Category Archives: security and preparedness

Mobile Bay at 30: Still a brawler

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Mobile Bay was ordered from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula on 15 January 1982. She was laid down on 6 June 1984, launched on 22 August 1985 and commissioned on 21 February 1987. At 30-years young, she is still worth keeping around. Photo Caption: (Oct. 22, 2017) The guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) sails past Port Hueneme, Calif. after the successful transport of passengers and equipment to and from the ship. Mobile Bay is currently underway testing the updated AEGIS Baseline 9 weapons system in preparation for its upcoming deployment. (U.S Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad M. Butler/Released)

Defense News has a great piece about USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) an aging Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser, one of the most senior of her class, set to be decommissioned as early as 2020. However, with new Baseline 9 software enhancements, she is no “ghetto” warship on her last legs ready to push, pull or drag to mothballs, but one of the most potent missile slingers in the world.

“Right now, on a 30-year-old ship, I have the most capable combat system,” said Capt. Jim Storm. “It was a pretty powerful moment when we were sitting on the pier directly across from a destroyer that had just got commissioned two weeks prior – we were gearing up for our MISSILE-EX. I was able to tell my crew that when we deploy, based on where we are going and the threats we’ll be facing, I’d rather be on this ship than that one. That’s a pretty powerful thing to be able to tell your crew, it’s something to get excited about.”

More here

Gun rights via militia definition expansion?

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“The Whites of Their Eyes” Colonial militia at Bunker Hill 1775. Ken Riley. Located at the JFK Presidential Library.

An Arizona lawmaker wants to add specific weapon allowances and a public marksmanship program to the broad definition of the state militia. The four-pack of legislation pre-filed for the 2018 session aims to revise the composition and protected equipment of the unorganized militia, which under the state Constitution currently consists of “all capable citizens” aged 18 to 45.

Stringer’s proposal would remove the upper age limit on militia composition as well as spell out a list of “particularly suited firearms” protected for personal possession. These protections would include any revolver or semi-auto firearm, magazine or accessory of the type used by law enforcement in the state or the military as well allow for “sufficient quantities” of privately held ammunition for both training and emergency use.

Kind of an interesting concept.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Meet Nomad. It lives in a tube and could be a very interesting

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The Naval Research Laboratory has been testing a light rotary drone called the Nomad from USS Coronado (LCS-4). The cool thing about it is that it is CO2 launched from a tube, and they can carry (and operate) multiple Nomads at once.

Civilian contractors from the Office of Naval Research conduct a test on a Nomad drone system aboard the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4)

A Nomad drone launches from the flight deck of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). The four -pack as shown looks like it is on a rolling cart and has a small footprint

Nomad drone lands on the flight deck of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). Note the second incoming at the top of the image

According to NRL:

The Nomad is a highly affordable expendable design, allowing for execution of its mission without concerns for returning to the ship. This new upgrade retains the original affordable expendable design, but now has a recovery feature that allows operators to retrieve and reuse the Nomad vehicles multiple times in support of development, testing, training, and potentially future operational missions.

A kinda interesting concept, especially if you allow the tech to grow to where a single LCS could serve as a “drone carrier” flying dozens or even possibly hundreds of small tube-launched Nomads or weaponized successors operating in swarms. Now that actually sounds like a useful littoral combat ship.

More here

NYPD breaks up with the wheelgun for good

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Group of New York City policemen posed in front of police station 1909. Via LOC

The nation’s largest municipal police force, which officially adopted its first standard revolver when Teddy Roosevelt was commissioner back in 1896, is doing away with the last of their wheel guns.

With over 30,000 officers on the job, the agency has been on the slow transition to semi-autos since 1993 and only has about 150 officers still carrying revolvers, a number that shrinks with every retirement. This is down from the more than 2,000 still reportedly packing the guns back in 2004.

Now, the last of New York’s Finest carrying them will have to convert to Glocks or Sigs by next August.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Got $46K? Want a FV721? Gotcha covered

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It may be a 46-year-old armored vehicle but this British-made Alvis Fox reportedly drives well and looks good right down to its Jaguar engine.

Officially designated an FV721 Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled), the Fox was created to help British Army armored units scout across Europe in an engagement with the Warsaw Pact across the Fulda Gap during the Cold War.

Using aluminum armour to protect from small arms fire, the Fox mounted a pretty serious 30mm cannon as well as a co-axial machine gun, though Atlantic Firearms — who currently has this 1971-vintage model up for grabs — says this one is fitted with simulated gas-fired cannons as it was used in movies and publicity events.

Powered by a 4.2L Jaguar XK J60 with a five-speed transmission, when new the 4×4 Fox could break 65 mph on good roads. While the British withdrew them from service after the First Gulf War, these vehicles are still apparently on active duty in Malawi and Nigeria among others.

Price for your very own Fox? Atlantic is asking just under $50K, but is “open to reasonable offers.”

This could be you:

Just you and your Fox chilling on the beach. All the ladies love a 30mm Rarden

Fits in (some) two car garages (Bongo truck not included)

Farewell, Paladin

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Once described as being a product of the “most dangerous publisher in the world,” the Boulder, Colorado-based media house and distributor is closing its doors at the end of the year.

As noted on the company’s website, Paladin is shuttering following the death earlier this year of their co-founder and publisher, Peder Lund, and is selling off remaining inventory at greatly reduced prices. Over the decades, Paladin has marketed 800 how-to books and videos on topics like self-defense, firearms, martial arts, and survival as part of its Professional Action Library. Some are downright hokey, but others are very valuable texts, especially those on military history.

“There will be no more books or videos sold after November 29, 2017,” the company’s website says. “We are incredibly grateful to all of our amazing customers and authors for their continued loyalty and support over the decades.”

I ordered a mystery crate of 50 titles for $50 as well as a few classic volumes that I didn’t have hard copies of for basically chump change. For example, they have Maj. John L. Plaster’s excellent work on Great War snipers, which just came out and has a $40 MSRP, on sale for $6 measly dollars.

You are welcome!

Remember, bleeding control is a thing

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It’s 2017, if you don’t carry a tourniquet, you need to address that.

The American Red Cross and American Heart Association changed their guidance to include bleeding control in standard first aid since 2015 and courses are readily available, often for free. Good EDC tourniquets cost about $25.

I think this is needed…

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One thing the international shooting sports organizations are looking at in recent years is expanding into more “fit” activities.

One of the exhibition sports seen overseas in this concept is Target Sprint. The event makes competitors run a 400m track, then take their rifle from a storage rack and shoot at five falling targets from a 10m standing position with a time penalty for each missed shot. The athlete then repeats the lap and shoots again, followed by another lap to the finish line.

A very groovy and more modern sporting rifle style version was last week in Texas, the annual Waco Tactical Fitness Biathlon. The event takes place over a five-mile course with several shooting stages. Each competitor has to show up with a centerfire rifle and pistol, eye and ear pro, enough ammo to complete the stages, and a stopwatch. While running between stations, rifles have to be unloaded and pistols have to be holstered.

The course is no joke, with photos showing competitors clamoring over plywood walls, taking a 60-pound sand dummy for a drag, monkeying around on horizontal ladders, firing from treetop cuckoo nests and simulated rooftops, and, oh yeah, running.

“If you can’t do a few pull-ups, scramble up and down rough/rocky hills and push through wooded areas, some of the obstacles will be difficult to overcome,” says the site. (Photos: WTF)

More in my column at Guns.com.

Send for the pigeon guy, mon ami

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A very serious French soldier of the 141st Regiment with homing pigeons in 1915. According to reports, they played a vital part in the Great War on all side as they provided an extremely reliable way of sending messages. “Such was the importance of pigeons that over 100,000 were used in the war with an astonishing success rate of 95 percent.”

And today, 102 years later, the French still keep at least one guy on the payroll versed in carrier (pigeon) operations– just in case.

The ticking time bomb that is the recoil spring

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It is hard to beat a Glock of any generation when it comes to reliability, but it comes as a shock to many that inside their slide hides a pitfall to the whole program that the savvy polymer pistol user can easily overcome.

Like a 5,000 round failure point…

One of these things are not like the other– but both need to be evaluated at/near the 5K mark! Here we see a Gen 3 Glock 19 factory recoil spring assembly compared to one for a gen 4 Glock 22

The standard Glock factory guide rods are (this should come as no surprise to you) made from polymer. While low-cost and easy to produce, these plastic guide rods can chip, crack or break resulting in feeding or ejection failures. Further, these guide rods flex to a degree when in operation, which many argue will contribute to accuracy problems due to poor consistency. Finally, they have been known to snap, leaving the pistol inoperable. This weak link can be alleviated by putting some heavy metal into the mix.

More in my column at Tac.44.com

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