thedrifter
03-07-09, 08:22 AM
New helmets, rifle eyed by Corps
By Julia LeDoux
Published: March 7, 2009
Marines could soon have new helmets and rifles in their arsenal.
Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commanding general of Marine Corps Systems Command, told those attending the Feb. 26 Marine Corps Association Luncheon at the Springfield Hilton that his command is moving ahead with an effort to procure and evaluate prototypes of an enhanced combat helmet in line with a directive from Commandant Gen. James Conway, who speaks frequently about his desire for a helmet that stops a more significant threat.
“We have fairly good confidence, in fact we’ve seen some prototypes that were done on a first round research and development effort conducted jointly with the United States Army, that we will be able to achieve the comman-dant’s desire,” he continued.
Marine Corps System Command serves as the Commandant’s principal agent for equipping the operating forces to accomplish their war fighting mission. According to a pre-solicitation notice released on Feb. 25, Marine Corps System Command is interested in investigating a helmet “capable of meeting all current combat helmet requirements, but exhibiting significantly improved ballistic performance (minimum 35 percent increase compared to current minimums) against fragmentation, handgun and small arms threats.”
The government anticipates making multiple contract awards, and the prototypes will be subject to numerous tests, according to the notice.
Brogan said that Conway recently told him he wants the helmets in a relatively short time span.
“I was in the uncomfortable position of telling him that, ‘we just can’t go as fast as you’d like us to go, sir, but I understand your intent and we’ll pull out all the stops,” he said.
Brogan then went on to tell attendees at the luncheon that the effort to field the Infantry Automatic Rifle or IAR is further along than the effort to field the enhanced combat helmet. IARs made by four different companies are now going through tests that will determine how accurate they are.
“Then we’re going to put them in the hands of users and they’ll go through limited user evaluation, so the operator gets a vote,” he explained. “It’s not just a bunch of guys sitting in Marine Corps Systems Command deciding which weapon we’re going to equip the automatic rifleman in the infantry squads and our fire teams with.”
Brogan stressed that the IAR is intended to be used by scouts in light armored reconnaissance battalions and will also serve as automatic rifleman’s weapon in infantry squadrons. It is not designed to replace the squad automatic weapon, or SAW.
“[The SAW] has a tremendous volume of fire, but it is not nearly as accurate as a rifle,” Brogan said. “And, it’s heavy, it’s belt-fed, so the ammunition interoperability in the squad is hampered. So, for all those reasons, the Ma-rine Corps is procuring an infantry automatic rifle.”
Ellie
By Julia LeDoux
Published: March 7, 2009
Marines could soon have new helmets and rifles in their arsenal.
Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commanding general of Marine Corps Systems Command, told those attending the Feb. 26 Marine Corps Association Luncheon at the Springfield Hilton that his command is moving ahead with an effort to procure and evaluate prototypes of an enhanced combat helmet in line with a directive from Commandant Gen. James Conway, who speaks frequently about his desire for a helmet that stops a more significant threat.
“We have fairly good confidence, in fact we’ve seen some prototypes that were done on a first round research and development effort conducted jointly with the United States Army, that we will be able to achieve the comman-dant’s desire,” he continued.
Marine Corps System Command serves as the Commandant’s principal agent for equipping the operating forces to accomplish their war fighting mission. According to a pre-solicitation notice released on Feb. 25, Marine Corps System Command is interested in investigating a helmet “capable of meeting all current combat helmet requirements, but exhibiting significantly improved ballistic performance (minimum 35 percent increase compared to current minimums) against fragmentation, handgun and small arms threats.”
The government anticipates making multiple contract awards, and the prototypes will be subject to numerous tests, according to the notice.
Brogan said that Conway recently told him he wants the helmets in a relatively short time span.
“I was in the uncomfortable position of telling him that, ‘we just can’t go as fast as you’d like us to go, sir, but I understand your intent and we’ll pull out all the stops,” he said.
Brogan then went on to tell attendees at the luncheon that the effort to field the Infantry Automatic Rifle or IAR is further along than the effort to field the enhanced combat helmet. IARs made by four different companies are now going through tests that will determine how accurate they are.
“Then we’re going to put them in the hands of users and they’ll go through limited user evaluation, so the operator gets a vote,” he explained. “It’s not just a bunch of guys sitting in Marine Corps Systems Command deciding which weapon we’re going to equip the automatic rifleman in the infantry squads and our fire teams with.”
Brogan stressed that the IAR is intended to be used by scouts in light armored reconnaissance battalions and will also serve as automatic rifleman’s weapon in infantry squadrons. It is not designed to replace the squad automatic weapon, or SAW.
“[The SAW] has a tremendous volume of fire, but it is not nearly as accurate as a rifle,” Brogan said. “And, it’s heavy, it’s belt-fed, so the ammunition interoperability in the squad is hampered. So, for all those reasons, the Ma-rine Corps is procuring an infantry automatic rifle.”
Ellie