Military News, News From Iraq & Afghanistan - Military Times

Lighter armored suit in the works

Army equipment officials are working to streamline the armored suit that turret gunners wear in Iraq and Afghanistan after soldiers complained it’s too heavy and bulky for combat.

Two years ago, Program Executive Office Soldier began equipping turret gunners with the Cupola Protective Ensemble to protect them from having their limbs blown off from the blast force of insurgent bombs.

So far, about 2,200 CPEs have been fielded.

It may be effective, equipment officials say, but troops don’t want to wear the 52-pound suit — which is worn over the top of the 16-pound Interceptor armor vest.

“It does the job, but it’s the first generation,” Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, the commander of PEO Soldier, told Army Times recently. “I know they don’t like the CPE because it’s big and bulky and heavy.”

Soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., are evaluating the CPE-Light, a prototype that weighs about 30 pounds. The flexible suit is designed to be worn under the Interceptor vest, making it roughly 46 pounds total. That’s a 22-pound weight reduction.

The user evaluation is scheduled to be completed by the end of September, but it’s still too early to tell if the prototype will provide the answer, Brown said, adding that there is currently no set timeline or funding for the effort.

“If they don’t like it, we will do something else,” he said.