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Ford and Darley Collaborate to Equip Broncos for Search and Rescue Teams Nationwide

February 4th, 2026

Detroit, MI – February 3rd, 2026 – At the Detroit Auto Show, Ford announced a nationwide search to donate five Bronco Badlands models equipped with the Sasquatch Package to under-resourced search and rescue (SAR) organizations across the country. These donations are part of the Bronco Wild Fund’s commitment to provide five specialized vehicles in 2026. Two recipients, Kern County Fire & Rescue (CA) and Teton County Search & Rescue (WY), are already confirmed, and Ford is now inviting applications for the remaining three.

To ensure these vehicles are mission-ready, Ford is collaborating with Darley, a trusted provider of defense and rescue equipment, and Public Safety Direct, a leading emergency vehicle upfitter. Together, they will equip each Bronco with advanced capabilities designed for the most demanding environments and that meet the special needs of the recipients which may include special features and technology such as:

Starlink satellite connectivity for reliable communications in remote or disaster-impacted areas
Integrated drone technology for real-time aerial reconnaissance and situational awareness
Advanced lighting, winches, and recovery systems engineered for rugged rescue operations

Peter Darley, Executive Vice President and COO of Darley, said: “We’re proud to collaborate with Ford because we share a commitment to innovation and supporting those who serve. By combining Ford’s legendary vehicles with Darley’s expertise in rescue and communications gear, we’re helping search and rescue teams operate at their best, even in the toughest conditions.

Kevin Sofen, Technology & Innovation Manager for Darley, added: “Search and rescue teams don’t need complicated technology, they need tools that work every time they show up for work. These Broncos are purpose-built with reliable connectivity and integrated rescue capabilities designed specifically for how SAR teams operate. It’s a vehicle teams can rely on in demanding conditions, without having to question whether it’s going to hold up when lives are on the line”

Search and rescue organizations interested in applying for one of these specialized Broncos can visit nasar.org/page/AnswerTheCall for details.

Learn more on our websites: www.darley.com and shop.darley.com.

Posted in Advertiser, Industry, Mobility, Press Release | No Comments »

Blue Force Gear – ÖTZI Belt Pouch System

February 4th, 2026

This is really more of a sneak peek but it’s got such a great backstory that I’ve got to share it. Tucked in a corner on a shelf in the Blue Force Gear booth at SHOT Show was a pouch with a belt running through its attachment system. Behind it was a brochure with the name ÖTZI Belt Pouch System.

From the brochure:
The naming of Blue Force Gear’s new belt pouch innovation was inspired by Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old Copper Age traveler discovered in the Alps and proclaimed the oldest and best-pre-served, naturally mummified human ever documented. Preserved in glacial ice, Otzi was found wearing a modular belt outfitted with equipment like a knife sheath, food/medicine pouch, and fire-start-ing kit. It stands as the earliest known example of a tactical belt, a testament to how long warriors have trusted a well-built waist rig to keep mission-critical gear exactly where it needs to be.

With attachments designed to accommodate their Law Enforcement Duty Belts and BFG CHLK /GRID / ISH Belts, there two mounting options. Molded belt loops for more traditional belts and direct attachment plate for belts with mounting holes. Both use nuts and bolts to secure the pouch and attachment together. In the case of the mounting plate option, it’s going to be a very low profile system.

Coming soon from blueforcegear.com

Posted in Advertiser, Load Carrying, SHOT Show | No Comments »

SHOT Show 26 – Snakestaff Systems Violent Incident Stabilization/ Response Panel

February 4th, 2026

Snakestaff Systems exhibited in the booth of their sister company Flux Defense. Their name for their new Violent Incident Stabilization/ Response Panel is quite appropriate as it’s designed to be mounted to a vehicle sun visor.

The VIS/R transforms the driver and passenger sun visors in your vehicle into a streamlined trauma response platform.

Its modular mounting system accommodates a wide range of vehicle makes and models.

Offering one-handed access to two tourniquets and a full trauma kit via quick-deploy tabs, the the trauma kit stays suspended directly in front of the user, similar to an oxygen mask on an airplane.

The tourniquet deploy tabs can be removed and attached to a casualty to indicate that a tourniquet has been applied, and the main trauma kit deploy tab can be detached and used as a TCCC casualty card for gathering critical patient and intervention information.

Additionally, the entire kit can be rapidly separated from the mounting platform and taken with you to respond to an incident outside your vehicle.

Coming soon.

www.snakestaffsystems.com

Posted in Advertiser, Medical, SHOT Show | No Comments »

Massif Combat Sleeve – ATAK (Non-FR)

February 4th, 2026

One of the items I discussed at SHOT Show but did not take photos of is the new Combat Sleeve from Massif. There are plenty of half jackets in the market but this one stands out because it has been adapted to the adoption of ATAK.

This non-FR garment is a cropped jacket that integrates with body armor as well as chest mounted End User Devices and can quickly be donned and doffed. It includes a stowable helmet compatible three-point adjustable hood and built-in stuff sack for portability. The fabric is an encapsulated durable weather barrier shell by EPIC by Nextec with durable 40D ripstop lining and Polartec Alpha along with Primaloft Active insulation.

Features:

Fully insulated cropped jacket with inner storm fly
Upper center front zipper closure
ATAK opening with elastic strap/hook closure
Helmet-compatible three-point adjustable hood
Dual Front chest elastic slip
Velcro® loop configuration: Right/Left Sleeves
Front torso cummerbund attachments keep garment in
place during movement
Adjustable elastic drawcord system at bottom hem
Durable 330D nylon reinforced elbows and lower back
Internal back zipper pocket compresses into stuff sack
Gusseted sleeve hems with Velcro® closure cuff tabs

Available in OCP in sizes XS-3XL.

www.massif.com/product/massif-combat-sleeve-atak

Posted in Clothing, SHOT Show, TAK | No Comments »

NODBOX BNVD Case

February 4th, 2026

I first saw the Dev Cell NODBOX during last year’s DSEI in London. Platatac had a prototype at the show and I ended up getting one of the production versions right before SHOT Show.

NODBOX is an injection molded clamshell case for the AN/PVS-31A & C night vision goggle. Versions for other models are coming in the future.

Impact and crush resistant, it is made from injection-molded nylon with a bungee to hold it closed.

The sample I had seen had more of a spongy feel to it but the production version is more rigid and quite sturdy. It fit my BNVD like a glove with no rattling around and I am very pleased with it.

Available now in any color as long as it’s Tan from Platatac.

platatac.com/products/platatac-nodbox-bnvd-case

Posted in Advertiser, Optics | No Comments »

War Department Announces Vendors Invited to Compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program

February 4th, 2026

When Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took office a year ago, matching new technologies to threats was one of his core priorities. He commissioned an acquisition strategy to swiftly outfit our combat units with lethal drones.

The War Department today announced the 25 vendors invited to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), an acquisition reform effort designed to rapidly field low cost, unmanned one way attack drones at scale as part of strengthening America’s Arsenal of Freedom.

“Drone dominance is a process race as much as a technological race,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in his July 2025 memorandum, Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance. “We are buying what works—fast, at scale, and without bureaucratic delay. Lethality will not be hindered by self imposed restrictions.”

The Phase I evaluation—the Gauntlet—will begin 18 February at Fort Benning, where military operators will fly and evaluate vendor systems. The Gauntlet will conclude in early March, when approximately $150 million in prototype delivery orders will be placed, with deliveries beginning shortly thereafter and continuing over the following five months.

Drone Dominance operationalizes the Secretary of War’s acquisition reformpriorities by sending a clear demand signal to industry—$1.1 billion over four phases, placing warfighters at the center of evaluation, and driving competitive, iterative cycles measured in months, not years. Across the program’s four phases, unit prices decrease, production volumes increase, and operational capability rises.

By 2027, the Department will be fielding hundreds of thousands of weaponized, one way attack drones ready for combat.

The Drone Dominance Program is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and executed by the Defense Innovation Unit, the Test Resource Management Center, and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

The funding is ready and steady. The timeline to build combat power is compressed. The competition begins now.

The Department has invited 25 companies to Gauntlet I, listed below alphabetically.

ANNO.AI, INC.
ASCENT AEROSYSTEMS INC
AUTERION GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS INC
DZYNE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
EWING AEROSPACE LLC
FARAGE PRECISION, LLC
FIRESTORM LABS, INC.
GENERAL CHERRY CORP
GREENSIGHT INC.
GRIFFON AEROSPACE, INC.
HALO AERONAUTICS, LLC
KRATOS SRE, INC.
MODALAI, INC.
NAPATREE TECHNOLOGY LLC
NEROS, INC.
OKSI VENTURES, INC.
PALADIN DEFENSE SERVICES LLC
PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS LLC
RESPONSIBLY LTD
SWARM DEFENSE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
TEAL DRONES INC
UKRAINIAN DEFENSE DRONES TECH CORP
VECTOR DEFENSE, INC
W S DARLEY & CO
XTEND REALITY INC.

– Via Department of War

Posted in Advertiser, Drone, Guest Post | No Comments »

Yokota Supports First JGSDF-Hosted Multinational Airborne Exercise

February 4th, 2026

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) —

U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron supported a multinational airborne operation Jan. 17, at Ojojihara Training Area, Miyagi Prefecture, marking the first Japan Ground Self-Defense Force-hosted multinational airborne exercise conducted on Japanese soil.

The operation built on the momentum of New Year Jump Indo-Pacific 2026, which included participation from 14 nations, and served as the tactical phase of a broader training series designed to enhance airborne operational capability and interoperability among allied forces. While NYJIP26 at the JGSDF’s Narashino Training Area in Chiba Prefecture earlier this month was conducted as a ceremonial public demonstration, training at Ojojihara emphasized combat readiness and operational execution.

Operating from Yokota Air Base, four U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron delivered approximately 130 paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division to the drop zone in Miyagi Prefecture. The airborne insertion was conducted in coordination with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which employed one Kawasaki C-2 and two C-130H Hercules, both assigned to JASDF Air Support Command to transport paratroopers from the JGSDF 1st Airborne Brigade.

The combined force conducted an airborne insertion and transitioned immediately to ground maneuver, executing reconnaissance and consolidation actions to validate command-and-control procedures and combined maneuver capabilities.

The operation required detailed coordination among multiple airlift platforms operating in the same airspace. U.S. Air Force aircrews synchronized rendezvous points, altitudes and airspeeds with JASDF C-2 and C-130H aircraft to operate as a single formation prior to the drop. Aircraft spacing and timing were established based on ground force requirements, with all aircraft slowing to a common drop airspeed before paratrooper exit.

“Flying with multiple airlift platforms requires precise coordination from start to finish,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen Larson, 374th Airlift Wing, C-130J pilot. “Once we establish visual contact, we bring the formation together at the same altitude and airspeed and set spacing based on what the ground force needs for a safe and effective drop.”

Despite low cloud ceilings and reduced visibility, aircrews maintained visual conditions and executed a precise airdrop. The C-130J’s automated systems assisted crews in generating accurate airdrop run-in profiles, allowing pilots to focus on formation coordination, drop zone communication and air traffic control. The coordinated airlift enabled ground forces to execute the operation as planned.

“The transition from the New Year Jump at Narashino to a full-scale tactical drop at Ojojihara is where training translates into operational capability,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kael Jordan, 11th Airborne Division, platoon sergeant. “The rehearsals and coordination we conducted beforehand allowed us to execute safely and effectively alongside our Japanese partners.”

Prior to the Ojojihara operation, participating forces conducted preparatory training at Narashino Training Area, focusing on procedural alignment, joint briefings and coordination drills.

The exercise brought together airborne forces from the United States and Japan to strengthen interoperability and reinforce combined airborne capabilities. The training was conducted as part of a series of linked exercises designed to enhance regional readiness and cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

By Yasuo Osakabe

374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, International | No Comments »

Denmark Commissions Rheinmetall to Supply Ammunition – Initial Orders Under Framework Agreement Worth Hundreds of Millions of Euros

February 3rd, 2026

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by Denmark, a member of the EU and NATO, to supply ammunition. The signing of a large-volume framework agreement was marked by a ceremony on 30 January 2026. The agreement has a term of seven years. It covers the supply of several types of ammunition. These include medium-calibre ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 120 mm ammunition for main battle tanks and 155 mm ammunition for artillery.The first orders in the medium-calibre ammunition sector include various types of cartridges in 30 mm x 173 and 35 mm x 228 calibres. The total number is in the high five-digit range, with the order value in the low three-digit million euro range.In the area of 120 mm tank ammunition, Rheinmetall will supply over 1,000 rounds of kinetic-energy ammunition. The order value is in the high single-digit million euro range.”We are grateful for the trust Denmark has placed in us for its ammunition supply,” said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG. “Rheinmetall sees this as confirmation of its role as one of the world’s leading ammunition manufacturers.”

Posted in Ammo, Contracts, International, Press Release | No Comments »