8 juillet 2019 | International, Autre défense
Next month, an aircrew at Keesler Air Force Base is employing new anti-smoke goggles that resemble those used by firefighters.
The goggles, intended for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, have three main components rather than four so that the aircrew can gear up faster. Unlike the older equipment that was used for more than 20 years, the new goggles and the accompanying oxygen mask are designed so they are put on simultaneously.
“The ones that we are replacing have the same basic frame, but the goggles and the oxygen mask are two separate pieces,” Tech. Sgt. Ronald Patton, 403rd Operation Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment craftsman, said in a news release Thursday about the older version. “Before, you would need to put the oxygen mask over your mouth and nose, then pull the frame up and place the nape pad at the back of your head. Once that was in place you would put the goggles on and pull the straps on both sides to tighten them.”
The new masks were bear similarities to the masks utilized by firefighters and provide a greater field of view, according to Master Sgt. Ray Reynold, 403rd OSS aircrew flight equipment supervisor.
Although there were no issues with the older goggles, Patton said that the new ones will enhance the aircrew's performance.
“It is not that the old ASGs were replaced because they were faulty, they worked exactly as they were designed to," he said. “It seems like they just needed to improve on the integrity of the system itself.”
Designers, said Patton, considered several questions before coming up with the new goggles.
Will it operate better under stressful situations? Will it be easier to repair if it does break? Does it have as many subcomponents that can break? Does the aircrew member find it easier to don, and can the aircrew operate better in the environment?
The aircrew will start using the new goggles in the middle of August once the inspection cycles conclude.
30 mars 2022 | International, Naval
The Navy's budget request would shrink the fleet in the near term, as growing Columbia submarine costs and the impacts of inflation squeeze out other priorities.
18 octobre 2023 | International, Terrestre
Now on the list are 21 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — U.S.-made rocket launchers that have seen success on the battlefield in Ukraine.
20 août 2020 | International, Naval
By: Andrew Chuter LONDON — Britain is stepping up its military support in Ukraine with an announcement that the U.K. will lead a multinational maritime initiative to train the Ukrainian navy. During a visit to Ukraine on Aug. 17 British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed the Royal Navy is coordinating a training initiative which also involves Canada, Denmark and Sweden. The training initiative will be complemented by U.S. security assistance support, said the British Ministry of Defence in a statement. Other nations are expected to join the naval training effort, said the MoD. The British-led training will focus on areas such as navigation, operational planning, military diving, sea surveillance, firefighting and damage control. The Royal Navy also plans to deploy warships to the region later in the year, Wallace said. Last year the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan visited Ukraine as part of the NATO's Sea Breeze exercise. That followed a visit by the survey ship HMS Echo. The U.K. has been conducting maritime training with the Ukraine for a while. Last year the British announced they were enlarging the scope of a wider military training effort, known as Operation Orbital, by deploying training teams from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to boost a Ukrainian Navy facing increasing threats from Russia in the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainians are trying to rebuild a maritime presence following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine lost most of its navy, including 75 percent of personnel, 70 percent of ships and key infrastructure. It faces a rising number of threats from the Russians in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and its armed forces continue to counter Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbass region of the country. Last year the Ukrainian navy unveiled a 15-year, three-stage strategy to rebuild naval capabilities starting with the aim of developing capabilities to establish control over territorial waters and beyond by 2025. Britain announced late last year it was extending Operation Orbital by three years to March 2023, and despite a COVID-19 enforced suspension, now lifted, the U.K. armed forces have trained over 18,000 Ukrainian military personnel. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/08/19/britain-moves-to-boost-ukraines-naval-chops/