Army's newest flight gear..

[ChuckMK23]

INteresting download (.PDF) from Army's PEO SOldier Program - highlights what the ARmy is doing for individual flight gear...

Navy and Marines need something similar. HGU-84/P is outdated.... you have to dig the wireless ICS... etc.

Why isn't NAVAIR doing relevant work on flight crew equipment? Seems the Nav is always behind on flight gear...

https://peosoldier.army.mil/docs/peoportfolio06.pdf

 

[nittany03]

Have heard talk about the comm ear plugs before; supposedly they are percolating through the bureaucracy. Those would be MONEY. Prowler ICS sucks when you're wearing earplugs under your helmet; you have to crank the radios up to full blast to hear through them.

 

[ChuckMK23]

I would challenge the slackers who work at NAVAIR to put as much commitmenthb and effort to help their Navy and Marine Air brethren...

Program Executive Office Soldier Strategic Communications Office:

Debi Dawson
703-704-2802
debi.dawson@us.army.mil

10,000th Army Aircrew Member Gets New-Generation Air Warrior Gear

Army Aims to Ensure that Air Crew Members Wear Gear They Need In and Out of the Cockpit

On December 14th, an aircrew member from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) in Landstuhl, Germany, will become the 10,000th Soldier to receive a pre-deployment Air Warrior kit containing the best available Aviation Life Support Equipment. Next step for the 12th CAB is Iraq.

Army aircrews are going to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other danger spots around the world with the Air Warrior system, new-generation aircrew gear that gives them better protection from bullets, chemicals, weather, and environmental hazards. This gear also improves their mobility inside the cockpit and greatly facilitates their ability to exit the aircraft and survive if they go down.

The December 14th ceremonial tapping of the 10,000th aircrew member to receive the specialized gear will begin with distribution of Air Warrior equipment to the 700 members of the 12th CAB at Landstuhl Army Base. Program Executive Officer Soldier Brigadier General Mark Brown and LTC Shannon Womack, Product Manager for the PEO Soldier Air Warrior program, will participate. Media are welcome at the event, and representatives of contractors who developed the Air Warrior System for the Army will be available to answer questions. Contractors include Armor Holdings, Aerial Machine and Tool, Aerospace and Defense Group, and the Individual Equipment Group.

LTC Womack describes Air Warrior as “an integrated ensemble that provides the Army aviator with all the survival and mission equipment gear he needs to execute the mission both in the cockpit and on the ground if the Soldier happens to land or crash in a hostile environment or a remote area.” The reality is even more compelling. When an aviator goes down, the only thing taken away from the cockpit is what the Soldier is wearing. So, the Army has made it their mission to ensure that all the items needed are actually worn on the body.

“We give them a personal survival gear carrier that has all the different items the aviation Soldier needs. It’s got signaling items, like a mirror, a radio, and a strobe light. It provides the needed medical gear in case the Soldier or buddies are injured,” says Womack. “It also has an integrated extraction harness so if he needs to be extracted, the Soldier has that capability. We provide the aviation Soldier with a modular holster so he can carry the 9mm defensive weapon can be carried. And we provide the Soldier with a maxillofacial shield that protects against fragments.”

The list goes on: a strap cutter to quickly extricate themselves; an attached mouthpiece they can use to breathe under water. Because some missions require aviators to fly over water they are also provided with a floatation collar and integrated life raft with canopy. A microclimate cooling system is worn under the flight suit and other Air Warrior gear.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Funny thing, I was down in the pool on mainside P-cola doing the HABD training and there were some people testing army equipment on the other end. Pretty cool looking stuff, we got to talking the testers about it and it was a bunch of Army flight gear. Asked them if the Navy was looking at it too and the guy said he didn't think so, but didn't really know. Just kind of ironic, considering it was some sweet ass gear but it was Army gear being tested in a Navy pool with no Navy interest!

 

[MasterBates]

I've been trying to get the earplug-speaker jobbies for a long time.. I can't fly with ear plugs, or I can't understand females on the radio.. Or girly men who talk like women..

That woudl kill 2 birds with one stone.. Preserve what hearing I have left, and allow me to not miss radio calls. But apparently it'll be cheaper/easier to pay disability for my hearing loss.

I could fly with plugs, crank the ICS/Radios, and hope I don't miss a call, but I'd rather not have the swiss chese holes of Female Voice / Weak Radios/ Congested freq line up..

And I know I am NOT the only one doing that.. And have told FAILSAFE, NAVAIR, etc when we got surveys.

 

[bert]

They are already available - I know of quite a few in the test community using them. One of my pilots is a big fan, but I haven't wanted to leave my helmet at Pax long enough to get it myself yet. Your problem as a student is going to be to convince those VT's to drop the money on you as opposed to the instructors.

Honestly, I think a larger part of the overall problem is money - there is a lot of good, new stuff that has been approved (all that cold weather gear, for instance) but I don't know if fleet squadrons have the $$$ to re-equip folks.

Now that I have said something nice about NAVAIR, I will return to the hating of my customer that was already in progress...

 

[nittany03]

When I went in for physiology training, they did a gear demo and I was actually very impressed with the amount of non-standard yet approved for purchase stuff available. Standard line, as always, was "wait until you get to your fleet squadron, who'll be able to pay for it."

Personally, I think they should make an AIRSAVE, even just the vest (no radio/flares/etc.) part of everyone's initial gear issue when they enter the jet pipeline. Those things are great when they're fit to you, but a pain when issued as pool gear.

 

[Tex_Hill]

Kind of looks like the alien from the movie Predator.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Navy and Marines need something similar. HGU-84/P is outdated.... you have to dig the wireless ICS... etc.

Why isn't NAVAIR doing relevant work on flight crew equipment? Seems the Nav is always behind on flight gear...

Actually, NAVAIR is. Plan for the CH-53K is wireless ICS, possible replacement for the HGU-84/P, and they're working on wireless ICS for the Osprey.

As for the CEP - I have a set installed on my helmet. They work wonderfully, however they're not in the supply system. Your squadron has to open purchase them. Our Flight E guys were very good, and open purchased them for anyone who wanted them. I don't know how much they cost, but I'm sure you can buy them yourself and then have your Flight E/PR's install them.

 

[Pags]

Kind of looks like the alien from the movie Predator.

oh, to have a built in visor guard....

...or some of that new cold wx gear (some folks in my squadron got it, but it was a one shot deal)...

...i can't even begin to imagine wireless ICS...

 

[raptor10]

Kind of looks like the alien from the movie Predator.

hmm...

 

[HooverPilot]

I have used the CEP earplugs for 3+ years now. Procured through the supply system. The C-2 has also gotten a new wireless ICS in the last few months.

The manufacturer website http://www.CEP-USA.com has some of the NSN's for the CEP mod & your PR's pubs have the rest. As for the wireless ICS, we just used the Hazrep system as it was meant to be used and we ended up with a new ICS.

For years we complained about deficiencies in the airplanes and crapped all over NAVAIR for not fixing it. Then we had a meeting where they were also in attendance. They hadn't heard of any of our problems because no one had written a hazrep to tell them abou tit...We were the jackasses who were preventing the improvement of our platform because we figured we "had to live with it" and didn't document the deficiency. NAVAIR has the ability and money to fix a lot of things, but they have to know about the problems first...

 

[ChuckMK23]

Actually, NAVAIR is. Plan for the CH-53K is wireless ICS, possible replacement for the HGU-84/P, and they're working on wireless ICS for the Osprey.

As for the CEP - I have a set installed on my helmet. They work wonderfully, however they're not in the supply system. Your squadron has to open purchase them. Our Flight E guys were very good, and open purchased them for anyone who wanted them. I don't know how much they cost, but I'm sure you can buy them yourself and then have your Flight E/PR's install them.

The AF and Army bought the HGU-56 along with the maxiofacial shield - far superior brain bucket than HGU-84/P - yet why do we / did we buy and design our own helmet instead of just using whatthe other three services use - including USCG?

 

[Flying Low]

I tested the CBR flight suit back in 05. The same suite was being tested for the Army. I hated that suit but it's not the point. The suit had a slot in the side for Army pilots to connect their cooling system up to. So I asked several questions, blah blah blah. I was told the Navy is basically letting the Army (and Airforce) do all the R&D for a lot of the flight equipment. Then once it is all online it will be cheaper to start ordering. The downfall is we have to get in line after everyone else and it takes a long time to get all the paperwork approved to allow us to start buying and wearing all the new equipment.

 

[Single Seat]

I have yet to figure out how you guys can stand flying with ear plugs. I've tried it a few times and just can't stand it. Even with the volume turned up.