STRIKE-HOLD BLOG - international military and tactical info

Female officer died defusing daisy-chain of bombs

Posted on 21/04/2011 by Strike-Hold Captain Lisa Jane Head - KIA AfghanistanThe irony of course is that she died in the process of doing a job that saves other people’s lives.  Take a moment to reflect upon that…Read the full story here, and also check out the other links on...

South African Air Force ceremonially receives Rooivalk helicopter

Posted on 04/04/2011 by Strikehold The South African Air Force (SAAF) on Friday took ceremonial delivery of its first Denel Aviation CSH2A Rooivalk Mk I Block 1F combat support helicopters. In development since March 1984, the rotorcraft, the first of 11, is of the operational baseline and marks the end...

Overcoming the problem of”brown-out”

If you’re from the Great White North like I am, you’ll be well acquainted with the term “white-out”.  Thanks to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan we’ve all become familiar with another term, “brown-out”.”Brown-out” occurs when a landing helicopter kicks up so much dust and sand that the pilot loses visual...

Helikon-Tex IWA 2011 update

The big news from Helikon-Tex at this year’s IWA show in Germany was the world premiere of their new “Urban Tactical Pants” available in Black, OD and Khaki. Also featured was their terrific “Field Parka – Soldier 2008″ with adjustable and detachable hood, available in a variety of solid colours and...

Osprey’s Weapon Series: Colt M1911 automatic pistol

Posted on 21/03/2011 by Strike-Hold  The M1911 was recently selected as the official Utah State Firearm – John Browning was born in Utah – in honour of the pistol’s 100 years of service to the American military (and many US allies as well).In addition to that, its also the subject...

TACTICAL MOUNTAIN PATROL COURSE, Italy, 07 July 2011 – 10 July 2011

Posted on 17/03/2011 by Strike-Hold This July, the European Paratroopers Association’s Combat Training Center Mobile Training Team (CTCMTT) will be conducting their first ever Mountain Patrol Course in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. This chance to live and train in the mountains with Professional Operators (both Military and Law Enforcement)...

The Overloaded Poor Bloody Infantry

Posted on 16/03/2011 by Strike-Hold Think that most of the medivacs out of Afghanistan are becuase of IEDs or bullets?  Think again:“Nearly 25 percent of medical evacs out of Afghanistan between 2004 and 2007 were for fractures, serious sprains and other musculoskeletal injuries, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in January...

New from Osprey Publishing: Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Dagger

Posted on 16/03/2011 by Strike-Hold The latest offering from Osprey’s excellent “Weapons” series hits the shops this month, this time around they focus on one of the most iconic and influential knife designs of modern times – the legendary Fairbairn-Sykes “Commando” Dagger from WWII.More details can be found on Osprey’s...

Airsoft vs. The Real World

Our friends over at Kit-Up! posted a story recently about a US Air Guard unit looking to purchase airsoft guns for use in CQB / MOUT training. While this is good news for some airsoft retailers, and probably also makes many airsoft players feel better about their sport too, it...

Reversible camouflage uniforms

So, it appears that the US Army’s PEO Soldier office is still working on trying to nail down their requirements and specifications for the “Family of Camouflage” research programme… Meanwhile, over on Kit-Up!, Christian Lowe has been musing on how the US Marines (and their Royal Marine cousins from the...