No matter how many times soldiers and marines say they’re not interested, there’s always someone trying to wrap them up in heavier, hotter, more uncomfortable armor.
Reader AS points to the latest culprit: MTek Weapon Systems, which is pushing Stormtrooper-esque “facial armor” for our troops.
The mask weighs 1.3 pounds, is compatible with ballistic eyewear, and will stop a bullet from a .44 magnum. So far, there seems to be one marine corporal using the thing in Iraq. We’ll see if more emerge.
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I think that he looks like a teenage mutant ninja turtle. I guess this could be the product of millions of children wishing to grow up to be one, but who knows, does the great god of the universe really listen to those kinds of prayers?
I think they look sweet, I can imagine they’d need the mask to be bullet proof. If someone came into my house wearing one of those I’d try and take em out.
Its a pity they don’t come in more colours.
Owen — Dublin — Ireland
A Major Pain In The Neck
Is it just me, or does it seem like a one piece helmet might work better? Instead of trying to build on an old design, why not start from scratch and build something with better peripheral clearance and better ventilation? Maybe design a full helmet similar to a motorcycle helmet that has a removable face area?
That mask just looks clumsy.
I like the look. I especially like the fact that we look like stormtroopers. We are the imperators after all, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. The strong rule, and the weak take it.
I was an infantryman for a long time. Master military parachutist, honor grad from Ranger Scool, even did a tour in a Ranger battalion, not to mention some serious special ops time. Ground pounders walk a lot and carry all their gear, so they expend a lot of effort trying to lighten their loads. All this armor looks like it would do more harm than good — even with the bullets flying. I can see how it would be useful for people who ride in vehicles all day, but try a 25-mile road march with that artificial exoskeleton plus your weapons, packs, and communications gear — and I think a bunch of it would wind up in the ditches. This particular mask looks like a great way to heat up the already-sizzling desert air — as well as impede your communications with your fellow soldiers.
i dont pretend to be an expert on the subject or even have any direct experience with body armor but it seems to me that we are relearning the same lessons the armor makers learned in the middle ages. the face guard seems the wrong way to go. is it possible to have cat III coller the comes up from the vest to cover the cheek, leaving only the eyes and the side of the face need to sight a weapon? has anyone seen anything like this?
Door kicker? Sure…
I can see this being yet another way to get heat stroke, and yet another piece of gear that worthless brass and SNCOs will make the troops wear because of liability issues. They won’t want to be held accountable to some idiot officer who’ll come down on them, and s*** will roll downhill to the Pvt. Schmuckatellis who have to wear this nonsensical crap.
Having cooked in the sandbox twice, and having tried to ditch all useless crap that useless lifers made us wear — I think the owner of this company and the developers should be forced to put this crap on and made to doubletime in a sauna, while wearing all the other gear that doesn’t work together. Goggles and Wiley-Xes that don’t fit with the helmet straps, throat protectors that stab you in the trachea, collars so tight you can feel blood in your neck stopping up, SAPI plates that make it so you can’t even lean forward, long-sleeved shirts always to protect from sunburn — even at night and if you’re black — can’t change the rules! Add all this crap with temperatures that reach 120–130 on a regular basis, and operations that last for days and days and days — the sweat the grime the sores from being wet and chafing on gear you can’t drop, every breath of air being another choking oven blast — yeah — sure.
Did I mention the SALLE packs that have great hiking belts that fit so well, until you strap them on over a flak jacket? Or the LBV/FLC you wear underneath that, with canteens that sit where the SALLE belt maladjusts? Or the tan suede boots — great for lazy office pogues who don’t want to polish their boots, but are instantly ruined and rendered “unserviceable” by oil and dark mud, because they’re too dirty to be worn — so you have to go spend $95 for new ones?
This whole thing is just the stupidity of those in the office telling those in the field what to do.
How the hell are you supposed to fire an M4 w/ this thing?
Take a look in their gallery. The faceguard is uniform in thickness all the way around. When the .44 magnum hits it puts a big dent in a secondary layer which sticks through in the video. Thats not beefed up armor.
The facemask like the shoulder guards are great if you’re a gunner but I wouldn’t try it for dismounted troops. Gunners and weapon mounted vehicles make for bullet magnets when the shooting starts so anyone in the turret could use as much protection as possible. Ground pounders and door kickers wouldn’t benefit by this that much. Periphriel vision would be severly hurt and hearing would be cut down more than it already is which is crucial for ground ops.
omg this thing looks cool but come one man some one is going to be pissed walking up to a iraqin and saying luke i am your father come on i apreciate the extra amor but not the extra weight
If the mask looks too intimidating — perhaps a bright “smiley” face painted on it would soothe them Iraqi terrorist bastardz.
The interesting thing is that all these brainiacs making this stuff, arnt looking at the well rounded picture.
Weight, sure its heavy but if it provided more than just a pain in the neck would it be worth it.
Heat, Prehaps a simple device integrated into the armor to keep the soldiers head and face “temrature control” nothing major but like a small water cooler type aparatus.
Comunication, Giving comands to a unit or to possible prisoners must sound muffled with that hunk of plastic on, but its big enough to place a small mike and speaker set that you may even be able to plug into a patrol radio.
Enviroment, Can you say gas mask.
Look I’m not saying that I agree with the armor that they show but if your going to make a face covering for protection what good is it when you have to take it off to talk, drink, or use your NBC gear.
On a side note: the Storm trooper thing might not be to far from a good idea. Sound/sight enhancement; enviromental stability; head protection protection; comunications; and more. Not sure bout the look of them but it was still a better idea than that peice of plastic
I actually contacted the inventor of that ballistic mask. It has a very specific design goal. He wanted to give fragmentation protection to vehicular gunners who have mostly there head exposed.
Whats important here is options. A person should have the option for better facial protection if the job requires it.
A mechanic has hundreds of tools but can only use one at a time, the best one for the task at hand.
well its designed for a gunner most gunners get frag to the face and neck. they also have a mount system to quickly disconect the shield if need be.
There’s one! Set for stun!
Maybe I’m a little bit bias here, but I know the guy. He’s a marine. He has done his tour in Iraq. He’s not some government official that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s been there. As a matter of fact, he’s spent the last two years trying to get enough money around just to make these masks for soldiers overseas. Look around, it’s the only decent facial protection out there. Everything else is far heavier. He
So sad our Army has to resort to this.
In the past, the Army went in, whooped ass, blew up everything and now they’re just glorified police.
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MTek Weapons systems. Marine, not Army. I respect both, but there is a big difference.
The concept is good, as for the design, I personally think that it will demorilise enemy soldiers very well.
If I have to go into war and I have a bunch of .20 — .44 cal rifles aiming at my head i’d rather wear one of those.
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