News & Events

The new Marine Corps combat utility uniform grew out of a Marine Corps Systems Command-led effort to revise the services camouflage utility uniforms, which hadn’t been updated in a quarter century. The result was a new camouflage pattern unique to the Marines Corps, the so-called MARPAT (Marine Pattern), which features a “pixel” camouflage pattern. Viewed up close, the pattern appears to have small digital blocks that look like large pixels from a video monitor, as opposed to the smooth-lined abstract shapes on current uniforms.

While the “pixel” look of the new uniform may be the most noticeable feature, there are other features that came out of the design and testing work. The new uniforms have shoulder pockets and Velcro fasteners on the chest pockets. The sleeve cuffs fasten with inboard buttons instead of outboard buttons to prevent snagging. The new uniforms are made with a half-and-half blend of nylon and ...

RED HOOK — Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez announced late last week that the U.S. House of Representatives approved $1.5 million in funding for a Red Hook small business to develop a safer and more effective way to drop cargo needed for military operations.

The funds would allow high-tech company Atair Aerospace, which works with state-of-the-art parachute designs and tracking systems, to expand and hire more workers. The company’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities on Van Brunt Street employ a staff of 24, including seven U.S. veterans.

The funding approved by the House will help the company complete development and field-test its “Onyx Precision Guided Airdropped Equipment.” These GPS-guided parachute systems will be used by the U.S. Army for airdrops of medical supplies and other cargo. The product will be able to drop cargo at altitudes up to 35,000 feet, at speeds up to 165 MPH, and with a precision ...

The ENVG or AN/PSQ-20, is the first helmet-mounted night vision monocular to combine the strengths of both image intensification (I2) and infrared (IR, or thermal) technologies into one device, according to ITT. The US Army’s first unit equipped with ENVG was introduced in April 2008.

The ENVG optically combines an I2 image and a thermal image, allowing for improved mobility and situational awareness. The monocular uses I2 to provide target identification and thermal to provide improved target detection

The U.S. Army has awarded a pair of contracts for the production of Ultra Light-Weight Camouflage Net Systems (ULCANS). The ULCANS system used by the U.S. Army consists of one hexagonal and one rhomboidal screen, available in both woodland and desert version. It features a simplified interconnect system and effective snape disrupters. These multi-spectral camouflage nets offer improved concealment for vehicles and field positions by masking visual, thermal, near infra-red and broadband radar signatures.