US Snipers Changing Warfare – USA Today

Posted on May 9, 2012 by admin

A recent article found on USA Today speaks of the vital role our Snipers are playing in military operations around the world: specifically, Iraq and Afghanistan. Besides the intense amount of training these snipers endure and the sort of attributes the military looks for when selecting people for the job, this article discusses how the role of the sniper has changed since WWII. While WWII era snipers were expected to hit a target at about 600 yards in ideal conditions, the modern sniper can accurately tag their objective from well over a half-mile away at night or in other adverse conditions. It goes on to speak of the psychological battering produced by these fighting men. As they delivered deadly accurate shots from all angles and in all conditions, the enemy forces saw them as more of a threat than the artillery and troop battalions. Knight’s Armament is proud to contribute to the technologies and equipment necessary for our snipers to dominate on the modern battle field. From our original SR25 platform which developed into the Mk11, to the latest M110K-series, Knight’s has and always will provide the latest, most efficient and most reliable tools to these unique fighters. Read the full article here.

 

 

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KAC Gear Website Preliminary Launch

Posted on March 21, 2012 by admin

Knight’s Armament is excited to announce our KAC Gear website will be going live in the very near future. Many of our fans have already visited www.kacgear.com and seen some of the preliminary items we’ve posted. KACGear.com will feature all of Knight’s merchandise and will include branded apparel, headgear, tools, various bags and nylon goods, and artwork. Currently the site is viewable but not active just yet. Once our inventory is properly stocked and we’ve organized everything in order to bring our customers the most seamless experience, anyone will be able to order directly from KACGear.com. Since this website is separate from knightarmco.com, our fans in restricted states (such as California) and outside of the United States will be able to purchase merchandise. Be sure to check back often with us to get the latest in news and product information and keep on the lookout for the official launch of KACGear.com.

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KAC sponsors local Academy

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

Knight’s Armament puts forth a concerted effort to invest ourselves in the future of our Country’s youth. Besides the founding of our Institute of Military Technology, KAC has partnered with local high schools to provide opportunities to a special group of students. The STEAM Academy is a specialized program that caters to students who show interest and ability in the fields that comprise its name: Science, Technology, Engineering, Aerospace & Manufacturing. On 10Feb, students from the STEAM Academy of Space Coast High School were treated to a full tour of the KAC Facility here in Titusville, FL. As Knight’s is one of the few companies that houses everything in one building, the students were able to experience the total process from conceptualization to design, and testing to manufacturing. The students were also able to tour the Institute of Military Technology and see the development of technology used in firearms and military vehicles over more than 150 years.

Carolynn Gannon, a drafting instructor and mentor with the STEAM Academy, said that the academy exists to bring like-minded students together and give them focused, first-hand experience in these 5 distinct fields. Carolynn said that the youth which are typically attracted to and do very well in the academy are the ones which are already quite inventive or constantly tinkering. They are the youths who are not satisfied with a basic understanding but want to delve into why and how something works the way it does.


While the academy has various guest speakers from a few local sources, Carolynn says that Knight’s has been the biggest sponsor and affords the students an experience that they could never receive sitting in a classroom. Knight’s provides engineers, welders, machine operators, electricians, and even support from human resources who provide tips to students on job hunting and interviewing techniques. As our company has a staff with diverse backgrounds, KAC is in a position to provide unique perspectives from all walks of life. STEAM also provides the students with summer camps and break-out sessions that give the students further hands-on experience. All this helps expose the young people to many disciplines and assist them in choosing careers that are beneficial and fulfilling. Knight’s has also partnered with the academy to bring in the instructors so that they can relay the latest techniques and real-world experiences to the students.


We interviewed one of the students, Justin Hoelke, and had a chance to ask a few questions about his experiences with STEAM. He was inspired to enter the academy to follow in his father’s footsteps in the manufacturing sector (his father happens to be our facility’s General Manager). This is his second year with the academy and he says it really gives him the opportunity to see what his chosen career path would entail. Justin says that the field trips and team projects are the most beneficial aspects of the program. The program really builds team-building skills and focuses on actual application of skill sets, not only theoretical. Even after seeing the ins-and-outs of manufacturing disciplines, Justin still plans to continue with his plans to attend a local school such as FIT or UCF, and finish his engineering degree program at UF.


With programs like these and the various scholarships that Knight’s sponsors, KAC is investing in the future of our young people. We consider this to be an integral part of our company’s social responsibility and will continue to strive to provide opportunities for our young people. Check back often for the latest in news from Knight’s Armament Company.

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Knight’s Armament SHOT Review

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

SHOT Show 2012 brought a record volume of Knight’s fans, new and old, through the KAC booth. The show itself boasted a record number of attendees at over 61,000 people from across the US and 100 different countries. Knight’s was proud to unveil eight new  commercially available AR models (a few revamped classics and several totally new models), several exciting modular accessories and various sundry innovations, all of which can be found in our new 2012 Commercial Catalogue available online from our KAC Homepage or by clicking here.  The first part of Milspec Monkey’s Interview with Trey Knight focuses on our 8 new commercial weapon systems:

The second portion of the interview deals more with our KAC Gear line and the Institute of Military Technology:

The Institute of Military Technology made quite a showing by exhibiting one of the many prototypes found in its galleries. A rare breech-loaded mortar, complete with recoil system and rifling, from 1929 was the center piece of IMT’s display. Trey summed up the sincere intent of the Institute by saying, “…We want to make it a place where [people] can come and learn about technical designs, mechanical designs…We really feel we’ve really lost that capability in this country…We think it’s important to take the people that have that knowledge base and transfer it into our youth so that our youth can have a future in this country of doing something other than the service industry.”

Check back often with KAC and our various sites for the latest updates and products and speak with your local dealer for information on availability and ordering. If you missed us at this year’s SHOT, be sure to make your plans now and come visit us in 2013!

www.knightarmco.com                        www.instmiltech.com                          www.kacgear.com

Posted in Inside KAC, KAC Product Highlight | 1 Comment

KAC’s M110 featured on “Tactical Arms”

Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

Knight’s Armament is proud to be the privileged provider of the Army’s main Semi-Automatic Sniper Platform, the M110. This .308 weapon utilizes the SR25 rifle platform with specific modifications in place based on feedback from military personnel. Long-time friend to KAC, Larry Vickers, featured this weapon platform on his TV show, “Tactical Arms.” If you head over to YouTube, the episode is broken down into two videos where Larry gives a thorough evaluation to the system and even shows a live-fire comparison to a M24 Bolt-Action system. He starts by reviewing the features and standard setup of the weapon and then proceeds to review the history of the weapon’s development courtesy of Trey Knight. Larry is joined by Kevin Boland where they talk a bit about how the weapon arrives in the hands of our Nation’s troops and follows it up with a live-fire exercise where they compare it in a time trial to an M24 Bolt Rifle. Be sure to check out both the first and second video in this series and join Knight’s Armament Co. at SHOT Show 2012 in Las Vegas (Booth # 13372 in the Tactical & Law Enforcement section) to see this rifle and many others first-hand.

Posted in KAC Product Highlight | 3 Comments

Sneak Peek

Posted on December 16, 2011 by admin

What’s the latest from Knight’s Armament? If you want more than just the tease of a sultry silhouette, come see us at SHOT Show 2012, Sands Expo Level 2, in the Law Enforcement and Tactical Gear portions; Booth # 13372. Be the first to handle the latest in our weapon platforms, signature reduction devices and modular accessories.

Posted in KAC Product Highlight | 3 Comments

KAC 2012 Merchandise

Posted on December 5, 2011 by admin

Knight’s Armament has compiled an exciting catalogue of Weapons, Accessories and Merchandise to debut for 2012. A few of the latest pieces of KAC Merchandise are available now (such as the Elemental Poster Series), with more pieces scheduled to be released prior to SHOT Show 2012. We are proud to introduce a healthy array of posters, t-shirts, stickers, guitar picks, and a variety of other pieces presented with the highest standards you’ve come to expect from KAC. Come and see Knight’s at the SHOT Show, (Sands Expo Level 2, in the Law Enforcement and Tactical Gear portions – Booth# 13372) and be the first to see the latest in KAC Weapons, Accessories and Merchandise. Also, don’t forget to check back with our Online Shop for the pieces we decide to release early!

Compilation of some of our latest KAC Merchandise

Posted in KAC Product Highlight | 2 Comments

FPSRussia visits Knight’s Armament

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

Knight’s Armament is fortunate enough to play host to a number of well respected firearms experts and various personalities from the world of firearms. At the recent Florida SWAT Round-Up, being held in Orlando, Florida, Trey Knight was able to meet up with host of ‘FPSRussia’, Dmitri. Dmitri started back in 2006 and has since grown to become the 15th most subscribed to channel on YouTube with over 250 million views. Trey took the opportunity to show him around KAC and they topped it off with a visit to his office where, in true ‘professional Russian’ style, they pulled out the Stoner LMG  Chainsaw and Helmet Gun and posed for a few shots. Be sure to check out Dmitri on  FPSRussia’s YouTube Channel and all the latest news and merchandise on his website.

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Knight’s Merchandise

Posted on November 3, 2011 by admin

2012 is fast approaching and Knight’s Armament is putting the finishing touches on our latest lines of apparel and other branded merchandise for the new year. KAC will be featuring fresh new lines including T-Shirts, Outerwear, Stickers & Patches, Posters, Banners, and other branded items for our top-notch customers to show off their KAC pride. The first T-shirt in this latest series is already available on our website here.  Remember to check back on Knight’s Blog, Facebook Page and Shop to keep up with the latest in KAC News and Products .

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11th International Sniper Competition

Posted on October 6, 2011 by admin

The US Army 11th Annual International Sniper Competition wrapped up on 30 September 2011.  The competition occurred over 4 days and consisted of 32 teams from the US Army, Army Special Operations (USASOC), United States Air Force (USAF), United States Marine Corps (USMC), Army National Guard, International teams from Canada, Ireland, Germany, and Spain, as well as Law Enforcement Teams from Broward County Sheriff’s Department in Florida and San Diego Police Department in California.

This year the Army issued each team 2 Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) M110 SASS (Semi-Auto Sniper System), as well as accessories for Night Operations (Insight Technologies PEQ-2A, or PEQ-15 lasers and KAC PVS-26 Long Range Night Sights).  It was the first year the KAC gun was used by all competitors. The Army had several reasons for this. First and foremost: it provided a level playing field. In past competitions foreign and law enforcement teams had been hampered by the lack of Night Vision compatibility
of their systems, as well as Foreign or SOF issue of different calibers.

US Army Sniper School and Army Marksmanship Unit members had tested all weapons previously to ensure they were within specifications, and they as well as Leupold Tactical Division (from Leupold & Stevens optical company who provide the optics for the M110 SASS) were there to assist with any zeroing issues prior to the competition.  Leupold
also donated 32 of their new 6.5-20×50 MkIV scopes that are used on the Army’s new Remington M2010 .300WinMag Bolt Action Sniper Rifle that is now being issued for use in Afghanistan.  Leupold also offered the scopes for sale to the competitors after the competition.

http://www.benning.army.mil/snipercompetition/

The Competition consisted of a number of events designed to challenge the sniper teams’ roles.  The results were:

Place Team POINTS
1 B CO 2/3RD SFG (A) 560
2 IRISH DEFENSE FORCES (Ireland) 490
3 D CO 2ND BN 1ST SWTG 475
4 HHC 1/158TH IN 29TH BCT 455
5 D CO 2ND BN 1ST SWTG 445
6 2PPCLI (Canada) 390
7 10TH SFG (A) 350
8 WTBN, SSIS QUANTICO (USMC) 345
9 HHC 1/121ST IN 48TH IN BDE 335
10 SOI-WEST AITB RTC (USMC) 330

On the final Friday, Vendors had an open shoot where competitors and public could come up and shoot some of the items used in the competition, or show offerings they are hoping the Army may be interested in.  For KAC this was an opportunity to showcase the new M110K1 Carbine: the 16” barrel dual role precision carbine that we are offering as an upgrade to the M110 SASS.  The XM110 program was drafted in 2002, and the program was awarded to KAC in 2004; however, due to protest, the main fielding of the system did
not occur till 2007 when the protest was dismissed.  KAC has a CPIP (Continuous Product Improvement Program) effort in effect with all our of systems, and the M110K1 was developed from an SOF specific system with many upgrades on the tried and true M110 platform, and deployment mission feedback from the end user community. USASOC (US Army Special Operations Command) 1SWTG is hosting their Sniper Competition in Ft. Bragg N.C. 5-9 December 2011.

The photographs used in this article are courtesy of a fine photographer named Jordan Bush. Jordan attended the 11th International Sniper Competition at Ft. Benning, GA and was an integral player in documenting this fantastic event. He captured an array of striking photographs, some of which are featured in his latest blog. Mr. Bush considers himself to be a ‘non-fiction photographer, a photojournalist’ from Pennsylvania who has a broad focus on many subjects including sports, weddings and social issues. He uses his talented viewpoint to capture the world around him in a way that conveys a rich and moving story. Check out his website at www.jordanbushphoto.com and be sure to view his latest gallery from the 11th International Sniper Competition.

Posted in Inside KAC | 8 Comments