Marines deployed to bone-chilling regions may soon have toasty new apparel, aimed at keeping them warm in the most extreme climates. Infantry Combat Equipment staff at Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va., have begun field-testing new cold-weather under/outerwear and auxiliary equipment. Technological advancements that make clothing materials lighter and warmer will not only improve Marines' comfort but also increase mission effectiveness.

According to program officials, two new clothing systems are being considered as replacements for current, standard-issue cold-weather gear. Although the Army has preliminarily approved one of the systems for its soldiers, Marine officials are still evaluating the overall effectiveness of both through feedback from troops in the mountains of Afghanistan and elsewhere who have been issued the gear.

Both clothing systems contain improved variations on the field jacket, fleece sweater, thermal underwear and cold-weather/snow camouflage. Officials also are testing completely redesigned versions of cold-weather essentials such as socks and gloves made from lighter weight, faster drying materials and “mountain camouflage,” which, according to official sources, is made from materials that dry out nearly 10 times faster than ordinary Marine Pattern (MarPat) utilities.

Also in the testing phase is a prototype expeditionary field stove based on civilian camping models that could be used to melt ice into drinking water or prepare hot meals during long treks through mountainous terrain, as well as a new collapsible, waterproof stuff-sack that keeps important equipment and clothing items safe from the elements.

Throughout the Corps, these innovative ideas, and others like them, are enhancing the way today's warfighter accomplishes the mission. Whether through devices that “see” through walls, improved medical tools or updated training gear, equipment upgrades are giving Marines the edge they need to succeed on an ever-changing battlefield.

Leatherneck

New Device Will Sense Through Concrete Walls

Troops conducting urban operations soon may have a superman-like ability to “see” through concrete walls up to 12 inches thick to determine if someone is inside a building.

According to Edward Baranoski, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Special Projects Office, the new radar scope will give warfighters searching a building the ability to tell within seconds if someone is in the next room. Users will be able to detect movements as slight as breathing by simply holding the portable handheld device up to a wall.

The radar scope will provide warfighters with the capability to sense through a foot of concrete and 50 feet beyond that into a room, according to Baranoski. It will bring to the fight what larger, commercially available motion detectors could not.

Weighing just a pound and a half, the rugged waterproof device will be about the size of a telephone handset and run on AA batteries, making it light enough for a Marine to carry.

“It may not change how four-man stacks go into a room [during clearing operations],” Baranoski said, “but as they go into a building, it can help them prioritize what rooms they go into. It will give them an extra degree of knowledge so they know if someone is inside.”

The Department of Defense hopes to distribute radar scopes to troops in Iraq as soon as this spring. Squad-level units tasked with door-to-door searches will likely receive the device.

DARPA already is laying the groundwork for the Visi Building, a bigger device that builds on the radar scope's technology. However, the larger device will be much more than a motion detector.

It will actually “see” through multiple walls, penetrating entire buildings to show floor plans, locations of occupants and placement of materials such as weapons caches, according to Baranoski.

“It will give [troops] a lot of opportunity to stake out buildings and really see inside,” he said. “It will go a long way in extending their surveillance capabilities.”

Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

“Blast Bucket” Prototype Provides Glimpse of Future Warfare Technology
During an Office of Naval Research (ONR) presentation, Jan. 18, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va., unveiled a new concept vehicle aimed at protecting troops from improvised explosive devices.

The Ultra Armored Patrol “Concept” vehicle is a diesel-powered, four-passenger monster capable of reaching 60 mph. The Ultra features innovative electronic systems and armor components that could potentially enhance troop survivability and performance. The “blast bucket” cabin is built on a Ford F-350 chassis and would hypothetically be able to protect four passengers facing outward in a 360-degree arrangement.

Although the vehicle's capabilities have not yet been tested, Jeffrey Bradel, manager of Marine Corps maneuver science and technology, ONR, said the hollow tubes in the blast bucket's frame could theoretically minimize damage and injury to its occupants by channeling the blast from an improvised explosive device away from the vehicle.

Despite Ultra's promising design, ONR representatives close to the project are cautious about touting the vehicle as a replacement for the Marine Corps' current humvee.

“A lot of the guys on the project are sensitive about throwing around the phrase, ‘humvee replacement,' ” said Colin Babb, science writer and editor of “OrigiNatoR,” ONR's internal newsletter. “The bottom line about Ultra is … about testing the central part, the armored blast bucket. That's the novel part.”

Cpl Jonathan Agg
PAO, MCB, Quantico, Va.

New Scout Sniper Day Scope

The Corps is purchasing and fielding a new scout sniper day scope to replace the decades-old 10x Unertl sniper scope.

The new scope, made by Schmidt & Bender Inc., is a variable power scope, waterproof to 33 feet and has a USMC duplex-type reticle.

The scope mounts easily to the rails of the Corps' current sniper rifles: the M40A3, 7.62 mm rifle; and the .50-cal. M82A3 Special Application Scoped Rifle (SASR).The scope has been fielded with appropriate I Marine Expeditionary Force units that are currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Leatherneck

“Bengals” Aircrews Test New Flight Gear

Fifteen Marine Fighter/Attack (All Weather) Squadron 224 aircrew members are testing a new flight suit designed to protect them from chemical and biological contamination.

The new suit, called the Joint Protective Air Crew Ensemble, was designed to replace the chemical protective undergarment worn underneath the current flight suit. The JPACE has increased biological, chemical and flame agent protection, as well as an extended shelf/service life. Additionally, heat stress associated with wearing the suit has been decreased.

“The Marine Corps has been using a variation of aviation NBC [nuclear, biological and chemical] gear for many years,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Steven Dancer, Marine Aircraft Group 31's NBC defense officer. “This new suit has a lesser impact on the pilot and keeps the logistical burden down.”

The project began in 1999 and is currently in the operational phase. “Bengals” aircrews will continue to wear the flight suits for several months to test their durability.

“A lot of the users got together to better the suit,” said Dana Thompson, a chemical individual protective equipment analyst contracted from the Air Force Operational Testing Evaluation Center. “The main issues were to decrease thermal burden and to make it a one-piece suit.”

“The suits are supposed to be worn 480 hours and only laundered four times [during the test],” Dancer said. “They are also supposed to last 16 hours after contamination.”

According to Dancer, the new suits will take less time to put on in an emergency situation. Unlike mission-oriented protective posture gear, these suits can be worn during flight, thus freeing the pilots of the burden of having to carry around extra gear.

“The new suit is more versatile,” said Captain Michael Greene, Weapons and Sensors Officer, VMFA(AW)-224.

Pending successful field testing, the suits could be available to aircrews throughout the Marine Corps by 2007.

Cpl Anthony Guas
PAO, MCAS, Beaufort, S.C.

Marine Corps Approves New Training Bayonet/Knife

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence (MACE), Quantico, Va., has selected a new Marine Corps Training Bayonet/Knife to serve alongside the Marine Corps' 21st-century combat bayonet, the OKC3S.

In keeping with the Marine dictum, “train like you fight,” MACE worked with Ontario Knife Company, an American firm located in western New York, to design and produce a training bayonet that is both safe and as similar to the fighter's bayonet as safely possible. Four variations of the OKCT model and three different designs were field tested at the MACE before a new trainer, the OKC3T, was selected for Corpswide use.

The 131/2-inch trainer has an 8-inch molded polymer blade. The “dummy” blade is colored blue to signify that it is not a real weapon. The blade is not removable nor designed to be disassembled. The trainer's hilt and handle are identical to the Marine combat bayonet down to the eagle, globe and anchor molded into the grip. Developers added a thicker gauge metal cross guard to better withstand the constant shock of training.

The Marine Corps plans to put the trainers in each of the Martial Arts kits distributed throughout the Corps, thus giving all Marines a safer and more realistic training blade.

Homer M. Brett
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
Subject Matter Expert, Edged Weapons

Illustrated Information Booklets Help Bridge Language Barrier

Since the 2001 Afghanistan invasion, the Department of Defense has disbursed more than 1 million Kwikpoint Visual Language Translators (VLTs) for military and civilian field operations. The Kwikpoint VLT has been the most widely used foreign language tool in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 31/2-inch-by-51/2-inch, durable communication booklets allow users to gather information by pointing at images or foreign language phrases during face-to-face communication. All responses are communicated via pictures, making language training unnecessary. Visual recognition of images such as weapons and human physical characteristics overcome technology and language barriers.

The VLT can be used for intelligence gathering, terrorist identification, force protection, checkpoint operations, medical use and civilian communications. For example, a Marine might learn from a local civilian that a road is mined, or discover from a hostile that a local militia has a shoulder-launched grenade, thereby making choppers vulnerable.

Marines worked with Kwikpoint developers to create VLTs customized for their missions, including an Iraq Visual Language Survival Guide (in three languages); Multi Service VLT (jointly developed to include medical and humanitarian images); a Medical VLT with modern standard Arabic phrases; a Marine Special Operations VLT for 3d Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment; and the Iraq Culture Smart Card to increase cultural awareness and operational effectiveness.

Laura Madonna
Kwikpoint Consultant

Edited by Isaac D. Pacheco