US Dogs of War Issued High-Tech Body Armour

Dogs assigned to the US Navy's special warfare group are being equipped with tactical vests manufactured by a Canadian company.

According to documents filed this week at the American government's online clearinghouse for federal contracts, the U.S. navy's special warfare group has purchased a set of "canine tactical vests" — bulletproof gear for enlisted dogs — from a Manitoba company.

The $86,500 sole-source contract with Winnipeg-based K9 Storm Inc., finalized July 30 by the San Diego-based naval unit, calls for the delivery of four waterproof "assault" jackets — coloured in "desert camouflage" or "coyote tan" — to be equipped with "intruder communications systems" so the animals can serve as the eyes and ears of their human handlers while scouting suspected enemy positions.

Specifications for the "integrated canine assault vests" include video cameras and recorders, night-vision devices and signal-transmission strengths capable of penetrating "multiple concrete walls."

The contract with the Canadian firm, issued last week through the U.S. government's Federal Business Opportunities website, indicates that no other companies were invited to bid on the contract because K9 Storm — which also supplied protective vests for security dogs at the Vancouver Olympics — is considered "the only known source for the subject requirement."

By: Shelldrake