Drone , News August 31, 2017 Explotrain to Battle it out in ThunderDrone ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Explotrain has been invited to participate in ThunderDrone hosted by SOFWERX on Sept 6th & 7th in Tampa, FL. ThunderDrone is a Rapid Prototyping Event being hosted in conjunction with the Doolittle Institute and U.S. Special Operations Command aimed at closing any gaps warfighters may face now, or in the future. Explotrain will showcase both the Viper and Osprey class drones to display the broad variety of capabilities being provided to meet customer and warfighter needs. Follow our links here for more information on ThunderDrone, SOFWERX or DRONEWERX.
News August 31, 2017 Explotrain Makes the Prestigious INC. 5000 List Explotrain is pleased to announce their inclusion of Inc. Magazines fastest growing small businesses in America on the annual Inc. 5000 list. Inc. is a company that records and recognizes the top 5000 fastest growing private firms in the United States. They gather information on companies and compile the information to create their list. This year, they have announced that Explotrain, LLC. has earned a position on this prestigious list. “Each year for 36 years, Inc. has recognized the fastest-growing private companies in America, and this year’s set of winners places the bar very high indeed. Companies that made the list, on average, have grown sixfold since 2013. During a stretch when the economy grew just 6.7 percent, that’s a result most businesses could only dream of.” -Eric Schurenberg, President and Editor in Chief, Inc. 5000 Media. As an Inc. 5000 honoree, Explotrain LLC. now shares Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, GoPro, Timberland, Clif Bar, Patagonia, Oracle, and dozens of other alumni that have gone on to become household names. In addition to Explotrain LLC, the class of 2017 honorees also include Bitly and S’well. Explotrain is dedicated and continues to work on improving training with safety, reliability and realism. As Explotrain pushes forward into new areas of training capabilities with the ExploDrone system, there is only room for growth and expansion as these new technologies are honed and evolve with the current training needs of the warfighter.
News , Drone August 8, 2017 Global EOD Conference Explotrain is participating as a vendor at the Global EOD Conference in Bethesda, MD this year. The dates are August 8th-9th at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. If you would like an up-close and personal viewing of our newest IED Drone training platforms, please stop by booth 316. Our President, Dean Preston and Business Manager, Bill Fiske will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about our new ExploDrone™ Drone systems, WIFI systems, X-WIIFE™ and compatible Inert Functional Training Aids (IFIEDs™) and Battlefield Effects Simulators. [Join us for the 2017 Global Explosive Ordnance Disposal Symposium & Exhibition (GESE), produced by NDIA in partnership with the EOD Warrior Foundation as we examine training and technology requirements for the joint service EOD force. This year’s symposium will focus on the theme “Realigning the EOD Force for the Future.” The symposium will feature: Three sub-track professional tenets in Counter IED, Counter UXO and Combating WMD The Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization’s Annual Technology Outreach event Joint Service EOD Program Board updates Service EOD Program Manager’s Capability Gap updates Over 50 exhibiting companies Interagency speakers/panelists to include ATF, FBI and the DHS Office of Bombing Prevention Meet EOD wounded warriors and hear their personal stories of recovery and resilience first-hand in a unique panel setting while also bidding on unique gifts during an EOD Warrior Foundation Silent Auction. This year, we will be partnering with Johns Hopkins University Energetics Research Group to present technical papers addressing EOD threat solutions.] For more information on Global EOD, please visit the NDIA website HERE. If you cannot attend, but would still like to donate, please visit the EOD Warrior Foundation website at www.eodwarriorfoundation.org
Drone , News July 12, 2017 UAS Weekly Featured Article ExploDrone, the First and Only Available Drone IED Simulator and Test Training Aid Explotrain’s Explodrone was featured in UAS Weekly’s publication, highlighting the importance of training now, rather than waiting to address the threat once it becomes more prevalent. Explotrain® LLC, a Florida based small business, is taking the defensive response to the emerging drone threat straight to the troops through their development of a realistic drone based IED simulation and training system. With the first and only functional drone and simulated IED integrated device, Explotrain is addressing the vital and emerging threat of drone weapons in theater. Asymmetric warfare by its very nature leads combatants on all sides to develop new weapons and defenses. The latest emerging threat in current conflicts is the use of sUAVs or drones as a method, not of reconnaissance, but delivering and deploying weapons in the form of explosives. The drone based IED delivery systems seen most recently in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are just the latest step in the evolution of the improvised explosives threat. While the US military is exploring multiple counter drone technologies, from electronic signal jamming and interception to laser based disabling systems, Explotrain has created the first and only drone based IED simulation system to be used in live training, testing and evaluation. As the recognized leader in products currently used for training against the conventional IED threat, Explotrain is using their patented technologies to accurately simulate IEDs delivered by drones and other Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAVs). “A key challenge in developing, testing and validating the current crop of counter-unmanned aerial systems (cUAS) is a lack of true simulators,” said Mr. Michael Hopmeier, a world recognized expert on cUAS system strategy and technology. “Faked YouTube videos and staged tests are entertaining, but they are what lead to so many casualties from IEDs just a decade ago.” Working in conjunction with military, law enforcement and business partners, Explotrain’s new ExploDrone™ system is able to accurately simulate the two main types of attacks carried out by enemy drones. Lightweight pneumatic based Explosive Blast Simulators are carried by larger drones and are used to simulate attacks wherein the drone itself is used as an explosive device, akin to the Japanese kamikaze pilots of WWII. However, unlike their real world counterpart, these training drones and simulators can be reused indefinitely to save training costs. Additionally, smaller drones are used that carry simulations of the repurposed military and improvised munitions that are being dropped onto personnel, vehicles, or other military targets. These simulated munitions are interfaced with Explosive Blast Simulators pre-positioned in or on the target area to create the realistic effects so necessary to providing psychologically effective training to ground troops. One of Explotrain’s partner companies, Inert Products, specializes in the rapid development and reproduction of ordnance and munitions and is capable of providing the wide array of Inert Dropped Aerial Munitions (IDAM™s) that troops and law enforcement are likely to face. By using these and other advancements in rapid manufacturing technologies, Explotrain and its partners are able to reduce costs while providing the rapid response to emerging threats now needed. These advancements are used not only in training scenarios but also as a means of testing and evaluating new tactics and technologies without the risks and expenses of using them against a live threat. Find more information on the ExploDrone HERE.
News June 21, 2017 Drone IEDs: Taking Training to New Heights Explotrain Introduces Explodrone Training and Simulation System for SUAV Threat Drone Based IED Simulation System for Military and Law Enforcement Training Fort Walton Beach, FL: While military, law enforcement, and security professionals are working diligently on defensive technologies to counteract the emerging threat of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAVs), one small business in Florida has adapted their existing technologies to create the first simulation system to provide effective training products. Explotrain has led the Battlefield Effects and IED/EOD Simulation and training industries for several years. Now, they have turned their attention skyward and created a realistic and effective simulation system to replicate this rapidly developing threat. Explotrain’s president, C. Dean Preston said, “Since 1998, Explotrain has provided our military and law enforcement personnel with realistic training and simulation products versatile enough to allow them to reproduce the enemy’s threats and tactics as they emerge. That versatility and realism are now allowing us to replicate the emerging threat of SUAVs, or drones as they’re more commonly known. The rapidly evolving tactics and technologies of the enemy require a training system that can respond rapidly so that our troops are able to train against the new threats they will be facing today”. Since the development of their training system and Model X-01™ Explosive Blast Simulator in 1999, Explotrain has invented and produced much of the technology used to train troops in the areas of Explosive Ordnance Disposal and IED Defeat on both land and sea. The new Explodrone™ system now will allow training with simulated threats from the air as well. The Explodrone System will be available for purchase in the fall through various government contracts or by contacting Explotrain directly.
News June 9, 2017 5th Annual Anthony Forgione Memorial SWAT Competition We were honored to assist Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office with the X-CAL and X-OHW for the 5th Annual Anthony Forgione Memorial SWAT Competition. The training, hard work, and effort each team dedicated in preparation for the competition was evident as the teams made their way through each course of fire and every obstacle. “Fifteen SWAT teams battled it out in the 5th Annual Deputy Anthony Forgione Memorial SWAT Competition hosted by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office last month. Congratulations to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Unit for receiving 3rd place in this year’s competition. The event honors former Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy and Special Response Team member Tony Forgione. Deputy Forgione was shot and killed on July 22, 2008, as he and other deputies tried to apprehend a man who had walked out of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center after being admitted for a mental evaluation. All proceeds from the competition benefit the Northwest Florida Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS).” – Escambia County Sheriff’s Office For videos of the individual teams during the hostage rescue (Day 2), please view the following links: Team 1 Team 8 Team 3 Team 9 Team 4 Team 10 Team 5 Team 11 Team 6 Team 12 Team 13
EOD Memorial June 9, 2017 49th Annual EOD Memorial Auction Explotrain donated this beautiful Hellbox to the EOD Warrior Foundation for the 49th Annual EOD Memorial Auction. Complete with Purpleheart EOD badges, lined with royal purple satin, and a bottle of Jameson Caskmates Irish whiskey.
EOD Memorial May 13, 2017 8th Annual EODWF Crawfish Boil We had a great time supporting the EOD Warrior Foundation at the 8th Annual EOD Crawfish Boil, hosted near the Schnitzel Lodge in Niceville, Florida. The EOD Crawfish Boil is an annual event hosted immediately following the EOD Memorial to bring the families, friends and neighbors of the local community together on a very special day of remembrance. It is a time to reflect with fond memories and stories, while enjoying good food, music and company. If you weren’t able to make it out this year, come out next year for a very special 50th Annual EOD Memorial, 9th annual EOD Crawfish Boil, and show your support to a community that continues to support us with their sacrifices.