Fast fielding for soldier systems

Soldiers Magazine, March, 2004 by Debi Dawson

The EDM provides aircrews with the capability to quickly plan missions and react to mission changes in flight. It provides a user-friendly computer with an internal GPS and moving-map capability that indicates an aircraft's position and waypoints.

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Thermal Weapon Sights

The Medium and Heavy Thermal Weapon Sights are fielded to Soldiers in Iraq. The AN/PAS-13 TWS family enables individual and crew-served weapon gunners to see deep into the battlefield, increases surveillance and target-acquisition range, and penetrates obscurants by day or night.

The TWS family represents a substantial improvement over the image-intensifier night sights currently used for small arms. TWS is a second-generation, forward-looking infrared sight that is digital-battlefield compatible and provides a standard video output for training, image transfer or remote viewing.

Fielding of the Light TWS began last month.

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Interceptor Body Armor

Providing Soldiers with protection against bullet and fragmentation wounds is a top priority in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Army began fielding IBA in 1999, and is phasing out the Personal Armor System Ground Troop "flak vest." The IBA is lighter and provides better protection. It also includes modular groin-, throat- and neck-protection pieces.

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Lightweight Shotgun

The Weapons office is responsible for the Lightweight Shotgun System, which was fielded to Soldiers of the 10th Mtn. Div. in Afghanistan in response to what U.S. officials called an "urgent operational need."

The weapon is intended for fighting in close quarters and has lethal, nonlethal and door-breaching capabilities. Mounted on an M-4 or M-16 Modular Weapon System, it provides Soldiers one weapon system for a variety of missions.

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For more information about PEO-Soldier, visit https://PEOSoldier.army.mil.