Apparently the SEALs want to make their own …something? Sister site Kit Up! just spotted a solicitation by Navy DEVGRU (formerly known as SEAL Team Six) commando asking for a CNC machine to make god knows what.
Here’s an excerpt from the solicitation:
The government is seeking to purchase a CNC Machine with the following characteristics (not all inclusive): An integral water tank with air ballast water leveling system (constructed of steel), cutting access from at least 3 sides, forklift tubes to allow for positioning, two (2) trolley gantry, integrated PC/software/monitor, settling tank and sump pump, ethernet interface to allow for the transfer of large files and designs, equipped with NC geomate CAM software, installation / set-up and on-site training on the machine and software for 5 days, the entire CNC machine should be designed for heavy duty use, 500 pound hopper for abrasive materials, fully programmable abrasive feeder and dispenser.
The unit may want to make it’s own modifications to weapons and equipment. As a commenter at Kit Up! points out, doing such work in house would keep costs down, maintain secrecy and allow members to experiment with new ideas.
Anyone have any input as to what this might be for?
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Should probably go dig through job openings open or filled and see if any relate to CNC experience. Might find clues there.
4D Mobile gaming platform for call of duty black ops. Training while one away missions. ;D
NNSY has a position waiting for a machinist with CNC experience. http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=9376…
21-24/hr. Wonder if SOCOM pays more.
It's a water jet cutter. Used to cut flat stock….sheet and plate. Steel, aluminum, Ti, rubber, glass. It will cut most anything, but the end product it a flat piece of something with a profile cut. Not a machine you could use create any hi-tech toys Mil toys with alone.
Unless they are making something simple like targets or armor plating where all you need is a flat pieces or several flat pieces welded together, the parts from this machine would typically go to a cnc mill and/or a press brake for forming in order to make something more complex.
Would it make useful if you wanted to cut armor plate for vehicles?
LOL
no, it can only cut through ~10mm or so of steel. but since the fact is, that the machine of choice for cutting metals (steel, aluminium) in the commercial world is usually laser, i'd say they will probably use it to cut sth else. rubber, plastics, carbon fibre…
Wrong. A laser is faster and more productive on thinner stuff, but you can cut WAY thicker material with a waterjet than a laser. A waterjet also has the benefit of no heat effected zone.
Water Jet Cutting 10 1/4" (260mm) Tool Steel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAH0M9KP6H4
CNC Water Jet Cutting of 2" (51 mm) thick Bullet Proof Glass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmUWA_oXDEQ
FedBizOps.gov solicitation: Water Jet cutting service of 5/8" steel armor plate. Various size and quantities of flat panels to be produced. Raw material supplied by the Government and is available for contractor upon award. https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&…
SOCOM is cutting out the middleman when it comes to modifications, I guess.
A moss-covered, three-handled, family credenza?
"Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how."
Maybe they need to rebuild that stealth helo they lost on the OBL raid?
Too technical for a group of Operators, and one machine. That would take no less than a specialist division and factory of Sikorsky to do that.
It could be a way to reduce logistics burdens in places where shipping in finished goods to the location may be difficult or interdicted. You could put one in an embassy or safehouse basement or garage, buy local raw materials, and instead of shipping finished goods you could e-mail the design to the location. Customs and potential spies don't have to see the weapons systems you've made available to the team. Probably ecofriendly too, although I doubt that the environment is their prime concern.
The only caveat is hoping you find good material to fabricate with. Scrap metal might not cut it.
CNC machines aren't exactly clandestine, and depend on a lot of infrastructure to keep operating reliably. They're also noisy and hard to conceal.
Clearly, they are now so macho that the diamond-tipped saws they used to shave with no longer do the job.
The problem is that the place to go to get the high quality manufacturing needed by socog, these days is China.
Special Operations Coalition of Governments? Gotta have the best for our Gears, those Locust don't take prisoners.
America still does some "high quality manufacturing", but China was always about bringing down costs and producing at large economic scales. The needs of this particular client are for small scale, rapid turnaround, in-house.
Cyber war, 'silent' configurations of existing platforms, dowsizing of the naval and airforce budgets, tier 1 operations gaining more leeway… This is it, the end of land wars, and the new age of covert warfare has begun.
I predict a massive reduction in conventional land invasions, (no more Iraq Wars) but a massive spike in 'accidents', 'terrorist attacks' and seemingly random strikes and sabotage events to begin taking place over the coming decades inside the 'power nations'. Start keeping an eye on the little news stories, the seemingly inconsequential ones that pass in a blink of an eye, like a uni professor dying of a heart attack while just about to crack some breakthrough, or a network jam at a chinese tech company, and more suxtent style virus attacks, things like that; they will be the gold.
This is going to be cool :)
I think Dan has it right. I'm guessing it's more like they know they want to sabotage some industrial site but they can't figure out the exact configuration of the component they'll need until they get there so they need to be able to manufacture it as quickly as possible to get it replaced without being detected. Probably have some engineer that works at the plant that will only have access to the part for 24 hrs. Once he gets access he'll let them know if it's part type A or part type B so they'll only have 24hrs. to manufacture the right part and get it back to the plant.
or something like that.
Just building a new cage for OBL.
You know… 5 axis waterjet cutting machines can build some pretty amazing things, and can cut through very thick material. I doubt this is what is going on here though…
They wouldn't be cutting armour in HQ anyway; I'd imagine they'd be all about minimising weight, not adding it, avoiding hits, not absorbing them. They could be doing things like knocking up rigs for fastening UVs to ship hulls, or simply just modding kit for weight reduction or silent AO penetration… Avoid the red tape, potential security lapse of having external contractors doing the work.