Some good pictures from the MoD (click to enlarge)
Soldier from 1 Yorks on Patrol in Afghanistan
Soldiers from 1 Yorks on Patrol in Afghanistan
Soldiers from 1 Yorks on Patrol in Afghanistan
Soldier on Patrol Driving a Quadbike in Helmand, Afghanistan
Soldier on Patrol Driving a Quadbike in Helmand, Afghanistan
Soldiers from 1 Yorks on Patrol in Afghanistan
Cool Pics; don’twant to sound like a idiotic civvy but is that a helmet mounted camera in the first Pic? I’ve not kept up with developments, the last I heard some squaddies were mounting their own cameras; is this now standard/offical?
PS. Noticed the Quad.
Almost certainly his helmet cam, which were banned on H13. I don’t know what current policy is, seems to change based on the Brigadier and whether he gets his arse in his hands about it or someone records Stupid Shit™
They’re at PB RAHIM, across the water from FOB KHAR NIKAH where the Signaller recently died. It’s part of the DANBAT until next month. NES(N) I believe is the new Bde main effort since DANBAT disbands in February.
If an area wide Wi-Fi type of set up was created (as TD believes should be) would helmet mounted web cams be possible and would they be any use? (Recent discussion on the film Aliens has got me thinking but, as I’ve said before, I’m a complete civvy).
I can’t see how they would be useful for anything other than micro managing. And from experience you wouldn’t see very much. Just a lot of shaking and a lot of panting. I imagine the bandwidth would present enormous problems to get a decent pic out it it and decent frame rate.
Issue with Wi-Fi in such environment would be people intercepting it?
I can see it providing – as Phil says – a good way of manageing and a good moral boost for lads contacting home, otherwsie, unsure of its use.
I think helmet cams are at the discretion of the unit/FOB/brigade commander, obviously; I’d gather they’d rather not have lads filming things…
I wasnt suggesting a wide area WiFi network but a TETRA or TETRAPOL network, as we used in the Balkans.
This would reduce the battery load on individuals as lower power TETRA handsets would replace BOWMAN. The amount of fuel used for charging inefficient batteries would also be reduced
The batteries aren’t really a problem though for radio’s. They last a very long time and it only becomes a problem if you are doing a long operation but every bloke carrying on the new batteries means there’s a lot of batteries.
Need to get hold of those quads and bang some gucchi armour on it, i know a bloke who will do at mates rates, £7 million to you guv!!
(well that bluff worked when it came vehicles that were going no further than the HLS)
Interesting photos those. Clearly taken by one of the combat camera team (there’s a credit to an RLC SNCO on the Flickr page), and Combat Camera teams have some decent photo/video gear, and they know how to use it).
Two things strike me: the exposure in most photos is pretty poor, and no knowledgeable photographer likes that. Next is that most photos are taken following the patrol in their footsteps, hence so many photos of backs. That to me says that the particular route this patrol was taking was high risk – no chance for the photographer to get off route and take some images from different angles or to work with better light direction.
The soldier in the top picture appears to be using a Sharpshooter 7.62, but the magazine is more NATO 5.56 looking. Has the Sharpshooter now been issued in 5.56?
I don’t know anything about head cams, but the first picture may show an IR illuminator. We had a similar arrangement for first gen HMGs in Bosnia.
Anyway, let’s hope 1 YORKS and the Combat Camera Team all come home in one piece.
James,
The Sharpshooter is fitted with a 7.62mm p-mag
http://store.magpul.com/product/MAG243/2
@ TD – Sorry, my bad.
Dangerous around RAHIM. Definately not encouraged to walk out of the safe lane.
The magazine is just plastic. We all got new EMAG plastic magazines that were a lot lighter and the sharpshooters got those plastic magazines.
The IR illumination is integral to the HMNVS and it’s also on the LLM on the rifle. It’s not that. Probably a helmet cam.
Re Helmet cam. Quick search on Google turned up a Drift HD170 Stealth Action Camera, on Amazon. Right size, shape and layout to match the one in the knitted sock on the side of the first soldier’s helmet.
i use the Contour Roam:
http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/24/2506720/contour-roam-review
wide-angle full HD in a metal waterproof body.