Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group
Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group
Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group
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Compiled by <strong>KMI</strong> <strong>Media</strong> <strong>Group</strong> staff<br />
EOD Small<br />
Unmanned Vehicles<br />
The <strong>Air</strong> Force gave Boeing and iRobot Corp. an initial<br />
contract to provide small unmanned ground vehicles (SUGV)<br />
to its Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. The contract calls<br />
for up to 70 model 310 SUGV robots, with an initial value<br />
of $3.84 million. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity<br />
contract will run through September 2012. Boeing, the prime<br />
contractor, and iRobot developed the SUGV family of vehicles<br />
under a strategic alliance that began in 2007.<br />
The unmanned vehicle is designed to give warfighters<br />
real-time awareness of critical situations and allow them<br />
to complete missions from safe standoff distances. Boeing<br />
provides program management, contracts and qualitycontrol<br />
support from offices in Huntsville, Ala. IRobot is<br />
responsible for engineering, manufacturing, training and<br />
logistics services, with the majority of work conducted in<br />
Bedford, Mass.<br />
Saving Lives: THULS System Lets<br />
Medics Record Battlefield Care<br />
The THULS medical<br />
care card permits medics<br />
to record information<br />
on pre-hospital care<br />
given to troops on the<br />
battlefield. That card<br />
currently is used at<br />
the Special Operations<br />
Combat Medic Course<br />
at Fort Bragg, N.C., and<br />
with several operational<br />
units, according to MIR<br />
Inc., which partnered<br />
with Combat Medical<br />
Systems on the card. The<br />
Tactical Combat Casualty<br />
Care Card is being offered to SOF.<br />
A THULS DA Form 7656, the<br />
card can be written on with an<br />
Ultra-fine Sharpie or Staedler<br />
Permanent Map Pen and erased<br />
with >90 percent rubbing alcohol.<br />
Using a pencil, it can be written on<br />
and erased in all weather conditions,<br />
including underwater and<br />
through both human blood and<br />
moulage. Warfighters are able to<br />
4 | SOTECH 8.9<br />
pre-fill their personal information<br />
with a permanent pen and keep<br />
their cards in their IFAK or breast/<br />
sleeve pockets. Because the cards<br />
are re-writable, operators/medics<br />
can train with the cards to build<br />
the muscle memory necessary for<br />
use during the chaos of combat—<br />
enabling units to have a much<br />
higher success rate in documenting<br />
pre-hospital care.<br />
Recon Scout Provides<br />
Remote Eyes for Intel<br />
The Recon Scout can be fitted<br />
with a new SearchStick pole that permits<br />
a camera to see over a 12-foot wall<br />
or into a second-story window, maker<br />
ReconRobotics Inc. said. Jaws on the<br />
pole grasp the two-wheeled, 1.2-pound<br />
Recon Scout robotic vehicle, and the<br />
pole can extend from a retracted 20.5inch<br />
length to six feet. As cameras on<br />
the SearchStick pole gather visual intel,<br />
the robot transmits live video to a handheld<br />
operator control unit, providing<br />
operators with vital situational awareness<br />
that protects the lives of soldiers<br />
during high-risk operations, according<br />
to the company.<br />
The SearchStick also can be used<br />
to quietly place a robot into an elevated or confined space, where it can<br />
search the environment for adversaries, IEDs or other threats. Once the<br />
inspection is complete, the operator can use the jaws on the SearchStick<br />
to retrieve the robot. Zistos Corp., a world leader in pole camera technology,<br />
will manufacture the SearchStick for ReconRobotics.<br />
“We have nearly 1,200 Recon Scout micro-robots deployed around<br />
the world, and this new product dramatically expands their utility and<br />
versatility,” said Alan Bignall, president and CEO of ReconRobotics. “No<br />
other robot in the world can be used as a pole camera, and no other<br />
pole camera can instantly deploy its optical system as a mobile microrobot.<br />
When used together, our Recon Scout robot and SearchStick pole<br />
give soldiers and tactical operators a uniquely powerful reconnaissance<br />
system that can safely reveal hidden threats, limit collateral damage and<br />
resolve dangerous situations.”<br />
The Recon Scout SearchStick and robot system is particularly useful<br />
for gaining visual access into walled compounds, rooftops, attics, ventilation<br />
systems, tunnels and crawl spaces. And because most Recon Scout<br />
robots are equipped with infrared optical systems, this visual reconnaissance<br />
can be conducted in complete darkness. Recon Scout robots may<br />
be specified in any of three transmitting frequencies, allowing police<br />
and military personnel to operate up to three robots in the same environment<br />
at the same time. The robot allows tactical teams to quickly<br />
and safely clear large multi-level structures before personnel enter<br />
these environments.<br />
Several branches of the U.S. military and international friendly forces<br />
have deployed Recon Scout robots around the world to assist warfighters<br />
in route clearing operations, remote reconnaissance and IED inspection.<br />
In addition, nearly 200 police and security agencies use Recon Scout<br />
robots for tactical reconnaissance, including the many police tactical<br />
teams as well as the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Border Patrol, DEA and the<br />
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.<br />
www.SOTECH-kmi.com
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