New body armor weighs less, covers more

[CommunityEditor]

A new vest that weighs less, fits better, is less bulky and weighs less is coming soon! From the article --


Reacting to complaints from the battlefield, Army equipment officials last summer set out to redesign the current Interceptor vest to create one easier to maneuver in while carrying heavy combat loads.

The effort also focused on perfecting something new: an “emergency quick release” feature so soldiers can get out of their armor quickly to escape battlefield hazards such as drowning.

If all goes well, the Army plans to outfit every soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Improved Outer Tactical Vest by late December.

The goal is to produce 25,000 vests a month. The Army will decide the total number of new vests it will buy at a later date.

Equipment officials did not say how long it will take to replace all of the current Interceptor vests in the operational Army.

While the new vest offers the same ballistic protection and uses the same front, back and side armor plates as the current model, equipment officials said, the latest design incorporates past piecemeal efforts to give soldiers more armor protection, such as the two side-plate carriers the Army added last year. The result is a more streamlined package weighing 28 pounds — three pounds lighter than the current vest.

Unlike the current, front-opening Interceptor vest, the new design is side-opening and features a cummerbund waist fastener so the weight of the vest rides on the lower torso rather than on the shoulders.

The new vest will come in more sizes than the current model. It also features more adjustment points to ensure both male and female soldiers can fit the vest to their own body types.

In addition, the front and back plates can be adjusted up or down four inches to better conform to the body, Myles said. Designers had input from male and female soldiers to account for all body types, he said.

The new vest is two inches longer in the back and also features a flip-down kidney protector pad. This is an improvement over the current design, which leaves part of the lower back unprotected, equipment officials said. The new vest also increases coverage beneath the armpits and eliminates the need for the add-on axillary protective pads. The deltoid protector attachments can still be worn if necessary.

The new design is also more camouflaged. At the request of soldiers in theater, designers replaced the “foliage green”-colored webbing strips with ones that feature the same pixilated pattern as the vest and the Army Combat Uniform.


More Details: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/0..._vest_070402w/
Video: http://www.militarytimes.com/multime...eo/040207vest/
360 view: http://www.armytimes.com/projects/fl..._02_Army_vest/


This thread is for discussion of the new vest, test results and related topics.