Ma spoke after local and Chinese media Thursday quoted a Chinese defence official who said Washington had reacted positively when China’s defence minister Chang Wanquan proposed setting up a joint working group to discuss arms sales to Taipei. Chang made the proposal during a visit to the US that started last week, according to Guan Youfei, who accompanied him on the trip. Guan reportedly also said that, during a meeting with his US counterpart Chuck Hagel, Chang offered to adjust Chinese military deployment in exchange for the US ending its weapons sales to Taiwan. Guan’s remarks raised concerns in Taiwan, where the US is the leading arms supplier to the island. “To acquire necessary weapons that we can’t manufacture ourselves, we will keep buying arms from the United States,” Ma said during a visit to the offshore island of Kinmen to mark the 55th anniversary of a bombardment by the Chinese army that killed 618 servicemen and civilians. “The US made ‘Six

Assurances’ to our country back in 1982, including not to set a date to end arms sales to Taiwan nor to hold prior consultations with China on arms sales,” he said, referring to the promise made by the former Ronald Reagan administration. Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979,

but at the same time Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to provide the island with means to defend itself. In 2001, then-President George W. Bush approved the sale of eight conventional submarines as part of Washington’s most comprehensive arms package for the island since 1992. President Barack Obama’s administration has approved more than $12 billion in sales and equipment upgrades, but has held off on Taiwan’s

requests to buy new F-16 fighter jets, a step against which China has repeatedly warned. Tensions between Taiwan and China have eased markedly since Ma came to power on a Beijing-friendly platform in 2008. He was re-elected in January 2012. But Ma has stressed that Taiwan needs to maintain sufficient self-defence, as China still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

griPens guard CzeCh air sPaCe 365/24 for eight yearsOn the occasion of finalising talks between Czech and Swedish parties on prolongation of a lease agreement of SAAB 39 Gripen supersonic aircraft, Czech PM Jiri Rusnok visited 21st Tactical Air Force Base at Caslav to get more information on operation of these aircraft and conditions of their pilots who guard Czech air space daily for eight years.

A squadron of SAAB 39 Gripen (also known as JAS-39 Gripen) aircraft serves not only for the Czech Republic but also within NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System. “I am glad that pilots are very satisfied with the equipment they use. I think that this aircraft seems to be optimal choice for our military at all, that is in tactical, combat and operational economic respects,” said Jiri Rusnok, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic at the Caslav Base.

PM Rusnok was accompanied by Minister of Defence Vlastimil Picek and Chief of the General Staff of ACR Lieutenant General Petr Pavel. They toured the whole base including infrastructure and support facilities where pilots of SAAB had passed their experience with service. In discussion, Minister Picek, General Pavel and commander of the 21TAFB Colonel Petr Hromek informed PM Rusnok about risky factors that would possibly occure in transition to another type of supersonics. Talks with the Swedish party resulted in mutually advantageous draft agreement on prolongation of the lease of 14 Gripen aircraft for more than ten years. Minister of Defence Vlastimil Picek said that the decision over the prolongation would probably take the next government and added that the present one had created the best for really simple decision in future.

taiwan to Continue buying arms from us

israel dePloys iron dome defenCe system

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defence system to bolster its security as the West weighed military strikes on neighbouring Syria. But he echoed President Shimon Peres in insisting that Israel is not involved in Syria’s civil war but will respond with all its might if attacked.

“We have decided to deploy Iron Dome and other interceptors,” Netanyahu said, in a statement released by his office, ahead of holding security talks at the defence ministry. “We are not involved in the war in Syria. But I repeat: if anyone tries to harm Israeli citizens, Tsahal (the Israeli army) will respond with force,” Netanyahu said in other remarks broadcast by Israeli television. His comments come as Britain and the United States laid out their case for punitive strikes on Syria over an alleged chemical attack that rights groups say killed hundreds.

Earlier Peres said Israel will hit back if its security is at stake. “Israel was not, and is not, involved in the Syrian fighting but if anyone tries to harm us we will respond with all our might,” Peres was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. “Israel has a strong army, modern and powerful, and a more advanced defence system than ever before,” he added. Army chief of staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said his forces were “ready for all scenarios,” but added: “I hope we will not have to send them into action.” Peres said the situation in Syria, where a civil war that erupted in March 2011 has killed more than 100,000 people, “is not a local incident but a crime against humanity.”Israeli media and officials sought to calm the public, as queues for gas masks lengthened. There are fears that it the United States and its allies launch military strikes on Syria, forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could retaliate against Israel, Washington’s key ally in the region.

“Keep calm and carry on” was the title of a front-page analysis in the Jerusalem Post, echoing a slogan designed by the British government in World War II. “With (Israeli) military intelligence keeping more eyes and ears open to enemy activity than ever before, the combination of Israel’s firepower and accurate intelligence would spell very bad news for the Assad regime should it choose to target Israel in response to an attack on Syria by the United States,” the Post wrote. “Doing so would likely sign his regime’s death certificate.” Netanyahu’s security cabinet authorised a limited call-up of reservists, but the premier said members of the public had “no reason to change their routines.” Haaretz daily said those to be called up numbered “a few hundred” personnel considered vital, including members of missile defence, air force, intelligence and civil defence units.

“We need to make preparations but also to go about our daily lives,” Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon. News website Ynet reported that “hundreds” of people were waiting outside a gas mask distribution centre in central Tel Aviv before it opened, and public radio said “thousands” were queueing at a distribution site in the northern city of Haifa. Maariv said a centre in Jerusalem was forced to close on Wednesday after anxious residents grabbed all the mask kits on the premises. Nevertheless, Maariv reported, “security officials said that the situation assessment was that the likelihood of an attack on Israel was low.” The kits were first distributed during the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq fired Scud missiles at Israel as the US-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm.The kits also contain syringes of the anti-nerve gas agent atropine for self-injection. Yediot Aharonot diplomatic writer Shimon Shiffer recalled the 1991 attacks, which did not deliver non-conventional warheads and caused few casualties.

TNM ••• 10

British arms maker BAE Systems said recently that it will close a small Pennsylvania plant that overhauls and upgrades military equipment for Bradley fighting vehicles, and blamed spending cutbacks. “BAE Systems announced the planned closing of its Fayette facility in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania,” BAE said in a statement that was issued overnight. The plant, which currently employs 113 people, deals with equipment for the US Army, Marine Corps and foreign governments, mainly the Bradley Family of Fighting Vehicles and M109 self propelled howitzers. It will be shut by the end of 2013. “The decision to close the Fayette facility was made in response to the planned completion of existing contracts managed at the Fayette site and no prospect of future work for the facility,” BAE said. “It is anticipated that all of the

production work at the facility will be complete by the end of November.”It added: “This facility is a part of the Bradley Industrial Base, which is at significant risk of experiencing further cuts and impacts to jobs and communities across the country.” The group stressed that workers would be offered opportunities on other sites. Erwin Bieber, president of BAE Systems Land

& Armaments sector, added: “The current business environment has made this difficult

announcement necessary. “The plant closure in no way reflects upon the work and dedication of the employees. We will do all we can to assist them in this difficult transition.” The US market accounts for about 40 percent of BAE Systems’ group revenues — making it the biggest foreign supplier of military goods to the Pentagon.

bae systems says Closing Pennsylvania faCility

Pagina Tadpoles Tactics A4_tr.indd 1 12/10/12 12.03

TNM ••• 12

www.tacprogear.com

Headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida in a new, state-of-the-art facility which includes offices, warehouse and over 10,000 sq. ft. ofspace, TacProGear is quickly becoming the leading brand for equipment being used in global hot spots today by tier one professionals. For years, the tactical industry has been waiting for an innovator to bridge the gap between outdoor world functionality and tactical world’s requirements; TacProGear is the solution.

TacProGear is uniquely situated to become a world leader in battle-tested gear with its logistical capabilities and global network of partners that expedite domestic and international solutionsin an accelerated time frame to any location on the planet.

TacProGeara manufacTurer of

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The 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™.

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 EntryThe 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 ThunderSledgegives operators an effectivetool that is compact andversatile. 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 quickrelease 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.

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With a grant funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), BLACKHAWK! developed and tested

an Ergonomic Duty Belt Harness that shifts the weight of the equipment-laden duty belt from the hip

structure of the officer to the shoulders. This harness fits under the duty shirt and with a minor modification

to the duty shirt, attaches to the duty belt. The Ergonomic Duty Belt Harness fits a broad range of body types and body armor packages. There is no need to purchase a specific type of body armor to accommodate the Ergonomic Duty Belt Harness.

There are no moving parts to fail which means officers can wear the Ergonomic Duty Belt Harness

in confidence and health every day on the job. Available in two sizes that are adjustable to fit

almost every officer.

www.blackhawk.com

TNM ••• 14

BlacKhawK! erGonomicduTy BelT harness

For Law Enforcement Alleviating Discomfort from Heavy-Duty Rigs

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Lightweight winter jacket which provides insulation and protection against frost, wind and light showers. Climashield® Apex™ provides thermal insulation and ultimate warmth. Two chest pockets are lined with fleece to provide protection against frostbite. The hood can be easily adjusted without removing hands from the chest pockets via two drawstrings located there. Climashield® Apex™ insulation (grammage: 100g body; 67g hood).

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PeTzlsTrix iris a TacTical headlamP wiTh mulTiPle carry oPTions, feaTurinG visiBle and infrared liGhTinG. • It fits to a ballistic helmet with Ops Core ACH-ARC

system or the ADAPT STRIX plate when an intergrated rail is not present and to the vest with the intergrated MOLLE clip or can be worn on the head with the headband (included).

• Double rotation of the body and of the headtorch - rotates 180 degrees horizontally and 120 degrees vertically.

• Colour lighting modes - red, green and blue forclose range and movement.

• White lighting modes - stealth, close range and movement.

• Infrared lighting modes - close range, movement and IFF (identification Friend and FOE

SpecifiacationS• Colours - Black or Camo• Battery - 1 x AA• Weight - 100g• Lights - white, colour and infrared• Max Lumens - 10lm• Max Burn Time - 65 Hours

The Gen III Plinker Tactical .22LR magazine holds 35 rounds, more than the competition, providing longerfiring sessions without reloading. Made in the U.S.A. of the most durable, quality polymers, the Gen III mags are impact and solvent resistant. The magazine has evolved to its most robust form yet capable of punishing target sessions without jamming. Heavy duty construction with no screws or exposed springs keeps debris out and performance in.Every Plinker Tactical magazine is 100% guaranteed for life against breakage. Available in Black, Flat Dark Earth or Olive Drab with an MSRP of $29.99.

Fobus Holsters were first developed in Israel for the Israeli military and special services. As a leader

in injection molding polymer technologies, Fobus developed the first lightweight and durable retention

concealed carry holster and continues today to be the standard-bearer for innovative holster design.

PlinKer TacTical.22lr maGazine for The smiTh & wesson m&P15-22.

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soG PowerassisTThe PowerAssist takes multi-tools to a new level. This is the first in the world to house not just one but two SOG Assisted Technology™ blades.

Start to open the main blades, which are available when the main tool is closed, and S.A.T. takes over to complete opening. When not in use, these blades lock closed using our patent pending side release. Flip open the tool and experience the precision of the heavy-duty plier capability and large wire cutters. Smooth handle surfaces promote comfort on even the toughest jobs.

oPh 53liGhTweiGhT hydraulic door oPener KiTThe OPH53 kit includes a hydraulic power unit, a hydraulic door breacher and a transport bag. Equipped with a GHP hydraulic power unit and the OP53 hydraulic door breacher, this breaching kit ensures quick and silent opening of inward opening non-armour plated doors. The electronic control panel on the handle of the OP53 means the tool can be used whilst conserving the hydraulic power unit on the back. The included GHP hydraulic power unit supplies all accessories, such as the spreaders, cutters and higher category door breachers.The included OP53 door breacher is the only tool equipped with a triple contact point head that means it can be positioned at different angles and can open certain outward opening doors.

a

revision inTroduces ocumax®Plusa Game chanGinG anTi-foG coaTinG

Revision Military, a world leader in protective soldier solutions, introduces OcuMax Plus, the next-generation anti-fog lens coating. Revision continues to invest resources in advanced

coating technologies in order to offer soldiers fog-free protective eyewear solutions.

Eyewear fogging, one of the leading complaints from soldiers, can now be combated for both goggles

and spectacles. Through continuous research and experimentation, Revision has proven that anti-fog

technology can be taken to the next level. “For a Soldier, a fogged lens may force him to remove

his spectacles or goggles; leaving the Soldier’s sight unprotected and disrupting his concentration from the

mission at hand,” says Eric Hounchell, Vice President, Optics at Revision. “We are confident that this new coating is the best-in-class anti-fog solution, and in

applying it to our eyewear, is in keeping with Revision’s rigorous standards for top performing

military eye protection.”To help understand why fogging occurs on eyewear, the science behind fogging needs to be understood. Fogging happens due to an abrupt

change of temperature; when the temperature of

one surface of a transparent lens drops below a dew point due to a difference in temperature or humidity.

Condensation appears on the surface of the lens and forms fine but randomly spaced droplets, resulting in scattering the light that travels to the wearer’s eyes.

This causes impaired vision. The performance of an antifog coating is related to its ability to prevent

water condensation on the surface in form of droplets. Revision’s R&D team has found a unique chemical

combination that resultsin a robust, durable anti-fog solution that can withstand in-field use.

Using its in-house anti-fog chamber, Revision tested the OcuMax Plus coating to the EN 166 standard, one of the only quantifiable standards applied to military eye

protection. The result: fog resistance was excellent, with an OcuMax Plus coated lens.

www.libervit.eu www.revisionmilitary.com

TNM ••• 18

www.laserlyte.com

The LT-223 fits inside the cartridge chamber and features a firing-pin activated switch that indicates bullet impact with a bright red laser dot. A built-in snap cap protects the firing pin and O-rings hold the laser accurately in place allowing for repeated dry fire practice without compromising accuracy. The rim-less cartridge trainer also allows for constant racking without unintentional ejection.

The LaserLyte® LT-223 is the foundation training cartridge for an array of new Training Cartridge Sleeves for many popular hunting

calibers. The LaserLyte® Training Cartridges in the new rifle calibers give young and first-time shooters the opportunity to practice the fundamentals, as well as, refine trigger control skills for shooters of all levels. The rimmed

sleeves are made of solid brass and work perfectly in

all bolt-action rifles. The LT-223, in combination with any of

the new Training Cartridge Sleeves and the LaserLyte® Trainer Target, can

improve the success of any hunt or target shoot with realistic, anytime-anyplace, affordable

training.

The laserlyTe® lT-223; .223 TraininG carTridGe

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FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON FOCUS ON

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

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RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

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Is our entire PR (Personnel Recovery) really at the forefront of where it should be? The answer is NO. So if you think that you are the best in the World and don’t have the need to learn

anything more to improve your SERE and PR capacity, do not waste your time with this article.

Undoubtedly, the huge capacity invested has resulted in a large, heavy and super effective machinery with highly skilled elements and instructors that can effectively extract downed pilots in full-scale military theaters. And have - under certain conditions. Undoubtedly, it can extract other isolated personnel (including SOF operators) in also sometimes small-scale situations, and have – under certain conditions. And undoubtedly, the many skilled men and women forming the ranks, intensive training and joint operations with specialized units play a crucial role, including para-rescue squadrons to fill the gaps and specialized air squadrons to operate low-level and at night or whenever and wherever needed by their mission.

Enormous Pr caPacity has assumPtionsHowever, the entire NATO SERE and PR capacity, in its billion dollar capacity, has some major limitations but functions brilliantly – under certain conditions. Which is why particularly exposed personnel considered at high risk for isolation and capture undertake SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training to enable them to survive and – potentially – resist interrogation. The most advanced course normally given is the level C-course

for particularly exposed personnel and training of instructors.

Undoubtedly, the training is very good, works perfectly in well-designed exercises, and – under

certain conditions – in real theaters. But this is exactly where the problem lies. The system is largely based on a doctrine widely designed for full-scale theaters, exercises – under certain conditions.

What are those conditions? Where and how can a multi-billion dollar honed system, including sometimes launching scores of aircrafts to extract a downed pilot possibly fail, with pilots and high-risk staff undertaking level C SERE training to avoid getting captured or die from exposure to the elements or their wrong actions? And more importantly – can anything be done with it?Anyone who has

been in a real theater realizes quickly that the live action is very different from exercises. You don’t make the rules. The enemy do not behave, attack or respond as you wanted them too.

assumPtions is thE mothEr of all disastErsOr as normally put: Assumptions is the mother of all f..-ups.

Firstly – the assumptions for success:

Given the system exists and operators trained - the following critical assumptions MUST be in place:

• the Pr system must be in place. This almost only


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applies to a full-scale theater. Any mission that requires immediate responses, whether terrorist attacks or need to operate remotely – the system is immediately greatly reduced in its overall capacity. It is there, but greatly reduced. Alternatively, response time is longer either in extraction or in inserting high-risk personnel in the first place.

.• the Pr system must be able to respond and come

to extraction point within a short time-frame. Alternatively, response time is longer either in extraction meaning up to several hours or even days or in inserting high-risk personnel in the first place.

• the isolated operator(s)/personnel must be able to actually initiate and use their EPa (Evasion plan of action and the isoPrEP (isolated personnel report). This assumes: a. functioning communication and b. ability to actually move to the extraction points ERV/RV (emergency Rendez-vous or Rendez-vous point) in any event or c. maintain their position without compromise.

• that your sErE training actually really prioritizes what you need. This reflects upon our SERE training curriculum and how applicable it is in an


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actual survival situation. Even the most recent SERE manuals from different branches in NATO, or their courses, contain some direct erroneous or incomplete training components that are repeated and copied by new instructor cadre and obviously only have been tested under very specific and not very realistic situations.

What does this all mean real-life? Well it means either NATO forces have to wait up to several days before deployment until PR capacity is in place, greatly reducing their capacity to intervene at critical times dictated by the situation in order to

get everything in place– or that more time is needed on the ground for isolated personnel to wait for extraction, assuming radios function, that they are actually downed in the area where anyone expected problems (and not en route over other potentially hostile areas far away from target), or that they – most likely – will have to improvise.

What is your rEal rEsPonsE timE? For a modern army, response times within an hour(s) are usually considered quick-reaction. Sometimes within minutes, meaning in real life 15-30 minutes – but definitely not seconds. Our systems and command structure requires time for information flows and orders – unlike militias and guerillas who favor individualism and initiative – especially the latter – and can respond in seconds to an opportunity without consulting superiors, such as a downed pilot or compromise of SOF operators on the ground –and they may already be at the scene.

So what is the actual critical time you REALLY have to respond in many situations? Anyone who has spent any time whatsoever in remote regions of Africa or

If you learn to combine natural fast-track navigation techniques as used by guerrillas and combine it with maps and compass/GPS you will become MUCH, MUCH faster than by maps, compass/GPS alone.


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Central Asia or in Colombia, will be able to tell that the response time of local militias or guerillas, with no command hierarchy like in western military or QRFs (Quick reaction forces) is seconds and minutes – not hours. You may likely get tens of people running towards you with AK47s in running shoes, meaning you MUST evade immediately, most likely ditching most or all of your kit, possibly moving in a total opposite position of your ERV (if any in the area), simply in order to avoid capture.

And the billion-dollar PR system just went right out the window and you are down to your SERE training.

Murphy’s law – and More iMportantly - holger’s lawWe all know Murphy’s law: “Anything that possibly can go wrong will go wrong”. Well, experience has taught me that in real action you don’t make the rules – unlike in exercises. And when you work on the

margins – which is why it is called special operations – then, in fact, “Holger’s law” (named after the famous Danish viking Holger Danske) – comes true: “Sooner or Later” (..you are in the shit anyway, pure probability statistics in this line of work).

CruCial faCtors in evasion and Man-huntHaving been multiple times at both ends of the chain, I know for sure that the most crucial four elements in ANY evasion and man-hunt is time, distance, speed and sector – and the choices made by the isolated operator on the ground, and that he and she is not forced by the elements to surrender and give up life to the elements or the enemy. Our entire SERE training is based on assumptions from the Cold War with slow responses in hunter forces, and static survival, and for many years, Name rank and number according to Geneva convention. In recent years (the last decade in particular), much has shifted towards

We all know Murphy’s law: “Anything that possibly can go wrong will go wrong”. Well, experience has taught me that in real action you don’t makethe rules - unlike in exercise.


more mobile survival (though not much) and particularly resistance to interrogation and CAC – conduct after capture at a new level (for some of us who have been there, that is a joke, but it has a place for sure).

In percentage focus of the training part of a level C course (very roughly, with differences among branches and countries obviously):

Cold war: 85% survival (static), 5 percent interrogation, 5-10% evasionToday: 60% survival (most static still), 15% procedure training on the huge PR system and SOPs, 20% interrogation and still only 5-10% evasion, of which some is escape techniques. Most of the actual evasion is the actual exercise, so tactical skills in terms of evasion tactics are quite modest.

Survival skills are getting poorer in my experience. Survival during mobility still poor. And what has remained is a very low focus on evasion, consisting mainly of basic infantry skills and K9 training. For obvious reasons, the details in these programs will not be revealed here.

What are the probabilities of getting caught?Well, any investigation into the history of prisoner escapes from POW camps, downed pilots or isolated personnel of military staff will provide you with some fairly grim statistics: Most manage to escape, but the far majority of our staff running away or escaping imprisonment, including building tunnels for months or escaping from camps in jungles, or contacts - most get caught in a day or definitely in the following week.

If you are a downed pilot, and no hunter force is on the spot the first hour with a full PR capacity in place, then you are quite likely to be pulled out. If not, you are likely to get

Undoubtedly, the huge capacity invested has resulted in a large, heavy and super effective machinery with highly skilled elements and instructors that can effectively extract downed pilots in full-scale military theaters.


If you learn the evasion tactics practised by guerillas and criminals all over the world - and combine it with modern assets and technology - you become faster, safer and more adaptable to any environment or threat. Its an entire concept - widening your toolkit.


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caught if the hunter force is fast, local and motivated. Also remember that in most cases, evaders are detected by hostile civilians. I would estimate that of those not extracted immediately, some 80% are caught, historically.

guErillas arE ExPErts in EvasionSurprisingly, guerilla forces evade and escape prisons and camps and contacts ALL THE TIME – even far from home. We have seen this most vividly with some prominent escapes from Bagram and from the two major prison break-outs with hundreds of escapes from Sarposa prison in Kandahar in Afghanistan, with 1200 escaping in 2008 and some 500 in 2011, with very few captured. How come?

Firstly –how come guerillas so often manage to evade? Firstly, they know the general environment, but certainly are not always locals. But far more importantly –A LOT OF THEM KNOW KNOW HOW TO EVADE. These are TACTICS, vastly forgotten by the modern warfare machinery, challenging the World’s biggest military powers with AK47s and sandals and running shoes. They HAVE to be brilliant in evading. It is a central component of all guerilla warfare and tactics. Having worked with many former guerillas in Latin America, Africa and Asia, I could sum it up from their side, roughly: Their priority in their “SERE” training is 70-90% on evasion and various tactics facilitating light long-range evasion, use the “light concept” – opposed to the 5-10% in NATO. No wonder our personnel get captured if not extracted – and they don’t. It is part of

their general tactical training, not a SERE component as such. So their training – and mind you they DO train profusely – is the exact opposite of our’s. I would guess that their distribution of training has minimal on interrogation/CAC. Often, as captured, you are not humiliated but expected to continue the fight through disinformation, so still honorable, except for some Asian guerilla units where disgrace can be an issue. Indeed, the light concept and minimalist survival

required for being fast, combined with proficient evasion tactics, is a very, very effective system for evading capture. But it involves ACTUAL TACTICS.

combinE tactics With tEchnology and you rulELike for combating guerilla units, massive fire power and technology ALONE is not enough. But if we combine massive firepower, technology AND the right tactics, we are superior. The same applies to SERE training and evasion – if we combine our PR capacity, technology with outstanding evasion tactics, as trained and applied by guerillas, we can outrun anyone, anywhere. For guerillas, who are almost ALWAYS outgunned – outrunning is the most crucial aspect. See especially the article on this subject

called Light, fast and deadly in Tactical magazine no 7 (2013) pages 72-85. Being fast and light involves a FULL CONCEPT – not just dropping gear. These are skills CRUCIAL to an evader, combined with pure tactics of evasion – far different from the primitive localized counter-tracking methods – that usually only delay you or help trackers or K9 teams get closer.


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lEarn from thE EnEmy and thosE outgunnEdWe have a great deal to learn from the other side in terms of evasion tactics. The Muhajedeen are the experts in mountain warfare in Afghanistan. The Vietcong were in jungle warfare in Vietnam. The Tuaregs and Beduins in desert warfare. Learn from the best. The professional poachers in Africa.

When it comes to survival skills this is another crucial aspect of SERE training which will be covered in another article. Also here we can move much, much more ahead. Many of the so-called survival tricks in most SERE courses taught would make any local indigenous people laugh their eyes out.

EffEctivE Evasion skills consist of forgottEn ElEgant tactics Evasion skills are not super complicated, rocket-

science, but elegant simple principles combined time, distance and tricks of the trade, including classifying ANY landscape and terrain, whether urban, arctic, desert, rural or jungle in simple yet surprisingly effective categories.

It took me many years to understand that there was an entire concept behind this, making so many guerillas and poachers so effective in using terrain, time, distance and bush skills in a light concept, elegant fooling the hunter force, who in return would use any excuse available to explain failure. We would use it to hunt poachers and smugglers more effectively.

We learnt from them, and combined it with what tools, assets and training we had. Again, actual evasion tactics will obviously not be shared here, although I understand the irritation of the reader at


this stage. PR is about extracting isolated personnel. SERE is about the ability for an isolated operator to survive and EVADE. I can assure anyone who hasn’t been there that your primary concern are related to those two factors, and avoiding getting caught is almost always highest on your agenda when you are on the run, if not directly dying from the elements. And you don’t enjoy it, believe me.

The only difference beTween a hunTer and The fugiTive is The iniTiaTiveThis was the motto of our unit – “Orsu vincit” in latin, and in Swahili:

We have a great deal to learn from the other side in terms of evasion tactics. The Muhajedeen are the experts in mountain warfare in Afghanistan. The Vietcong were in jungle warfare in Vietnam. The Tuaregs and Beduins in desert warfare. Learn from the best. The professional poachers in Africa.

They HAVE to be brilliant in evading. It is a central component of all guerilla warfare and tactics. Having worked with many former guerillas in Latin America, Africa and Asia.


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”Wajitumao Ni Washindi!”. More than anything, we taught trackers to have the initiative and predict the actions and movements of the evading poachers or guerillas. And used their tactics if we ended up at the other end – with excellent success in evading. Does it work? Of course it does! They do it all the time. Any NATO bombing targeting groups of people in the bush coming in quarters or hours after a guerilla attack on a NATO position is likely only to hit only innocent civilians.

It’s only when you have gone through the entire alphabet of your contingency plans and start all over that you realize that you are in big trouble. The methods, knowledge and tactics that we pulled together were not the result of exercise upon exercise, but of the REAL “pass-fail” survival and evasion “courses”. In live situations. This is where

the real selection takes place, along with a good amount of luck and fate, I guess. And it is my crystal-clear experience that your ability to take the initiative is largely based on having a big mental tool-box of know-how tactics. And a few other things. Shifting chance in your favor.

nExt gEnEration sErE instructors nEEd to lEarn to EvadEFrom a pure operational standpoint, from being in theaters where your ability to accept uncertainty, improvise and finding SIMPLE solutions dictates your day - I have no doubt that the next generation SERE instructors need to learn to evade – and learn it well. It’s an entire concept, and it’s already available. And there are so many things that can facilitate improved evasion opportunities also in theaters if implemented– and we need them.



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CombatPatrol

Uniformfrom

Helikon-texBy Mateusz KanigowsKi

For several months the DTF crew is wearing and tearing Helikon-Tex tactical apparel. In this review we will focus on their enhanced everyday duty clothing set called Combat Patrol Uniform™. Most of You already know Helikon – Tex, but for memo,

they are Military / Law Enforcement apparel manufacturer with 30 years business experience. They come from Poland, where the R&D and sales departments are settled.

Combat Patrol Uniform™? So is it for combat or is it for patrol? CPU™ design was claimed to integrate variety of practical solutions that would make the uniform suitable for both tasks. This is what we’ve checked. Patrol, reconnaissance, long days spent on the path. For this

DesigneD to Fight

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particular task, the most important are skin comfort and breathability, crucial for the user in every climate. Combat Patrol Uniform™ features loose but articulated cut, that follows body anatomic movements and keeps the proper airflow on. But the cut is not everything. Extremely important are raw materials used in the construction. CPU™ is delivered in various colors and camouflages including A-Tacs and Pencott series, Polish Army standard issue camo and others. The country of origin of these textiles often varies, the same situation is with composition. CPU™ can be made of 100% Cotton, NYCO (50% Nylon, 50%Cotton), 65%Polyester 35% Cotton, 60% Cotton 40% Polyester combinations. The good thing is that all these materials are manufactured with Mil/LE end user in mind, which leads to high durability and proper breathability.

DTF team was wearing CPU™ in three compositions: NYCO (50/50), 60% Cotton 40% Polyester and 65% Polyester 35% Cotton. For two weeks period of constant wearing during various activities (including sleeping), all users were satisfied with the final effect considering durability and moisture management. This is not some intelligent membrane all weather setup, but a duty uniform designed for soldiers. From this point of view, CPU™ is good piece of clothing.

Combat. Combat this, combat that. We do hear a lot about combat adapted clothing but what does it mean exactly? Personally I don’t believe that any apparel can enhance my fighting skills, but for sure it can make hard life easier. CPU™ is a uniform, and for sure a uniform suitable for combat. When S.H.T.F the most important is abrasion and tearing resistance. Garment must protect the users body from any damage, also this caused by crawling or prone shooting position. As mentioned above, the materials used in CPU™ construction, fulfilled

DTF expectations also in matter of durability. Next combat – important feature is the pockets placement. Both shirt and pants feature set of various, capacious pockets that keep the crucial gear close at hand. Shirt features six symmetrical pockets – flapped, angled on the chest, zipped on the biceps and flapped on the forearms. Pockets placement was adapted for use with tactical rigs or backpacks.

Chest pockets are perfect for a carrying flat objects and documents, and thanks to the side zipper opening, they stay accessible even when the vest is on. Solution we really enjoyed are zipped bicep pockets. The access is quick and easy, capacity feels really useful and they feature standard soft Velcro for personalization. Combat Patrol Uniform™ Pants feature 10 pockets in general. That’s a lot. But everything in this world has its reason. Here we found two important factors: adaptation and capacity. The cool thing about pockets placement in CPU™ pants is definitely the hip and thigh area. Standard front pockets have reinforced edges, for keeping EDC gear clips tight. On the front part of thigh, small slide-in pocket can be spotted – they perfectly fit one AR magazine each. Extremely wide, side cargo pockets have smart retention – their construction enables using them as a dump mag pouch (checked, this stuff works). Now here come the calf pockets – small, Velcro flapped compartments that hold either personal dressing or one magazine. During running there is no more annoying thing than something flying around your legs (if You know what I mean). But there is a reason. These pockets are easily accessible when sitting in a vehicle.

Combat Patrol Uniform™ features also many standard solutions, known from modern uniform constructions. Shirt is equipped with standup collar (lined with pleasant grid fleece), reinforced elbow parts with protector

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Technical data:• Weight: Shirt 730 g – 750 g; Pants 800 g –

860 g (depending on raw material)

• Available colors: Black, Olive Green, Coyote, Camogrom®, PL Woodland, PL Desert, A-Tacs FG Camo™, A-Tacs AU Camo™, Pencott™ Greenzone, Pencott™ Badlands, Hellenic

• Sizing: Shirt: XS – XXL Pants: XS– XXL / Regular; XS – XXL / Long

• Price: n.d.

• Warranty: 2 Years (covers only damages caused by manufacturers fault)

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to learnmore aboutHelikon

Texclick here


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compartments and adjustable wristbands. On the chest there are soft Velcro spots for personalization and a rank tag. CPU™ Pants have adjustable waist, buttoned fly, reinforced knee parts with protector pockets and leg’s bottom retention. CPU™ is delivered in XS – XXL Regular sizes for shirt and pants, with Long option only for pants. I’m 190 cm tall, slim, long legged guy, and that’s probably just my issue, but I cannot find a perfect size for me here. Pants are slightly too short (even in the Long option) but that’s still acceptable. The shirt topic is a bit worse. I wear the L Long size usually, and without this availability here, the sleeves simply end in the middle of my forearms. Hopefully more tall guys will buy Helikon – Tex stuff, cause I want one L Long CPU™ set in A-Tacs for me. DTF tested the CPU™ sets in operational scenario, during live fire trainings in real field conditions. They passed our exam. Helikon-Tex products gained quality points over the years, no doubt about that. But this is for all of You to decide now.


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TNM ••• 47

A wise man once said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works.” That man was

Steve Jobs, pioneer and innovator of the tech industry and creator of the most used digital devices in the world. I doubt Mr. Jobs would compare his Mac legacy to a firearm, or even approve of me doing so for that matter, but his quote remains poignant and true none-the-less. Steve didn’t create the computer; rather he unleashed its potential that propelled us into the digital age. Likewise, IWI didn’t invent the bullpup rifle; rather they refined and optimized its design to maximize the effectiveness of the bullpup rifle.

The IWI Tavor was born out of necessity in an ever changing battle field. The Israeli people are no strangers to warfare and have been at it since Biblical times. When the Israeli-Lebanon war ended in 1982, it was clear the Israeli’s needed a battle rifle that was more suited to urban, close

quarters combat. So after a decade of testing, prototypes and revisions, the Tavor rifle entered service with the Israeli Defense Force or IDF with outstanding results and earned the nickname “The Hebrew Hammer.” Fast forward to 2013 and the anticipation for the civilian version of the Tavor is at an all-time high. Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI) has worked closely with the IDF to create Joint Research and Development Teams to further the research, testing and refinement of some of the most advanced small arms currently available. It is through their efforts and the creation of IWI US, INC that the civilian Tavor would come to fruition.

This author is no stranger to the bullpup. I had the opportunity in the late 90s to spend time with the Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai Special Forces, all of which employed the Steyr Aug. I have also owned the FNH FS2000 and have enjoyed its ambidextrous controls and compactness. So when the Tavor popped up on the radar of the


The IWI Tavor was born out of necessity in an ever changing battle field. The Israeli people are no strangers to warfare and have been at it since Biblical times

TNM ••• 48

American shooting public, I was all ears. After doing much research and way too much YouTube watching, I was convinced that I had to have one. The problem was, so was everyone else. Apparently, I was late in getting the memo because when I finally got on a waiting list I was way back in line. After about a month I decided to call a local FFL to see if their waiting list was shorter than the one I was on. Much to my surprise they had just received two minty fresh black Tavor SAR-B16s a few hours before. One was spoken for and the other… was mine about 45 minutes later. INNOVATION:So what makes the Tavor so special? As mentioned before the

bullpup isn’t new, in fact it’s been around since the 60s and 70s. For those of you unfamiliar with the bullpup concept, it is basically a rifle that has the action behind

the trigger. This means the action, magazine and

ejection port are under your face

when shooting the rifle.

The main advantage of this design is it makes the rifle extremely compact

while keeping a

longer barrel. In addition, it

enables the gun to maintain higher

muzzle velocities and longer ranges of engagement. The Tavor maintains this principle in the civilian SAR. Two of the main complaints folks have with bullpup

rifles are “slower” magazine reloads and heavy triggers. Like many American shooters, I compare most semi-automatic sporting rifles to the AR15. I have not found a detachable magazine fed rifle that I can reload faster than an AR15, and with all the aftermarket triggers out there, you can get whatever AR trigger you like. I didn’t expect the Tavor to be much different from the stereotypical bullpup rifle; however I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Read on.

SPECS:The Tavor is made of both US and Israeli parts and is assembled in the United States. It uses a state-of-the-art high strength polymer body that can be had in black or


The Tavor is made of both US and Israeli parts and is assembled in the United States. It uses a state- of-the-art high strength polymer body that can be had in black or field dark earth (FDE).

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field dark earth (FDE). The polymer body is joined to an ordinance grade steel receiver. All the metal parts are treated for corrosion resistance and all SAR parts are 100% interchangeable. The receiver is mated with a Mil-Spec, chrome lined, cold-hammer forged CrMoV barrel, with a six groove, 1:7 right hand twist. Barrels can be ordered in 16-1/2” or 18” lengths. The 18” barrel comes standard with a bayonet lug. Mine came with the 16-1/2” barrel. It is chambered in 5.56 NATO, but can be converted to 5.45x39 and 9mm with optional conversion kits. It is

a long stroke piston operated firearm

and fires from the closed bolt position. It is also rated as a

fully over-the-beach capable firearm,

meaning it can be fired after being submerged

in water. I have not personally tested that one

out, but the manufacturer does spec it that way. It is

not the lightest gun on the market. The 16.5” barreled

version comes in at 7.9 lbs with an overall length of 26-1/8”. Due to the compact physique of the gun and the rearward weight distribution, the gun feels remarkably light and can be shouldered one handed for extended periods of time. This is a really great feature as it allows for the shooter to use his or her non-firing hand for other tasks, if necessary. The short length of the gun also allows for

wicked fast target acquisition, easy transportation and deployment in tight spaces such as an urban structure, vehicle or a hunting blind.

Another welcomed feature of the Tavor is that it is very ergonomic and ambidextrous. As of late, this has become a requirement for me when buying a rifle. My wife is a south-paw so I’d like to accommodate her in that regard. That’s just the gentleman in me talking. Anyway, the Tavor can be converted from RH to LH in about 20 minutes or so depending on the end users mechanical inclination. The owner’s manual is highly detailed and goes through the process step by step. The only item you will need that is not included with the gun is the opposite hand bolt to change the ejection direction. The conversion cannot be fully completed without this bolt. All other parts such as



The receiver is mated with a Mil- Spec, chrome

lined, cold-hammer forged CrMoV barrel, with a six groove, 1:7 right hand twist. Barrels can be

ordered in 16-1/2” or 18” lengths. The 18” barrel comes standard with a

bayonet lug.


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the ejection port, safety, charging handle and side accessory rail can be moved over to the opposite side of the gun fairly easily. Another selling point for me is the Tavor has last round hold open (LRHO) and takes standard AR mags, which just about every blue blooded American shooter owns. This included PMAGs. In regards to magazines, the magazine release is very unique on the Tavor. It is actually an ambidextrous trigger positioned directly behind the shooters firing hand and can be accessed with the non-firing hand. Once the trigger is depressed, the empty magazine can be removed and the fresh one inserted. The bolt can then be dropped by either charging the non-reciprocating charging handle or using your non-firing hand to press the bolt

carrier stop/release which sits directly behind the magazine well. This provides for a very fast and fluid reload manual of arms which traditional bullpups are not known for. The Tavor has adequate rail space for lights and optics. The full length top rail is indexed and also houses integrated, folding back up iron sights. The front sight has a Tritium insert which is a nice touch. The tops of these BUIS are a seamless continuation of the MIL STD 1913 rail so if you would like to install/mount aftermarket sights, you have the ability to do so. It should be noted this is not the case with the IDF version of the Tavor as it doesn’t have the top rail. The Tavor also accommodates the ever popular QD sling swivel and has

receptacles on both sides fore and aft. This means the user potentially only needs one sling to swap between different rifle platforms.

RUNNING THE GUN:Prior to heading out to the range I verified the gun was clear and safe then field stripped the weapon and cleaned it. This is a very simple process that requires the user to punch out the captured single pin in the most upward/rear corner of the butt stock. The padded butt stock swivels down allowing access to the recoil mechanism. Pull it straight back and out and you are done with the primary disassembly. The trigger pack/sear mechanism can be removed by punching out the locking pins just aft of the magazine well. Once they are out of the way (they are also


In regards to magazines, the magazine release is very unique on the Tavor. It is actually an ambidextrous trigger positioned directly behind the shooters firing hand and can be accessed with the non-firing hand.

ammo to get approximately 2 MOA when using the magnifier at 100 yards. As I get older, my eyes prefer a finer reticle, but for that session the Aimpoint did well enough. A few weeks later I got to use a range that had a little more “freedom” when it comes to moving and shooting.

The Tavor handled marvelously. As noted before, it pointed like a champ and balanced very well. When held in the traditional IDF fashion using six points of contact, it was extremely solid and became a part of the shooter. The six points of contact are: the hands on the pistol grip and foregrip, the butt stock in the shoulder, the cheek on the stock, the shooting forearm on the magazine and the non-shooting forearm against the oversized

“trigger guard”. This makes for a very stable platform. Transitioning from target to target was a breeze. The trigger pull wasn’t so bad and after I did the now popular “Tavor trigger job” the trigger broke at a decent 7lbs (approximately). Recoil was negligible thanks to the PWS brake. Magazine reloads became quicker the more I practiced. I tried a couple of methods for reloads. The first was to use my non-firing hand to activate the magazine release and strip the empty mag manually, access a fresh mag, reinsert, drop the bolt using the bolt catch and commence firing.

The second, quicker, way was to run the gun dry, grab a fresh mag with my non-firing hand, activate the mag release with my middle finger while maintaining control

captured), pull down on the bolt carrier stop lever and remove the trigger pack/sear mechanism by pulling it straight out of the bottom of the rifle. Reassembly of both components can be completed in reverse order. Once the gun was cleaned and reassembled I fitted it out with an Aimpoint Pro red dot for close in work and an Aimpoint 3X magnifier in a FTS Larue Tactical mount for medium range targets. For night ops I added a Surefire X300 weapon light to the right hand, 2 o’clock positioned rail. Lastly, I replaced the standard flash hider with a PWS 556 muzzle brake. This was made easy thanks to the muzzle device locking nut.The first range session was primarily just to zero the optic. I used 5.56 NATO Federal American Eagle XM193 FMJBT 55 Grain


Once the gun was cleaned and reassembled I fitted it out with an Aimpoint Pro red dot for close in work and an Aimpoint 3X magnifier in a FTS Larue Tactical mount for medium range targets


position other than by releasing the bolt. Very minor, I know, but it would still be nice to prevent it from rattling around. I would also hope in the future that IWI would come out with a foregrip that would have an integral light/laser built in so I could remove the light from the 2 o’clock position. This too would clear up the visual clutter, at least for my tastes. I would like it if the pistol grip were a little fatter or had interchangeable back straps to accommodate different hand sizes. It also needs to have a more textured grip. The factory grip is pretty slick and not in a good way. I am this close to stippling mine; however I am a little gun shy when it comes to permanently marring a $2,000 weapon. Grip storage would be nice too. While we are looking at the grip area, just having an ambidextrous safety would remove the need to reverse it during a right to left hand conversion or vice versa. Another item on my wish list would be the ability to adjust the length of pull on the gun for larger shooters. This could be accomplished via a wheel and worm gear similar to the kind found on precision rifle stocks for length and elevation adjustments. Locking the bolt open without using an empty magazine is a PITA. You basically need three hands. If you don’t have three hands, you need to keep the weapon shouldered, pull back on the charging handle with your non-firing hand and use your firing hand to pull down on the bolt carrier stop locking the bolt back. Then, push the charging handle forward and lock it in place. See, a spring returned charging handle would be useful there. Lastly, 300 blackout barrels would

of the fresh mag with my other four fingers. Once the empty mag dropped clear, I was able to quickly insert the new magazine, drop the bolt and head off to the races. This worked fairly well until I ran across a few magazines that didn’t drop free, which required them to be stripped out of the mag well. I had six different mags on hand. All three generations of PMAGs, the IWI factory mag, Surefire 60 round metal mag and a Lancer AWM translucent mag. Ironically, not all of my Gen II PMAGs dropped free. It wasn’t consistent with all the Gen IIs, so it could be I had some older, well used mags that may have expanded a little over time and were just a little fatter. Regardless, I decided that I would just strip every mag to eliminate one of the variables. This still allowed for a quick magazine change, at least when compared to other bullpup rifles.

WISH LIST:There are a few items I would change however. First, the Tavor should come with the rail section for the bottom of the foregrip. For some reason it just rubs me the wrong way that it doesn’t come standard and as far as I know, it can’t be bought separately at this time. I would like the ability to install a VFG. I would also like to see the charging handle to have the ability to be installed slanting down instead of up. It is minor, but I find that it does interfere with my view somewhat. Next, a spring returned charging handle would be nice, meaning once the bolt is held open after the last round if the charging handle is pulled to the rear, there is nothing to return it to its forward


TNM ••• 56


be nice. Hint. Hint. A sub-Sonic 300 blackout sound suppressed Tavor would be in-freaking-credible. As long as I am dreaming, a .308 for 2014 would be icing on the cake.

FINAL THOUGHTS:I see a ton of uses for this rifle to include sport shooting, hunting, home defense, and as a LEO duty weapon. As mentioned before, its compact size makes it ideal for tight quarters. This is useful for the police officer.

As it would allow the officer to shoulder the weapon and exit their patrol vehicle using his or her

free hand. It would also enable them to more easily shoot through their windshield if the situation warranted it. It could also be utilized at check points where the officer would need to signal a car to stop while maintaining control of his weapon. Another application could be for home defense in any of the offered calibers assuming the appropriate ammunition was used. The way it balances could allow the user to operate doors, carry children to safety, operate a telephone, all the while maintaining the ability to present the weapon and engage a threat. While not an ideal way to

shoot, it is possible to do and do so accurately. Overall, I do feel very confident in the rifle as it has been extensively tested and has proven itself in combat conditions. I like the way it feels, presents, shoots, breaks down and its ambidexterity. I appreciate the quality, thought and ingenuity that has been put into the gun. I have continued to shoot this rifle at numerous other range sessions with zero malfunctions what so ever and am very impressed thus far. The Tavor is an evolutionary advancement in the bullpup world that will most likely remain the big dog on the block for years to come.


Online destination for Gun Culture.Veteran Owned. Second Amendment Supporters.

The Wisdom Of The Turks

HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POINT HOT POIN

In the West, popular opposition to air strikes in Syria, because the Syrian government used nerve gas against its own (pro-rebel) civilians on the 21 st ,

has blocked any retaliation. Western leaders had loudly warned the Assad government that use of chemical weapons would bring retaliation. But the Western voters have had it with Arab duplicity and bad behavior in general. Western leaders have been slow to accept this unpleasant news, but the voters, who pay for these attacks in money and blood have a veto power and they are exercising it. The Internet has spread the personal experience of Western troops far and wide and the mindset of Arabs in conflict areas is now widely known in the West. The continued popularity of Islamic terrorism among so many Moslems, including many living in the West, adds to this sense of disgust and distrust.

This shift in attitude has been building for over a decade. Iraq demonstrated that, as has the after-effects of the Arab Spring, where Arabs, freed from log-time dictators voted Islamic radicals into power. That was stupid even by Arab standards and the Arab public is now trying to repair that damage. But the corruption and lack of responsible leadership and general unreliability of Arabs has put off the West, even in the face of a great humanitarian disaster in Syria. It’s not the first time this has happened. The West pulled out of Somalia in 1993 because of frustration with trying to help people who won’t make much of an effort to help themselves and were more interested in killing and stealing.The West is learning why the Turks were so glad to be rid of their Arab subjects after the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago. Then there is the corruption and intense hatreds found among the Arabs. It’s a very volatile and unpredictable part of the world, and always has been. For centuries, the West was shielded from this reality because The Wisdom Of The Turks


TNM ••• 59

the Ottoman Turks ruled most of the Arabs. Western diplomats often heard the Turks complain about their Arab subjects. A favorite quip among the Turks was, “One should not involve oneself with the affairs of the Arabs.” Then, when World War I, and the Ottoman Empire, ended in 1918 Western nations found themselves temporarily in charge of these former Turkish Arab provinces. Before World War II broke out in 1939, most

of these Arab provinces were cut loose as independent states. These new countries were not stable. After World War II began, for example, Iraq (a monarchy at that point) attempted to ally itself with Nazi Germany. Arabs admired the Nazi attitudes towards Jews (not realizing, or not caring, that Nazi anti-Semitism applied to all Semites, of whom Arabs were the most numerous.) Britain could not afford to have a Nazi ally sitting on their major source of oil, and gathered together a few divisions and invaded. Three weeks later, Iraq was conquered, and a more agreeable group of Iraqis were found to run the place for the rest of the war.

After World War II, there were problems in several Arab states, most of them involving reformers (who turned out to be dictators, once they took over) and the ruling traditionalists (who were less efficient dictators, for the most part). Then there was Israel, where Arabs had been demonstrating the religious intolerance they have long been infamous for. Around the same time Saudi Arabia was explaining to Western oil workers why the long list of lifestyle rules for foreigners (no non-Moslem houses of worship,

The newly created state of Israel studied all this, and concluded that the Arabs were done in by corruption and self-delusion.

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restrictions on the dress and activities of women and so on) was necessary, and mandatory (on pain of death). But when the UN approves the establishment of Israel (and an adjacent Arab state) in 1948, the Arab world announces that it will not tolerate this. Arab states tell Arabs living near Jews to flee, temporarily, while the combined armies of all Arab states in the region attack and wipe out the greatly outnumbered Jews. To the world’s amazement, the Arabs are defeated. Even though Arab military skill had been held in low esteem for centuries (and Jews were not considered much better), this defeat came as a shock, especially to the Arabs.

The newly created state of Israel studied all this, and concluded that the Arabs were done in by corruption and self-delusion. These two problems continued to cripple Arab military effectiveness. There were a few exceptions. The Jordanians institutionalized the Western training they had received from the British, although that only made them a more difficult enemy for the Israelis to defeat in 1967. Since then, Jordan has maintained good relations with Israel. Egypt reformed its military in the early 1970s, but those reforms were gone by the late 1970s, replaced by the usual corruption and incompetence.The Arabs have fought five major wars with Israel, losing all of them badly, even though Israel was always outnumbered and outgunned. Unlike Jordan, all the other Arab states continue to insist that Israel must be destroyed. Palestinians continue to believe the promises of these Arab states that this will soon be accomplished. In the meantime, the descendants of the Arabs who fled Israel in 1948 are still living in refugee camps, because the Arab states those camps are in will not accept the Palestinians as refugees or grant them citizenship. In the West, the Palestinians were accepted as refugees and allowed to settle and

become citizens. The Palestinians are unimpressed at how Europe handled a similar situation after World War II, when many borders were changed and millions of people moved. After the Arab attack on the newly declared Israeli state in 1948 failed, Arab nations refused to take in any of the 700,000 Palestinians who fled the fighting. Had those Palestinians stayed, they would have outnumbered the 600,000 Israelis and the history of Israel would have been quite different. It’s interesting to note that nearly all of the 25 million refugees produced by the aftermath of World War II in the late 1940s were resettled. This included 600,000 thousand Jews who fled Arab nations after Israel was established.

It gets much worse. As hundreds of billions in oil revenue poured into the Persian Gulf states,

the Arab nations there did not invest in their economies, instead they created government jobs for most of the males, and imported foreigners to run the economy (pick up the garbage, build and maintain everything, run the stores, hospitals and so on). East Asian nations, without oil, invested what they had in education and their economy. Fifty years later, the Arabs still have their consumer society, run by foreigners, while the East Asian states (some of them Moslem) have achieved economic independence, with vibrant, self-sustaining economies. Some Arabs have noticed this, but the majority have not.The madness continued, especially when it came to the lack of tolerance for other religious or political ideas. For example, in Iraq, a Sunni minority had long ruled a Shia Moslem majority, often using a lot of brutality to keep the


Sunnis in power. A Sunni dictator, Saddam Hussein, came to power in the late 1960s, and in 1980 ignored thousands of years of history (where the more powerful Iranians kick the Arabs around at will most of the time) and invades Iran.

There is a revolution going on in Iran at that time, and Saddam believes he can seize some oil fields just across the border, and then negotiate a peace deal with the distracted Iranians. That’s not how the Iranians operate. They never have. A bloody war ensues. Total casualties are several million dead and wounded. In 1988 both sides agree to a ceasefire. The

armies were basically sitting on their pre-war borders at that point. Iraqi gained nothing, except a lot of debts (needed to buy weapons, and loyalty from Iraqi Shia). The insanity continued in 1990, when Saddam decided that he could invade Kuwait (to whom he owned over $10 billion) and add their oil to Iraq’s already enormous reserves. Saddam overlooks the fact that the West (and most Arabs) consider him an unreliable maniac, and will not tolerate the seizure of Kuwait. Within six months, a coalition of Western and Arab troops drive Saddam’s forces out of Kuwait and demand reparations for all the damage Iraq did to Kuwait. The UN

puts Iraq under an embargo until the debts are paid, and weapons inspectors are satisfied that Iraq has no more chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Note that the Arab states joined this coalition only after the United States promised not to invade Iraq and remove the Sunni Arab minority from power. This was part of the long struggle between Iranians and Arabs. Iraq had a Shia Moslem majority (as did Iran) and the Sunni Arab oil states did not want a more pro-Iran Shia government running Iraq.

Syria is very similar to Iraq except the Shia minority is propped up by largely Shia Iran, which also

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created a powerful Shia militia (Hezbollah) in Lebanon in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). The Sunni Arabs always found the Shia (Assad) dictatorship in Syria offensive. But the founder (in the 1960s) of that dynasty (Hafez Assad) took advantage of factionalism among the Sunni majority (75 percent of the population) and formed a ruling coalition that got a boost in the 1980s (when the Iran-Iraq War was raging) when the Assads, who had many political disputes with Saddam Hussein, decided to become a client-state of Iran. The Assads cynically supported Sunni Arab terrorists in Iraq after Saddam fell to Western

invaders in 2003, even those Sunni fanatics were mainly killing Shia. Iran was technically against this, but was so eager to kill Americans that they were willing to let 20 Iraqi Shia get murdered for each American soldier killed. The Iraqi dead were, after all, only Arabs and not ethnic Iranians. It’s that sort of thinking that has enraged the Arab world in the last decade and created an increasingly brutal conflict between the Iran led Shia and the Saudi led Sunnis. Neither side wants to fight each other directly, at least not yet. In the meantime these proxy wars will do and the West (especially the voters) is not interested. The failure of the West to deliver the

promised post-chemical weapons use attacks has been declared a victory by the Assads. Two weeks have passed since the nerve gas killed 1,400 Syrian civilians, about a third of them children. Syria expected the air attacks and there were clear signs of this inside Syria. For example, the exchange rate for Syrian currency soon went south (with 270 Syrian pounds required to buy one dollar) but has since recovered (to about 220 pounds per dollar). Inflation is still running at about 200 percent a year and that will continue until the economy can be restored.

Iranian cash is keeping the crippled economy going in government controlled Syria (essentially Damascus, most of central and southern Syria and the coastal region) and Iranian financed mercenaries (Shia volunteers from all over and battalions of Lebanese Shia ordered into Syria by their Iran-financed Hezbollah leaders) are keeping the rebels from rolling over the demoralized Syrian armed forces. The rebels are divided by ethnicity (Kurds and Arabs), religion (Shia, Sunni, Christian, Druze and so on), tribal loyalties and politics (Islamic radicals want a religions dictatorship, most Syrians want some kind of democracy). The Islamic radical rebel militias are the most powerful but are divided into mutually hostile factions as well. Despite the obvious mutual benefits of forming a common armed opposition to the Assads the rebel factions are increasingly fighting each other. The Assad forces are more united and believe that, despite having the majority (north of 70 percent) of Syrians arrayed against them, they can prevail. This could happen, but it would be a costly and bitter victory, with more than ten percent of the population in exile outside the country and most of the Syrian population hostile and requiring a more extensive and expensive police state to keep

The death toll for overtwo years of fighting is now at least 110,000. Most of the dead are rebel fighters and pro-rebel civilians. But it is believed that 27,000 soldiers and 17,000 pro- Assad militia have also died, along with over 21,000 rebel fighters


them in line. That will have to be paid for by Iran, which has lost half its oil income in the last year because of stronger international economic sanctions (to force Iran to stop developing nukes, which Iran sees as essential for its goal of world conquest). Because of the rebel disunity, Iranian subsidies and Western repugnance the Assads have reason to believe they can prevail and preside over a ruined, resigned and resentful Syria.The rebels have long pressed the West for air support. What that sort of help did in Libya is well known but Western air power commanders point out that Syria has a larger air force and air defense system that would require a substantial effort to destroy before air support could be provided as it was in Libya. The U.S. and France are still ready and willing to carry out some air strikes, but everyone is waiting on the American leadership, which is locked in a political stalemate over whether to proceed. Large scale starvation is becoming more likely in Syria. The government

has been unable to buy food in the last few weeks because the major international suppliers do not believe the government will be able to pay. The government is scrambling to make more convincing financial arrangements, including payment in advance. This is complicated by all the economic sanctions on Iran and Syria which limit how both countries can use the international banking system.The death toll for over two years of fighting is now at least 110,000. Most of the dead are rebel fighters and pro-rebel civilians. But it is believed that 27,000 soldiers and 17,000 pro-Assad militia have also died, along with over 21,000 rebel fighters. The government has been growing more callous in its treatment of pro-rebel civilians, and civilians in general. When it was thought American air strikes were imminent some military equipment was moved to residential neighborhoods, to ensure civilian casualties if this gear was attacked. Providing the international media with images of civilians killed by American

bombs is also an essential part of the Assad victory plan. China has joined with Russia to oppose any use of foreign military force against Syria, especially in the UN. This was prompted by the recent Syrian use of chemical weapons against pro-rebel civilians. The U.S. and other NATO countries had earlier told Syria that such use of chemical weapons would bring military intervention. China and Russia have long been supporters of the Assad dictatorship, and similar tyrants around the world. China and Russia are also bitter about what happened to their old friend Kaddafi, who lost his life clinging to power in Libya two years ago. Kaddafi was largely done in by NATO providing air support. NATO is reluctant to do that for Syria because the post-Kaddafi government (and post Arab Spring governments in general) tend to be tolerant of Islamic terror groups. But the Syrian civil war is dragging on and that is becoming embarrassing for the West. Assad losing power would be an even bigger embarrassment for China and Russia.

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A Sunni dictator, Saddam Hussein, came to power in the late 1960s, and in 1980 ignored thousands of years of history (where the more powerful Iranians kick the Arabs around at will most of the time) and invades Iran.


TNM ••• 65

September 1, 2013The U.S. has ordered a carrier task force (a carrier, cruiser, nuclear sub and four destroyers) to the eastern Mediterranean. Such a force could launch over 400 cruise missiles and many more smart bombs and air-launched missiles at Syrian targets. The U.S. already has five destroyers off the Syrian coast, each armed with about fifty Tomahawk cruise missiles.

AuguSt 31, 2013Syria has declared victory over America because the threatened air strikes (because of the Assad government use of nerve gas ten days ago) have not occurred and might never happen because of political disagreements in the West.

AuguSt 30, 2013The U.S. announced that it had proof the Syrian government launched a large scale sarin nerve gas attack on a Damascus pro-rebel neighborhood. Some 1,400 people were killed and the U.S. says it has analyzed material from the neighborhood and victims and found

evidence of sarin. The UN is waiting for its analysis to be completed (in Sweden). Russia no longer denies an attack but now insists it was launched by the rebels. American analysis shows that to be highly unlikely as long range rockets were used and the evidence on the ground shows these particular weapons are only used by the government and were fired from territory controlled by the government.

AuguSt 29, 2013The British parliament voted against the government proposal to bomb Syria in retaliation for the use of nerve gas against their civilians. Such a “no vote” is rare in Britain and the last time it happened was in the aftermath of the British defeat at Yorktown in 1782 (during the American Revolution). The no vote blocked British continuation of the war in the American colonies and led to a peace treaty.

AuguSt 27, 2013The Arab League agreed that the Assad government had used nerve

gas against its own people. But the Arab countries are still unwilling to intervene militarily, feeling the risks of high losses and the subsequent embarrassment is too likely and not worth the possible benefit to the rebels. The Arabs would be willing to join in if Western nations were to intervene.

AuguSt 26, 2013The 11,400 ton Russian cruiser Moskva has been ordered to go from Venezuela (where it is paying a visit) to the coast of Syria to demonstrate Russian support for the embattled Assad government. A Russian electronic intelligence collecting ship (the SSV-201) was also ordered to the same area, apparently to monitor any American naval and air operations.Rebels (al Nusra) killed a senior Alawite (pro-government) cleric, in revenge for deaths among Sunni clergy. The dead man had been captured on August 5th when Islamic radical rebels raided into the largely Alawite coastal region.

September 1, 2013 The U.S. has ordered a carrier task force (a carrier, cruiser, nuclear sub and four destroyers) to the eastern Mediterranean. Such a force could launch over 400 cruise missiles and many more smart bombs and air- launched missiles at Syrian targets.



by IsaIah harrIs Photos by Jody LewIs, CrossfIre


Get A Grip with

Outdoor Research Ironsight

Gloves

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The key feature of these gloves is the slip-free grip pads on the palms and fingers

that are similar to wide receiver gloves.


TNM ••• 69

As an officer on the daily beat, I found myself needing some new rugged duty gloves. I thought

I would get Outdoor Research a try because I know they provide duty gloves to the United States Military. With MSRP coming in at only $39, I figured what the heck. I am reviewing these from a law enforcement perspective so a few of my points won’t be applicable to non LE, however the majority of my review applies to general users.

These gloves look great, they come in Black or Coyote and various sizes. The gloves have a bit of stretch, which makes movement feel unrestricted and natural. Outdoor Research added some cosmetic rubber to the back of the hand and the index finger, that add to the warrior look. The key feature of these gloves is the slip-free grip pads on the palms and fingers that are similar to wide receiver gloves. I put these gloves through the paces and found that the grip on these gloves makes magazine changes flawless and weapons manipulations are great. The gloves are thin enough that you can feel the subtleties of shooting; yet thick enough with extra padding on the back of the knuckles and fingertips, to protect your hands. Here in the Seattle area we are no strangers to working in the rain. Although the gloves are not waterproof, they do continue to perform while wet, not losing any grip, and are quick drying.


I put these gloves through the paces and found that the grip on these gloves makes magazine changes flawless and weapons

manipulations are great


TNM ••• 71


In a recent altercation with a suspect, I found that I was able to quickly put them on using the quick pull-tabs and my hands were protected during the scuffle. Ironically, I found I actually preferred handcuffing suspects while wearing the gloves and was able to manipulate the handcuff key to double lock the cuffs with no problem.

The tips of the fingers are wrapped in synthetic leather except for the index finger, which allows for some use of a touch screen although it’s not great. I was able to interact with my touch screen MDC in my patrol car but not my cell phone. Outdoor Research stated that full touch screen capability is coming in the next gen upgrade due out in the near future.

Here are some of my reservations and concerns. These gloves aren’t rated as



to learnmore aboutOutdoor Research

click here

TNM ••• 74

To sum it up, I would describe these

gloves as agile and shooter friendly, a

must have for patrol or shooters looking for a

good tactical glove.


TNM ••• 75

needle stick resistant, not that you should count on that to keep you safe, but it would be nice if they had an option for that. Since I have only been testing these for a short time on duty, I am not sure about the lifespan, so far I don’t see any signs of wear n’ tear but I’m concerned about the grip pads, fingertip and pull tabs wearing out. Then again at $39, if you think of them like a pair of shoes, it doesn’t seem to bad to replace every now and again. To sum it up, I would describe these gloves as agile and shooter friendly, a must have for patrol or shooters looking for a good tactical glove. If you don’t buy these for yourself, they are a great gift idea for any shooter you might know.



by Fred Mastison (Force options tactical training solutions)

photo by straight8


The

Evolution of The

AmericAnPolice

PATrol rifle


TNM ••• 79

on February 28th, 1997 a LAPD unit call for assistance with a “211 in progress” (armed robbery) and subsequent “Shots Fired – Require Backup” would forever change the law enforcement weapons culture. This

was of course the infamous North Hollywood shoot out where the LAPD ended up engaging two heavily armed suspects determined to avoid capture after a bank robbery. The two assailants were armed with fully automatic rifles while the responding officers were relegated to a variety of handguns and the rare shotgun. The two suspects were not only heavily armed, but they also utilized body armor which the police stood little chance of defeating with handguns. This situation eventually drove several officers to enter a local gun store where they secured rifles to engage the suspects. The fight continued until SWAT arrived and the suspects were stopped.

In the end there were over 2000 rounds fired by both sides and when the smoke cleared there were 18 casualties and two fatalities. This was one of the longest and bloodiest shoot outs in American law enforcement history.

The incident sent ripples through the law enforcement community around the country. It became evident that a glaring hole in firepower existed in the standard officer’s load out. Debate began and the voices of

officers began to be heard. They needed rifles. While there have always been agencies that deployed rifles with their standard patrol officers, a vast majority of agencies issued handguns and the occasional shotgun as their general weapons package. The detailed review of the events in North Hollywood however became the catalyst for agencies across the US to review their policies regarding rifles.

At first many agencies scrambled to get rifles into patrol divisions. It was a mixed bag of weaponry ranging from Ruger mini 14’s to M1 carbines. The rifle that ultimately would take center stage however was the AR15. Taking its’ cue from the military, most agencies began to adopt the AR15 as their primary duty rifle. It is light, easy to shoot and was relatively inexpensive to equip an agency with. Additionally, many officers across the country had prior military service and were already familiar with the AR15 platform. This allowed for a fairly smooth integration of the rifle into service. The evolution of the patrol rifle here in the United States was partly influenced by law enforcement agencies around the world. Progressive US agencies did their homework and looked at what their professional brothers and sisters were carrying abroad. What they found was a variety of weapons that ultimately were well thought out and appropriate for their jurisdiction. From the H&K MP5 carried by some members of the London Metropolitan Police force to the Beretta AR70/90 carried by the Italian Carabinieri.

What was ultimately concluded was that whatever rifle they chose, it had to serve in a specific role; a role that had the potential for diversity that would challenge most weapon systems. This only solidified the place of the AR15. Jump forward 16 years and we now see the current state of the rifle in law enforcement culture. It is set in stone and you would be hard pressed to get most officers to give up the comfort that a carbine brings. What is not as set in stone is the configuration and brand of rifles in service.

When I teach a law enforcement carbine classes I am prepared to see an incredible variety of rifles and set ups. From old Bushmasters with fixed carry handles to Noveskes fitted with enough hardware to land the space shuttle; I see it all. One of the reasons for this variety is that many agencies across the country allow officers to purchase their own weapons and use them on duty. They submit their request and most agencies compare it to an “approved rifle” list. While this is financially beneficial to the agency, it creates a mixed bag of hardware. Add to that the inevitable “customization” of rifles which is more a rite of passage than an option. This creates a potentially


TNM ••• 80

problematic diversity of rifles inside an agency. The biggest problem this creates is in “cross use”. Cross use is when another officer may need to deploy your weapon. They need to be as familiar with it as they are with their own. The willingness of agencies to allow such a wide spectrum of guns and modifications has the potential to come back and bite them at some point.

So what is the BEST configuration for an AR15 Police Patrol Rifle? This is an age old question that I have been getting for years. My response is pretty straight forward and is based on seeing thousands of rifles come though my classes. As with many things in the firearms world, there are different opinions but this is what I preach. Here is my primary 10 points for rifle selection.• Choose a solid manufacturer. The old adage of you

get what you pay for is absolutely true. If the gun only costs $500.00, there is a reason for that.

• Unless you have a mission specific reason, go with a 16” barrel. This provides the best balance between muzzle velocity, accuracy and size.

• Choose a rifle chambered for both 5.56 and .223 (yes, there is a difference). This will make the weapon flexible to work with different ammunition the department is purchasing at that time.

• Choose a collapsible stock. This allows the gun to be better fit to the individual operator. Note: Store the rifle with the stock in the position you need it. If you are forced to pull a rifle out, you do not want to be wasting time getting your stock set up.

• Choose a flat top optic ready rifle. This makes it much simpler to install optics. See point number 6.

• Mount professional quality optics on the rifle. I

Aboutthe AuthorFred Mastison is the owner and senior instructor of Force Options Tactical Training Solutions. Mr. Mastison has been actively training law enforcement, military and civilians for over 25 years. He holds over 16 different P.O.S.T course certifications around the country and is a regular instructor in Europe. He is a LE Certifying Instructor in handgun, patrol rifle, shotgun and sub machine gun. He can be found atwww.ForceOptionsUSA.com


TNM ••• 81

suggest red dot sights that allow the user to shoot with both eyes open.

• Install back up iron sights. In the event an optic goes down, the fight must continue.

• Install a good sling. If the deployment of the rifle goes on or if you need to have your hands free, a sling will be a priceless addition.

• Attached a white light. I encourage a light that has a temporary on/off function as well as an “On” switch.

• Use Pmags or other reliable polymer magazine. Metal magazines are prone to failure.

There are obviously more detailed points that are discussed regarding rifle choice such as triggers and special bolt carrier groups. These topics however are not generally applicable to law enforcement rifles. There are only so many modifications that an agency

can do to a rifle before they start dancing around the liability issue. Unless you have a very progressive agency, you will be required to keep the internals of the rifle as stock. Maintained and oiled, these weapons will serve agencies well for years.

It has been said that a handgun is nothing more than a weapon to help you fight your way to a rifle. That phrase has some merit. The world is a dangerous place and those who choose to wear a badge step into that danger on a daily basis. The addition of patrol rifles to an officers’ available equipment is nothing but a positive in my mind. Our hope is that it is never deployed, but if a North Hollywood event should happen again, I know that agencies across the US and around the world are better prepared to engage and stop the threat.



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By Mike Haytack (eaGLeLeMent) - PHoto: Mike Haytack

Spain’s Association of Police Shooting Instructor’s (AEITP) core mission is to rigorously and independently test, evaluate, certify and report on materials and equipment specifically developed for police use. This past May the AEITP conducted these tasks on CORTAC’s CTAV

and the results were impressive.

The CTAV is a passive microclimate cooling and blunt trauma attenuation device that retrofits current concealable and tactical body armor. The CTAV’s thin, lightweight construction harnesses two technologies: Advanced Impact Resistance (AIR) Technology™ and EverDry™ nanocrystal surface technology. AIR is a pressurized dual air-chamber system created by various coated textiles. Air chambers run throughout the body of the application and are inflated using a small pump. AIR facilitates passive microclimate cooling while providing blunt trauma protection from ballistic and non-ballistic impacts. EverDry™ surface structure facilitates rapid sweat evaporation while acting as a moisture barrier keeping the armor dry and the operator cooler in hot operational environments while preventing chills and excessive moisture build-up in cold environments. Combined, these features allow the body and existing base layers to respond more efficiently to increases in body temperature; essentially creating a thermoregulated microclimate between you and your armor.

AEITP TEsT And EvAluATIon of ThE CTAvAEITP officials conducted both comfort and ballistic tests as part of their evaluation. During comfort testing police officers wore standard issue Level IIIA outer ballistic vests for 100 hours in 30° C. Tests were conducted without CTAV and with the CTAV attached to the inside of the vest carrier.

Evaluators measured a slight increase in overall thickness of 1 cm but noted the CTAV eventually conformed to the shape of the torso and armor. One of the more important observations during

Leading innovation in Body armor appLication”


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comfort test concluded that “In tactical exercises with rapid and violent motion, the CTAV did not impede range of motion and it stayed in place. The CTAV panel matched the exact measurement and shape of the Level IV ceramic plate, thus was a perfect adaptation.”

The comfort comparison was measured by the level of sweat absorbed by clothing, weighing the shirt at the beginning of each session and again at the end of it. Using CTAV by CORTAC, absorbed sweat inside the shirt was reduced by 38% while test subjects reported relief from the discomfort normally associated with the heat and moisture trapped between body armor and torso. There was a distinct and noticeable improvement in the comfort of wearing the armor with the CTAV.

During ballistic testing AEITP positioned the CTAV behind a military style Level III vest panel with a 30mm polyfoam backer. They chose the polyfoam backer instead of Roma Plastilina #1 clay backer to create and maintain an unalterable impact footprint that can easily be compared during the “with and without CTAV” testing. AEITP used the 9mm 123 gr Fiocchi (375.5 m/s).

The average diameter impact without CTAV is 96 mm, while

mean diameter using the CTAV is 78.5 mm, also, the depth of trauma achieved without the CTAV is 12.5 mm and 9.25 mm using the CTAV from CORTAC. Trauma reduction is observed and measured to represent a 26% reduction of trauma using the CTAV system.

AEITP found a significant reduction in wearer body temperature as well as a positive reduction in blunt trauma, and as a result have formally recommended the use of the CTAV for all law enforcement personnel in Spain. AEITP has also coordinated with Spanish Special Forces units deployed in Afghanistan to conduct additional field-testing. Watch for CORTAC to leverage these positive

test results as they expand into additional European, Middle Eastern, and North African markets. The CTAV retrofit system, as well as, the CTAV Shirt Carrier System (SCS)™ and CTAV integrated tactical vests and plate carriers are also available in the U.S. via the company website, www.cortac.com.

CORTAC is a Hendersonville, TN based manufacturer that utilizes advanced materials science and engineering to deliver products proven to improve the health, survivability and daily comfort of military and law enforcement professionals.

to learnmore about

CORTAC

click here

TNM ••• 85


tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fi fitn

HisaRDUt KRaV MaGaDefenDinG YOURself aGainsta GUn tOtHe HeaD

tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fi fitn

Yoni DahanMaster in Sport Education and Self Defense Yoni Dahan began his Martial Arts training in Europe when he was ten years old. As a teenager he had the opportunity to participate in and win The Karate Shotokai Competition and other tournaments held throughout France. After developing a strong base in Traditional Martial Arts (Karate, Judo, Budo), Yoni began to learn Hisardut Krav Maga, a reality based Israeli self defense system developed by World Champion and eighth Degree Black belt Hanshi Moti Horenstein.

Today Yoni Dahan is an instructor at Moti Horenstein’s Hisardut Krav Maga in North Miami Beach for children and adults and he is also the International Representative for the organization spreading Hisardut Krav Maga throughout the world. Yoni Dahan was awarded International Instructor of the Year in 2012 & 2013 as well as International Ambassador of Hisardut Krav Maga by the World Head of Family Sokeship Council.

When he is not in the dojo, Yoni is sharing his hard work and knowledge with State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.

l

tnM ••• 088

tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tacti

1Cooperate with the attacker Bring your hands up as close to the gun as possible

3Point the gun towards your opponent’s chest

2Moves simultaneously:

• Bend your knees and keep eye contact.

• Grab the gun barrel with two hands.

• Maintain control of the barrel and Push the gun up to be out of the line of fire

l

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tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tactical fitness tacti

6Check the magazineReload - stay in position

4Push the barrel towards him hitting hard on his chest

5Take a step back

removing the gun out of his hands

SUBJECT :Trip rEporT for TNM iN CoopEraTioN wiTh TMr parTiCipaTioNfroM 22-25 JULY 2013 aT 5fT SpECiaL forCES workShop, GüSTrow, GErMaNY.

1. pUrpoSE

To summarize TNM &TMR involvement/observation in workshop, and present a short description and result of the tests carried-out, and the product presented by the different Companies.

2. GENEraL

The TNM & TMR goals in attending the 5th Special Forces Workshop were to provide a Tactical Ropes workshop (TMR) and provide to our readers (TNM) a small view on this event, which has successfully arrived at its 5th edition.

29 JULY 2013

MEMORANDUMFOR TNM ReadeRs

Konstanz, Germany 48762; attn: Law enforcement / miLitary personneL.

report from report from report from report from report from report from report from report from repor


The Special Forces Workshop was carried out for the first time in 2009. In the past 4 years it has grown rapidly in terms of attending units and companies. During such events attendees have the opportunity to gather together and acquire better knowledge of the newest techniques, the latest equipment needs and the unique opportunity to test the equipment presented by several leading companies. TNM considers the “privacy” of all attendees (both Trainers and Trainees)

of primary importance and therefore we will cover the event without compromising the identity of the main actors. The event was open only to Law enforcement and Military members.

During the three day workshop, specialists in diverse shooting techniques (long and short distances, pistol, shot guns and sniper rifle systems) participated in different events and carried out several training actions and tests.

The participants came from German, Swiss, US, Austrian Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg Special Police Units. It was therefore possible to carry out a performance comparison, with short and long weapons, in weapons handling, and shooting accuracy, all within realistic stress inducing scenarios.

Training methods, old and new, were debated, suggestions for shooting training were exchanged, and a common experience and information on innovation (regarding the rapidly developing world of weapons and shooting technique) was discussed.

3. aTTENdEES

A. TNMDanilo AMELOTTI Editor Assistant & PR ManagerNorbert Ciano, TNM content Creator and owner of TMR Company (one of the companies providing work shops).

B. UNIT: PArTIcIPANT• SEK Teams from Germany• KSK Germany (Army)• GSG9 Germany• SWAT Team from Switzerland• SWAT Team Minneapolis USA• SWAT Team from Luxemburg • SWAT Team from Belgium • SWAT Team from Holland• SWAT Team from Austria• POLICE Forces from Germany and all other

countries


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c. cOMPANIES:• RUAG Swiss• STEINER OPTIC GmbH• SINN Germany• TACTICS GROUP (Germany)• SCHMEISSER / SCHUMACHER GmbH (Germany)• ISS-Protectionade International School & Services

GmbH• ZENTAURON• BERETTA HOLDING (Benelli / Sako Manfred Alberts

GmbH)• CEO TRONICS• SIERRA-313• AVON Protection• CARL WALTHER GmbH• 3M PELTOR• SOLDATENAUSRÜSTUNG.DE• GLOCK• HAENEL / CARACAL / MERKEL

• 5.11• HAIX SCHUHE• HOFMANN / BLACKHAWK / OUTDOOR MARKETING

INTERNATIONAL GmbH• CASSIDIAN OPTRONICS GmbH• MEN Nassau• PIEXON AG• NST• MEHLER• BONOWI GmbH• SCHMIDT&BENDER

4. SiGNifiCaNT EvENTS/hiGhLiGhTS

During the first two days, several trainings/workshops and weapons tests were carried out. All participants received extensive time to evaluate new products and learn and improve shooting, breaching and tactical movement techniques.

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5. prESENTaTioN

Ballistics test with MEN ammunition shooting at an Airbus 320/330 cockpit windows and Class 4 plates, Stand E. During the tests APS ammunition was fired from a distance of 100m, to demonstrate its ability to penetrate the cockpit glass and hit a target positioned 1m behind the glass. The point of aim and point of impact difference was1cm.

NST, pyrotechnic products, smoke and irritating body, presentation of the company NST• Product portfolio (irritation, color smoke, smoke

grenades, ammunition 37/38mm/40mm/76mm irritation, flare ammunition, body simulation, BOND, NMI)

• Presentation of the newly developed drug NMI (NANO molecular Irritant) and associated application versions (hand throwing body pack system, FZ protection system, building protection system, 40mm/76mm ammunition)

• CS fine dispersion is obtained by evaporation. The advantage is less CS drug, no CS induced injuries are possible, active time 15-20 minutes after complete absorption of the ingredients by outside air and therefore no long-term surface contamination as with previous CS agents.

• Live Demo (irritation, color, NMI hand throwing body, body simulation)

• NST and Alpha Armouring present the vehicle protection system BOND and NMI.

Hornady Ballistics test, modeled on the FBI test for ammunition, Stand A. Listed below are the 4 tests executed. The topic was Modern use ammunition, taking into account a possible “back country” risk, by Auto Glass.

9 mm Luger : 135 cD+P : • Deflection through car glass (10 m distance 45

degree angle to glass, target 50 cm behind the glass), each 5 rounds

• Energy transfer in ballistic soap through car glass (10 m distance 90 degree angle to glass, target 50 cm behind the glass), each 1 round

.223 remington: 40 TAP Urban:• Deflection through car glass (25 m distance 45



.308 Winchester: 110 TAP Urban• Deflection through car glass (50-100 m distance

45 degree angle to glass, target 50 cm behind the glass), each 5 rounds

• Energy transfer in ballistic soap through car glass (50-100 m distance 90 degree angle to glass, target 50 cm behind the glass), each 1 round

.300 Winchester Magnum: 168 A-MAX / GMX Superformance• Deflection through car glass (100 m distance 45



Piexon, irritant and defense spray • Chest and head fire (blue)• Contamination (OC yellow) on the target, I’ll put

myself next to the window, and then I’ll let the audience breathe directly on the target.

• JPX use in harsh environments, confined spaces, vehicles, etc. (Blue)

• Defense from close range / body shot (blue)

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“Voluntary ago”!• Fast reload drills.• Shot of face zone distance of 4m, blue or yellow OC,

depending on volunteers. After the Q & A and user can himself on the discs (blue)

“Ballistic Protection” work workshop provided by Mehler Law Enforcement GmbH:• Ballistic protection” in the form of a presentation

with working meeting• Ideas from manufacturers and users for ballistic

protection• STS vest, outer shell, gear bags, soft and hard

ballistics, ball Shields and 7.62 x 51 hard core shot.

6. workShopS

Handgun with the use of pistol Walther PPQ (Instructor from Baltic Defense Academy) (500 rounds)

• Training with the handgun in dynamic shooting, dot drills, motion shooting, quickly emerging targets (vertical and horizontal), shooting at, above and behind barricades

2.KW Glock provided by Austrian Police Instructors (500 rounds)• Dynamic Handgun, police shooting techniques,

training at the final shootout, weak and strong Shoots, motion shooting.

MP5, (MP5 LuxDefTac and handgun caracal F) LKA SEc BrB,• 350 rounds of 9x19, soft core• Workshop - Basic Tactical training with short / long

gun and use of equipment: (equipment and rifles from Caracal Company)

• General Section• Basic Training with handgun / long gun (without the

use of equipment)


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• Tactical Basic Training (with equipment)• Small tactical positions / team training

SWAT Minnesota, Entry Tactics, 250 rounds of 9x19• The instructor is member of the Minnesota SWAT

Team (20 years of service and 1500 operations in areas of severe violent crimes), specialized in entry and penetration into buildings techniques.

• High-Risk Warrant Service “Room Clearing Tactics”.• Dynamic penetration into training rooms (4

hours) designed specifically for SWAT/SEK team members who must enforce arrest warrants or enter premises where a significant Potential hazard is expected. The training includes access planning, use of irritation and access technology, and methods for Management of the operation (including dynamic penetration, access technologies and Introduction to hostage rescue missions).

Long weapons in the near distance, Ar-15, ATc, 250

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shot .223 (5,56 x45), soft-core.• Shooting at close range in conjunction with

magazine changes. • Training with FX in confined spaces, in response to

attacker.• Team training.

caracal 816 assault rifle in caliber 5,56 x45, dynamic and different distances, 350 shot .223 (5,56 x45), soft-core.• Basics: stance, grip, bend from, Fast shots, reload

drills, tactical shooting, alternate target, shooting from cover, short-term goals long-term goals, right-left positioning, Disturbance drills, move and shot, shooting on movers, barricade drills, Magazine change and reloading.

Tactical shotgun, Benelli M4, 50 slugs, 100 shot • Contents: practice with the gun, after loading

techniques, difficult shooting positions, defensive dogs, Use of different types of ammunition, general handling.

Precision Shooting trainings up to 300m distance, Sako TrG M10, 100 rounds .308 (7,62 x51) Win Mag. Soft core ammunition• Shoot from different distances and positions, time

management for fast shots, Moving Targets.

ropes Techniques by Norbert ciano, TMrContents of the workshop:• Anchor points: The link between an anchor point and

the operator using a rope algorithm system, which allowed to create an anchor point able to keep heavy duty also with the use of multiple safe anchor points.

• Shooting positions from ropes• Tactical rope access.

car shooting F. T., Baltic Defense, 250 shot, soft core• Car-shoot, everything about cars • Level I: Coverings, rapid retreat from the vehicle in-

flow of traffic, fast respond to the moving attacker vehicle, detach from tunnel vision, shooting out from and under the vehicle, change of point of impact in windshield fire with the use of different ammunition.

• Level II: team exercises, evasion from the vehicle, communication, withdrawal techniques, covers from outside of the vehicle (curb)

Tactical emergency medicine • “Stop the bleeding”, rapid medical First aid after

gunshot wounds, introduction to the basics of tactical Use of medicine (TEMS) for use by special forces officers with no medical training,

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Short-handed weapon and shooting hand, 350 rounds of 9x19, soft core• Handed, hands-on training with the handgun in a

variety of distances• Basics of the one-handed shooting in theory and

practice• Shooting with handgun on steel targets at various

distances (weak and strong hand).• Quick and practical switching weapons in the

corresponding hand• Reloading techniques, loading techniques, and

Troubleshooting

MP5, by Police Karlsruhe instructor, 350 rounds of 9x19, soft coreContents:• Optimization of carrying methods, Correct

positioning, safe weapon handling (muzzle control).• Single fire / fire bursts and duration• Different drill’s in single fire / burst fire and

automatic fire• Shooting from the movement• Fire from cover

7. ChaLLENGE

The last day of the Workshop have been dedicated at a challenge. The challenge covered all practice gather during the previous two days, and length for the whole day. At the end of the challenge have been drawn 5 rankings:

•Overall ranking: 1st GSG9-1, 2nd SEK M/V-1, 3rd GSG9-2

• SEK / SWAT Team: 1st GSG9-1, 2nd MEK S-H, 3rd SEK M/V-1

• SEK / SWAT individual: 1st USA, 2nd GSG9-3, 3rd GSG9-3

• Police TEAM: 1st BPol-1, 2nd BFE M/V-2, 3rd Bayern 2• Police Individual: 1st BFE M/V-1, 2nd Bayern-2, 3rd

BRB M/V

8. SpoNSorS aNd MEdia parTNEr

• ERA Tec• SE-V e V the self-help club after serious accidents

in special units• SINN Spezialuhren• BEST EQUIPMENT• EXTREMA RATIO• TACTICAL NEWS MAGAZINE International• CALIBER MAGAZINE• KOMMANDO MAGAZINE


tNm ••• 102

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SAKO TrG M10This Sniper Rifle was released on the market about one year ago. As mention by the manufacturer, his main purpose is to provide soldiers and Law enforcement officers with a simple and rugged sniper weapon system. The Sniper system has been designed to have Modular Multi Caliber Capability enabling the operator to change barrel and caliber in field conditions within minutes (without the use of any special tools or equipment). It is available in 308 Win, 300 Win Mag and 338 Lapua Mag. During my test I used the SAKO TRG M10 sniper system chambered in 308, with a 656mm or 26 inch barrel (4 grooves 1/11’) and a magazine of 11 rounds. It was clear to me, while approaching the range, that the people shooting and training where not professional snipers. They were attending the training provided by one of the most experienced Snipers of the German Police SWAT. While waiting for my turn to shoot I had the time to get some feed back about the rifle from

my fellow shooters. All of them seemed to be happy with the rifle, describing how easy and comfortable it was to shoot with it. Finally my turn came and since I was stepping into their training section, I had to shoot in the sitting supported by tripod position, which is not one of my favorites! All snipers know that it’s not always easy to become immediately confortable with a new weapon. Very often it requires some time before one can find the right distance from the scope, position for the stalk, and confidence with the trigger. This did not happened with SAKO TRG M10. As soon as I got into position, I was pleasantly surprise by the immediate good feel this SAKO transmitted. I required just a few seconds to find the right adjustment for the rifle, and although not really comfortable with the sitting position, I was able to take that first shot. Another surprise was the low recoil and the stability of the weapon. I had almost no recoil, which allowed me to fire the second shot in rapid sequence. Of course both rounds went into the bull’s

9. TEST BY TNM

AS MENTIONED BEFORE, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PERSONALLy TEST SEVERAL OF THE PRODUCTS PRESENTED AT THE WORKSHOP. IN THIS SECTION I AM GOING TO PROVIDE A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF EACH TEST.


eye. I fired the 11 rounds at my disposal rapidly and accurately on my target, achieving an overall optimal feeling with the weapon system. Another important detail concern the position of the primary safety. All snipers and firearms people know that the first safety is the shooter’s finger. Well SAKO underlined this by positioning the safety right in front of the trigger. When the sniper decides to shoot, it’s natural and easy for his finger to release the safety before pulling the trigger.The great comfort and easy handling of the weapon was also noted and demonstrated by other shooters in attendance. Perhaps, our colleague Norbert Ciano provided a good example.

Considering that his experience with firearms began last year and that this was his second time behind a sniper rifle, his 11 rounds fired on the bull’s eye

from 300m distance is testament to the fact that this rifle has great handling and is suitable for non-experienced shooters. The accuracy of the weapon was confirmed when Norbert scored 11 more bull’s eyes from the prone position.!! Finally, I can confirm that the caliber conversion system adopted by SAKO TRG M10 is really easy, safe and quick. In fact starting with the easy recognition of the right kit, provided by a distinctive visual and tactile indicator of the respective caliber (grooves on


tNm ••• 104

barrels and bolt bodies, and circles on magazine base plates) and ending with the bolt featured with a built in hook wrench and torx key, that allows the sniper to change the caliber with no other tools required.My overall feeling is that SAKO TRG M10 is a wonderful sniper system that is up to date with Law Enforcement and Military mission requirements.

WALTHEr PPQ and PPSAfter a long time talking about these pistols I finally got the chance to shoot them. Again, due to time constraints and the many people present, I had the opportunity to fire just two magazines each, but with my 23 years of SF experience, I consider this a good primary test. More than describing the material components of the pistol, I would like to focus on the shooting test starting with the PPQ. The immediate difference between this pistol and other pistols with polymer components, is that I really di not feel a change in the balance of the pistol. With other pistols, as the magazine empties one begins to feel a difference in balance as the center of gravity moves toward the barrel. With the PPQ this effect was completely absent. Same positive feeling was with the trigger, both for single rounds or when doubling the shots. Although I am a bit rusty on pistol shooting, I was able to group 15 rounds, in rapid sequence, in just 5 cm (where the center of the grouping was my point of aim) from 7m distance. The general handling was very good, also thanks to the grip, which was always naturally positioned in my hand. The smaller PPS had few differences when compare to the PPQ. Of course the 7 round magazine and the reduced size, allow concealed work more so than with the primary pistol. Although in this case the main balance of the pistol did move toward the barrel as the mag emptied, it maintained the same accuracy and stability down to the last round. The reduced size, especially the grip, worried me when handling the weapon. It wasn’t very comfortable in my hand. Generally speaking I found the PPQ a very good primary pistol. I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy, trigger, balance and handling. The PPS, is the perfect size for concealment.

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MFS (EU market) or M26 M.A.S.S. SystemA shotgun is a must in any SWAT/anti terrorism operation. It is in fact, very much used when it comes to opening a doors or stopping a big target! However, in my experience, I learned that very often its role is quite reduced. After having used it to open a door its role gets relegated to the back and the operator finds himself in the last position of the team. With this new weapon, all that changes! The MFS is a shotgun that can be used in three


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different configurations: with pistol grip, with collapsible stock or mounted underneath an M4. Its reduced size, the “normal” magazine, and the reloading speed means it loses all the disadvantages of a normal shotgun. The caliber remains the same easily fits in as a spare weapon, both attached to the M4 in use, or as a secondary separate weapon.I had the opportunity to see it in action and shoot a few rounds… wow, was my first word after shooting it… recoil was almost absent. I was able to reload as

fast as if it was a semiautomatic. An easy movement with my left hand on the cocking rod was enough to extract the brass and reload a new round, all this in under a second.

The magazine allowed me to make just a quick reload without wasting any time. It also comes with a retractable accessory, the standoff device for ballistic breaching, which allows the operator to put the rifle directly on the door. My overall evaluation of this shotgun is to give it top points, in fact, the small dimension, the reduced weight and the ability to be mounted underneath an M4, makes MFS very interesting and valuable tool for any SWAT / antiterrorism or military team.

AVON c50 with EZ-AIr systemIn my 23 years of service in the Italian SF I always hated to wear a gas mask and I am sure many of you will agree. Fogging, difficulties in breathing, moving, operating, and the limited field of view, are the most annoying factors that each operator must face while wearing a gas mask. At the Baltic Shooting range I changed my mind. The last day of workshop was dedicated to a Challenge. One of the stations, supported by AVON, focused in the use of a gas mask.

The teams had to run through 7 different positions, (sniper shooting, shooting from a car, shot gun, stalking through a pipe, unstable platforms) the whole time wearing the mask, and of course trying to score the highest number of hits in the shortest time possible. Well I admit that it would have been challenging also for the most trained operator! In addition to all this was the weather factor, the challenge was held in an open area, with about

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MG3 KWS The KWS upgrade significantly improves the MG3’s combat effectiveness as well

as operator safety. Without impairing the system’s basic functions and features – a very high rate of fire and outstanding

reliability – the new components result in numerous improvements


35ºC (95°F) in a strong sun. In such conditions, any operator would have been at least preoccupied more with the mask limitations than with the shooting challenge itself. The AVON distribution point was manned by a gentleman and a nice lady, Giulia, which I believe were sent over to help persuade the operators in testing the masks. But in the end, I had to change my mind in several things. At the beginning of the exercise I noticed that all the operators wearing the masks wear comfortably moving ahead from their starting time. My first thought was that they obviously had time to get used to the mask and solve the main issues

of fogging and breathing ahead of the competition. The fact that they where just relaxing and talking through the microphone incorporated in the mask raised my curiosity. I also noted a strange quiet noise coming for the filter (connected to the mask with a long pipe and positioned on the belt of the operators). That was the moment I decided to go, and in spite of myself, try the mask. Giulia was very helpful in showing me how to overcome my prejudices of that hated “object” the gas mask. She first showed me the component parts of the C50 AVON Mask. The visor is made in polyurethane and it is highly flexible, scratch resistant and with almost natural and full field of view. The actual mask is made of chloro butyl silicone and comes in three sizes and is very light. It is very comfortable to wear even for long periods of time, it has a high seal capability with pre-adjusted buckles and a high flow fail-safe drinking

device. The communication system is mounted in the front mounted exhale valve. An optional Voice Projection Unit (VPU) with internal microphone is available and easily connects via an electronic communication port (ECP) to an external communications system, also known as the Darth Vader System. The EZ-AIR airflow system delivers cooler, purified air directly to the mask. After familiarizing with the mask components, I then put the C50 AVAON on. From the outset, the easy donning and the limited weight surprised me. Giulia attached the mask to the EZ-Air system. In spite of my hesitation, I immediately appreciated the great quality of the C50. My field of view was almost the same as

without the mask. The external temperature, the sun and a short run were unable to cause any fogging. The mask felt “natural”. The enthusiasm of the teams coming off the shooting course was testament to the quality of the mask and the success of the tests. All where happy with the result and the comfort of the C50 and the only concern was the battery operated air system and the noise coming from it. The specifications of the C50 state an 8 hour running time for the battery. In any case, if the electronics fail or the batteries run out the only loss is the cooling of the air. Breathing is of course guaranteed. Noise is an issue only if operating in a completely silent area otherwise it is barely noticeable. My overall opinion is that the C50 is a really valuable and professional product, and as I told to Giulia, I wish I had the C50 long time ago.


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10. NEwS froM ThE MarkET prESENTEd aT ThE work Shop:

During the workshop, TACTICS GROUP presented for the first time on the international Market two new products:

TAT3D Target and the MG3 KWS(combat Performance Upgrade)TAT3D was designed and manufactured by scanning human models with special optical equipment. The resulting product has realistic 3 dimensional form and proportions that allows the creation of realistic scenarios. Suitable training for selective shooting, dynamic shooting and Close combat training. There was no space to allow operators to train with these targets and only one model was available. In any case, most operators judged the targets as a valuable training and realistic training tool.

MG3 KWS The KWS upgrade significantly improves the MG3’s combat effectiveness as well as operator safety. Without impairing the system’s basic functions and features – a very high rate of fire and outstanding reliability – the new components result in numerous improvements, ranging from fire control to day and night target acquisition. The enhanced performance MG3 is safer to transport when maneuvering from one fighting position to another, as well as when firing on the move or from prepared field fortifications. Moreover, it takes full account of new operational scenarios and situations, together with current and projected personal equipment modules. Importantly, all current adapters and mountings will remain 100% usable. This also applies to the pintle mounts used for door-gunner applications in helicopters.

11. rECoMMENdaTioNS

It is my belief that more and more SWAT, Police and also Army SF units should attend the workshop in combination with more companies. Such events represent one of the most valuable and beneficial moments for both companies and units. They are a unique opportunity to train and discuss at the same time directly with the producer about the possible problems/changes of each product, an opportunity that no unit should ever miss. 12. poiNTS of CoNTaCT

[email protected]@tacticalnewsmagazine.eu 13. SUMMarY/waY ahEad

Although this was the very first time for me at the Special Forces Workshop, I really appreciated the professionalism of the organizer. All events were well coordinated and organized, allowing all participants to get the maximum benefit from the time spent in there. The attending Companies were also very satisfy with this unique workshop. This sort of event is very valuable since it allows them the opportunity to present their products and test their products to a wider audience. Attendees and organizers told me that the workshop started for the first time in 2009 and has grown rapidly in the 5 years. Gathering pace and numbers year by year more operators and companies are committing to attending the workshops. The foundations are there for the 2014 event.

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Big fat BOOKOf the .45 acP

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about America’s favorite handgun cartridge!

Designed nearly a century ago, the .45 ACP cartridge has earned a well-deserved reputation as a superbly accurate, slap-em-down handgun cartridge. An honored veteran of two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and lesser conflicts across the globe, the .45 ACP is now more popular than ever for competition shooting, law enforcement and self-defense. Now, just in time for the .45 ACPs 100th anniversary, handgun expert Pat Sweeney gives us the inside scoop on America’s favorite big-bore cartridge.

If you own a handgun or carbine chambered for the big .45, or if you’re considering buying on, you’ll find everything you need in theGun Digest Big Fat Book of the .45 ACP.

It’s all here:• The origins of the .45 ACP and the guns that use it• Reloading tips, tricks and techniques• The inside story of .45 ACP cases, bullets, primers

and powder• And so much more!

Author: Patrick Sweeney

Format: 15x23Pages: 399Publisher: Gun Digest Books, 2009

the Mauserself-lOadingPistOl The history of Mauser pistols, begins with a survey of the original inventors and carries the perfection of the weapon into the production era. The variations of the M96 are covered as well as the numerous experimental models which got little beyond the experimental state. The Spanish and Chinese copies as well as the pocket models are described, including the carbines with pistol mechanisms. A concise book of the Mauser. Harbound, well illustrated, 20 pages, 8 1/2X11.

Author: James N. Belford - Jack Dunlap

Format: 21,5x28Pages: 208Publisher: Pioneer Press, 2000

tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical BOOK tactical B

nOrMarelOadingManualThe Norma Reloading Manual is a comprehensive guide with more than 2,000 loads for 73 rifle cartridges. It also contains chapters full of detailed information on reloading components, the reloading process and articles by renowned firearms experts.

Author: AA. VV.

Format: 17x25Pages: 432Publisher: Norma Precision AB, 2004

MOdern handtO hand cOMBat.The effecTive baTTlefield proximiTy combaT TrainingsysTemToday’s ground soldier can carry up to 60 pounds of equipment. The trade off for this protection is a lack of mobility. In a close proximity situation, the modern combat soldier is at a decided disadvantage compared to his more nimble opponent. In “Modern Hand to Hand Combat,” Isler, a veteran soldier who served in Iraq, has blended the ancient techniques of the samurai--warriors carrying 60 pounds of armor--with the battlefield combat needs of today’s modern soldier. Step-by-step instructions are provided, illustrating how to effectively deal with life and death situations through movements and principles that have held true since the time of the samurai. With almost three hundred illustrations and a detailed DVD, the guidelines and instructions in this book can greatly enhance the fighters’ ability to survive in combat.

Author: Hakim Isler

Format: 20x26 +DVDPages: 126Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2010

to buy thesebooksclick here

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Warning: ATVs can be hazardous to operate. Polaris adult models are for riders age 16 and older. Polaris youth models of 90cc for riders 10 and older. Polaris youth models of 50cc for riders 6 and older. For your safe-ty, always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing, and be sure to take a safety training course. For safety and training information in the U.S., call the SVIA at (800) 887-2887. You may also contact your Polaris dealer or call Polaris at (800) 342-3764. For safety training in Canada, contact your local Polaris dealer. ©2013 Polaris Industries Inc.

GS-07F-0398M

Introducing the Sportsman® MV 850, our next generation military ATV. Featuring integrated electronic power steering for more control and less rider fatigue and the same black-out drive lighting, keyless ignition and litter rack capability found on the MV700. Still not convinced this was built for the military? We’ve tilt table tested it to a slope of over 62 percent. For durability, we’ve designed a single forward gear that can tow 1500 pounds or reach a top speed of over 50 MPH. Its formed steel cargo racks have 80 anchor points and can carry 600 pounds of gear, and at full payload, you can drive 30 miles with no air pressure and 175 miles before you have to add a single drop of fuel. TRY FINDING THESE FEATURES ON A CONSUMER ATV. For more information on our toughest military ATV ever, log on to polarisdefense.com/MV850 or call 1-866-468-7783.

THIS ONE ISN’T BUILT FOR THE FARM.

IT’S BUILT FOR THE FIGHT.

tnM ••• 0116WWW.MILRECOTC.COM

BASED UPON 35 YEARSOF INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE !

We do understand that units do not want to send their NCO’s away for longer than necessary. That is why we compiled the course into one week.

On request, the course can be given in your unit.

A. Provide future instructors with the ability to create, implement and main-tain a Recognition course/training in their unit.

B. Familiarize future instructors with the fundamentals of the new software. C. Teach future instructors how to create classes, reviews, tests, exercises

and conduct practical training.

D. Through practical exercises, develop the instuctor’s skills to understand the Recognition environment, to teach, acquire and work with the tools.

E. Provide units with a qualified instructor.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US.

TRAIN THE TRAINER COURSE

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