I just wanted to call everyones attention to the story were running today on the Armys new body armor design. As some of you may know, body armor is a subject about which I have spent a considerable amount of coverage over the years (no pun intended, I swear).
What I found in my reporting put the Army and Marine Corps in a defensive crouch for years, prompting major recalls of body armor production lots that had not passed quality assurance testing.
While the ground services havent changed the fundamental components of their body armor, both the Army and Marine Corps have redesigned their vests to make them more comfortable and safer than the Point Blank-manufactured Interceptor. The latest design from the Army is a positive step in this regard. Having spent a lot of time in body armor in war zones, I have never been a fan of the Interceptor design for comfort and coverage reasons, and its good to see that the services have made changes.
DT obtained photos of the new Army vest from PEO Soldier, so lets take an inside look at what changes have been made.
Youll notice in the first photo (front view) that the vest wraps around the body more efficiently and has integrated side-plate carriers that can adjust up and down. Theres also a pull-tab just below the chin that allows the wearer to doff the vest in a hurry. Also, check out all the MOLLE webbing attachment points for mag pouches and accessory pockets.
In the second photo (back view), youll see a large outer pouch for the ESAPI plate. The larger ESAPI was always harder to fit in the Interceptor pocket and was exposed to the elements from the upper flap. Theres also a larger haul loop on the back to drag your wounded buddy out of harms way. You can also see the inner mesh lining of the vest that helps wick moisture away from the body.
The last photo (open front view) shows a more detailed look at the inner components of the new IOTV, its wrap around fit and the neck and chin guard integrated into the collar. Also notice the side access point on the left shoulder. Thats so medics can get to wounds easier and also allows a soldier to vent the vest in stifling heat.
At first blush, Id say the Army has done a good job picking its new design. Soldiers will be a lot more comfortable in the thing and it seems as if the vest will offer more protection from blast scenarios than the Interceptor. What isnt shown in these pictures is the inner cummerbund which helps distribute the weight onto the waist and a new lower-back protector to protect the kidneys and other vital organs where the vest tends to ride up.
The next step in body armor design will likely be a fundamental shift in ballistic resistant components. As far as I know, the new Army vest is made of the same materials as the prior one: Kevlar panels with boron carbide ceramic and Dyneema-backed plates. Both components are heavy and ceramic is hard to manufacture and is a delicate material. I understand from some sources that Pinnacles Dragon Skin armor was not one of the 17 designs submitted to the Army last year. Im not sure why, but leaps in protective technology and design are sure to be incorporated into the next armor sets fielded by the Army and Marines.
So, kudos to the Army for their pick
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
So how soon will the press report that troops don’t have the best armor because this hasn’t hit the field?!?
Looks like a good design…
Although, I do wonder why Dragon Skin wasn’t submitted… I hope it’s not just a ‘beaurocratic’ thing.
My one concern about the Dragon Skin Armour – that I have not heard mentioned anywhere – is it’s ability to handle ‘off-angle’ hits. We’ve all seen it tested with dead-on, flush shots from everything right up to .308 – but it’s design seems to me to POTENTIALLY have a vulnerability if hit from the side. Not sure of course, just ‘thinking out loud’. But the ‘ballistic dynamics’ can not be the same when the bullet hits the side of a disk, as they are when the bullet hits the front.
Again, just thinking out loud. Either way, I hope they can find some way to expedite some of these new weapons/armour to our troops in REAL time.. as they kind of needed all this stuff like, YESTERDAY.
and Max, the PRESS didn’t botch this war, the Civilian Politicians did. So enough with the propaganda already.
Agreed. Rumsfeld and his buddies botched the war. But just think, if we had had the press back in WW2 that we have today, always finding the most negative news possible to report instead of focusing on winning the war, we likely would have lost that war. We aren’t losing Iraq yet, but the alphabet soup press is doing their worst to make it happen. I just heard a report this morning on NPR, and they did their best to shoot down the good news happening with the surge in Baghdad. I hear it all the time. Like I’ve said before, old Spiro Agnew had the liberal Democrat press pegged exactly right: a bunch of nattering nabobs of negativity. They are the Fifth Column in America who are helping the enemy, just like the Nazi sympathizers in France who worked to help Hitler overthrow it before he invaded.
My question is why are they doing it, and who is the third party behind the Fifth Column?
I agree with much of what you say. Rumsfeld’s idea of “smaller, faster, lighter” was one of history’s most knuckleheaded ideas ever. And Bush (and Cheney -Rumsfeld’s buddy) bears a lot of the blame for holding him over when he should have been shooed out as soon as the invasion was over, or sooner. But (to borrow a quote from Rummy), we have to live with the war we have now, not the war we would like to have. It looks like the new Defense Secretary is doing a lot of the right things (it’s about time), and the surge is producing good results, so far. But I think you are minimizing the power of the press to shape public opinion. The bloodthirsty Islamists know that they cannot defeat the US military on the battlefield; but instead their goal is to wear down public support for the war in the US, to force a defeat of the US by default. All they have to do is keep raising the body count in Iraq, whether it is soldiers or civilians, and finally the spaghetti-backboned American public will get tired of all the killing and say, “Let’s get out of there now”, and the Islamists will once again have their “Afghanistan” in Iraq and a secure base to start attacking on new fronts.
The press is playing fiddle for the terrorists, whether by design or by idiocy, I guess it depends on the individual. Every time the terrorists explode a bomb with massive casualties, there is the press talking about it; but good news? Fahgetaboutit. It’s hard to ignore the fact that surveys have shown that the vast majority of the MSM press votes Democrat, and holds left-wing viewpoints. Add in the Left’s hatred for Traditional America in general and the fact that many of them would like to see America defeated, and you begin to see a sinister aspect of all the negative news coverage. It’s easy for me to view the press as willing allies of the terrorists in their drive to destroy America. I think that many in the MSM press think that their actions will not ultimately bring their own enslavement to militant Islam, but I think they are mistaken, if they continue doing what they are doing now.
Max, I don’t want to argue with you… but I don’t really agree.
First off, the ‘terrorists’ wouldn’t even have had a chance to make Iraq ‘their next Afghanistan’ if we hadn’t taken out (secular) Saddam, right? Why couldn’t we have kept Afghantistan as the front in the war on terror?
There is a reason why the CIA made Saddam in the first place, ya know.. and a reason why Bush 1 left him there after Gulf War 1. He was our check against Iran – and we see what Iran is doing now.
Secondly, the only reason YOU could even say that the “surge” is “working” is because we telegraphed the whole thing – and Sadr left town and ordered the Mahdi army to stand down. They’re just biding their time until the next “phase”. Temporarily making Baghdad a little safer doesn’t really change anythiing in the long term, I’m afraid. And in the meantime, we have completely ground our military down to pieces.
Now look, do we agree that we have to eventually leave Iraq? Eventually THEY are going to have to fight it out themselves, right? Just like Vietnam in 72, 73, 74, 75… eventually THEY will have to fight it out, so all of this stuff in the meantime is just ‘preparation’ really. There is no “win” for us. All an insurgency has to do is NOT LOSE, and they win. They are, after all, the population. We are not.
You talk about WW2, but this not WW2 with big armies facing each other… it’s assymetrical warfare, where there are no clear winners.. it’s all about finding some political solution… of which, I think Bush is utterly incapable. and dude, in case you missed it, EVERY single military leader was totally against the “surge”. Every single damn one of them. But Bush, once again, running the show from the oval office, and more worried about politics, totally ignored them all – and did what HE wanted.
So here we find ourselves.. You and I – divided, just like the rest of the country -because the Politicians and the freaking talkin head pundits need to play us against each other to get their paycheck. It’s all a game to them. They blame everything on the “left”… or the right.., whatever. As long as you feed that myth, YOU are doing what the terrorists want, man: diving US – and making us fight each other. It didn’t have to be this way.. and it still doesn’t. But Bush is backed in a corner and the only thing he can do now is keep his base riled up and deluded – to keep them from defecting too..
Until we can once again come together – and put these divisive political propaganda games behind us, we’re never going to win anything. That’s the plain truth of it.
So stop blaming your fellow Americans and start thinking of ways to re-unite our country – so we can come together and fight the real enemy, which is not the Iraqi’s – but al Qaeda…and all those who would ally with them and their terrorist movement.
Just a few final points…
If this was WW2, it would be over by now. You can’t expect a population to blindly support an endless war, especially one that has been as badly blundered as this – with constantly changing missions/reasons why we’re there (WMD, get Saddam, create a Democracy in a society that has never known Democracy in their thousands of years of existence, etc)
Also, the Press bascially gave Bush a free pass for the first 2 years… They were too busy blathering over Michael Jackson to remember there was a war going on. And what did we get? Paul Bremer.
Finally, the troops don’t care about this left vs right stuff.. They only want a mission that can actually succeed at.. and basically being a de-facto Iraqi policeman is not their favorite thing, I can assure you.
Until we can get beyond all the political BS and get our foreign policy back to something based in reality, we’re going to be chasing our tail around pointing fingers at each other.. instead of killing Osama and his psycho followers.
Army Brat-
“and Max, the PRESS didn’t botch this war, the Civilian Politicians did. So enough with the propaganda already.
Posted by: Army Brat at April 3, 2007 03:31 PM”
Dude, this isn’t propaganda-as soon as a system is developed the press is asking “Why don’t the troops have this?!?”-ignoring RFI and the amazing development of systems in the past few years.
The press has become the modern “ticket punchers” an embed here, a report there-and I go to the network! It doesn’t matter if I haven’t a clue why things work the way they do or if I editorialize, imbellish and soundbite stories until they are distorted.
I don’t care about the civilian politicians, but if you think the press hasn’t been ignorant to the point of negligence you’re a fool. The press can’t ask a smart question-if you think they EVER GAVE BUSH A FREE PASS-you’re a fool.
“Finally, the troops don’t care about this left vs right stuff.. They only want a mission that can actually succeed at.. and basically being a de-facto Iraqi policeman is not their favorite thing, I can assure you. ”
Dude, we are killing Osama’s Psycho Followers, it’s too bad we never got Osama-I didn’t like my mission in Iraq, but as an 11B I knew it was important and did it-even though I KNEW THAT THE POLITICAL INFIGHTING WAS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO TRY AND KILL ME. It still is. Retention is going to go to hell, why fight for a country that doesn’t care if it will win?
The only thing I can say, my friend, is that if we walk away from Iraq before it is ready to stand on its own two feet, the blood of all those who will die as a result of the massacre (just like Vietnam in the 1970′s) will be on the hands of the gutless yellow-belly Democrats in Congress.
I don’t want our military to stay in Iraq one second longer than necessary, but we are there now, and we have to stay until the job is finished. My own feeling is that if we give them another year or two of relatively good security (which we are starting to do now) and allow them to build up their own military forces and infrastructure, and then if they STILL haven’t taken control of their own future, then maybe it will be time to pull out. In the meantime, you can’t build an army overnight or even in 3 or 4 years. It takes a long time to do right. Our soldiers are the finest in the world, and they will get it done if Liberals stop carping at them from the sidelines.
Give it a chance to succeed, will you?. I agree that Rumsfeld and company messed it up. The stakes are much too high to play political games with Iraq. I see good trends in Iraq, and we have no choice but to succeed. If the “surge” wasn’t working, I would agree: pull out now. But it is, and I don’t.
No more posts on this topic please.
Army Brat – I’ve seen you talk a lot about :we shouldn’t have done this” “why did we do that”, the picture is always clear as glass when you have 20/20 hindsight on your side. *rolls eyes*
And you say our number one target should be Al Qaeda…I agree that they should remain in the crosshairs…but you cant ignore everything that Iran is doing…and the hostage thing is simply them pushing our buttons…seeing how far they can push us.
and the media has more control over this war than any other before it…you think its all politicians…the politicians listen to the media…mainly just the democratic ones…which now have the majority.
The “death toll” is so overhyped its just sickening, the media is trying their damndest to make the average joe to get mad at Bush, and make them think we should cut funding and pull out of Iraq now.
Ya know…at the beginning of the war the media (every hour of every day) was gleefully watching the body count rise…but now all the troops have vests, and all the vehicles are armored…which has resulted in less “troop deaths per day”…so starting around a year ago or so, the media shifted from “daily soldier body count” to “daily body count”…whether is be a soldier, a contractor, or a innocent civilian…they did that so the number could stay high.
cant get much more pathetic then that.
Max Day,
You have recognized the role American-based media outlets and ostensibly American “journalists” and talking heads play in disseminating enemy propaganda (Any form of communications in support of [national terrorist] objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group [American voters]in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly). In WWII, they were are our side.
Counter propaganda (Programs of products and actions designed to nullify propaganda or mitigate its effects) is what we need.
little question: i saw the tv-show “future weapons” on the discovery channel where they presented the lightweight body armour called “dragon skin” which seems to be far supirior to anything else on the market. it can stop multiple ak-rounds as well as the blast from laying on a handgrenade. anyone heard of it? i never see people discuss that thing and wonder if u know anything about it…
besides i think a reliable rifle (instead the crappy m-16/m-4) is more important than any body armour…
Old Europe,
I know quite a bit about the “Dragon Skin” armor developed by a company in California called Pinnacle. Basically, the owner, Murray Neal, has developed a sort of “fish scale” system of thin ceramic disks that overlap eachother. Seriously, think of wearing a vest of disks constructed out of the same materials as the SAPI plates in current armor surrounding your whole torso. Neal has vividly demonstrated how the vest can take multiple rifle shots, then an entire clip of 9mm from a sub and show no penetration or catastrophic backface deformation. Pretty amazing, right?
Thing is, the Army has been resolutely opposed to the armor because they think Neal is a quack. Really it boils down to a few things: 1., Neal is a salesman and can be somewhat hyperbolic with his claims and 2., the Army really isn’t sure how to accurately test a technology like this and get reliable results to certify that the armor can protect troops from the threats they encounter.
Here’s my take. I almost bought a set of the armor for my trips to the war zone but didn’t for two reasons. 1., I think it’s too heavy for the protection it gives. I think it’s great to have ceramic all around you, and at this point – where soldiers are wearing side SAPIs, maybe that’s what’s happening anyway – but I think it’s overkill. For someone in a Direct Action job, this armor is perfect. If you’re going to be shot at A LOT in the front (like when you’re taking down buildings in AQ held territory) the Dragon Skin seems right up your alley. And that brings me to reason 2…I wonder about its resistance to explosive blasts…I just don’t think it was built for blasts and I haven’t seen any testing done on it for that. I could be wrong, but i feel like the Kevlar-made standard vests do better in that sort of ballistic scenario than a cermic disk layup. But that’s totally debatable.
Bottom line – my colleagues and I who’ve followed this debate wonder why something deemed SO superior is rejected SO fully by the Army – and to some extent the Marines. I do not trust the Army or Marine Corps choices on armor out of hand…my reporting has proven they’ve been shifty when it comes to armor choices. But there’s gotta be SOMETHING going on when Neal doesn’t even submit his Dragon Skin for the new armor tests…
With regard to the back and forth between Max and Army Brat and the press – Go back and read coverage of WWII (not military press releases but stories from the media) and read about the coverage. I think you’ll find that there was negative coverage and much teeth gnashing by the gov’t over that coverage. And in many cases the government simply decided to censor or embargo the stories and lots of times the press rolled over and let it happen. I don’t think coverage is all that different now except that most of the press won’t just roll-over if the gov’t or military tells them not to print a story. IN my experience the majority of the media will not print or hold details for legitimate reasons (OPSEC, personal details, etc.) when asked but they won’t simply acquiesce just because the government or military says so. Now I have no dog in this fight, am not in the media (in fact I am in military PA) but the media seems to get a bad rap for reporting negatively. Seems to me that they are reporting what is happening and much of that IS negative. Maybe they don’t capture all the good news but that is usually because they can’t/won’t travel to some areas for security reasons or because they aren’t allowed to.
Christian -
Thanks. That shed some light on the issue… which I think we were all wondering about
Will,
Excellent comment. I agree completely.
“other” max -
“gutless yellow-belly democrats”, huh? lol
and not the people who got us in this mess in the first place – and bungled and botched every damn thing along the way? But the “gutless Democrats” lol
Oh man, you have to go easy on the propaganda, man… That shit will grow hair on your palms!
OH, and ‘murc’ (lol)
Most of the mistakes I mentioned, I was SCREAMING about (particularly the ‘shit on your Army Chief of Staff’ one) WHEN they were being made, so don’t roll your eyes at me, pal.
Most of this stuff isn’t rocket science.. all of the military minds that I trust were trying to say the same things… The Pentagon bungled the whole OP. Should have left it to the CIA, like we did in Afghanistan.
christian,
thanks for some new info :)
according to “future weapons” dragon skin IS blast resistant: they put a vest onto a dummy and lay it on the ground on a handgrenade. the data showed a human would have been ok, at least where the vest protects the body (belly is safe, legs are missing), dragon skin was still good to go. they tested a conventionel body armour from the us army which was destroyed by the blast and the shrapnell.
Dragon Skin is great at PR…
http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=6080&rtn=index-topten
…and the company had a kind of feud together with Defensereview.com against the procurement people of the Army.
Either the stuff is bad (my guess is it’s not good at oblique hits as is often observable with compound armor) or its great and some criminal procurement people produce real shit.
It looks like everyone out there was impressed with the dragon skin armor after it was featured in the Future weapons show. Here are a couple of thing that bothered me about the demonstrations.
1. Only the 7.62X39 round was fired at it. Any level III vest in the market will stop this round. The treat in Iraq and Afghanistan is the 7.64x54AP which is has a much higher muzzle velocity. The current SAPI plate on the Army
The reason Dragon Skin was shelved by the Army etc was DOJ tests that showed under conditions of heat and humidity the vest disintegrates and loses all its stopping power.
Dragon skin’s patent is owned by a Japanese company and to date they have NOT corrected this very serious problem with Dragon Skin. The reports about this are publicly available and its amazing that no one here mentioned them
The reason Dragon Skin was shelved by the Army etc was DOJ tests that showed under conditions of heat and humidity the vest disintegrates and loses all its stopping power.
Dragon skin’s patent is owned by a Japanese company and to date they have NOT corrected this very serious problem with Dragon Skin. The reports about this are publicly available and its amazing that no one here mentioned them
The reason Dragon Skin was shelved by the Army etc was DOJ tests that showed under conditions of heat and humidity the vest disintegrates and loses all its stopping power.
Dragon skin’s patent is owned by a Japanese company and to date they have NOT corrected this very serious problem with Dragon Skin. The reports about this are publicly available and its amazing that no one here mentioned them — by the way your webserver is WAY too SLOW
Larry, you are correct I saw the vest that the Army tested and under humidity and heat all the small round plates migrated to the bottom of the vest. The vest looked like a bag of M&M
GI Joe: No AP round was used on the Dragon Skin because they didn’t have plate in the vest in first place. That’s what the demo was about. Watch it again and you’ll see/hear.
Just wondering…Does anyone know if carbon nanotubes have been investigated to see if they would make good armor or not?
the military armor deign group should have a light weight full body armor suit,thats also a total battle weapon thats like wearing a tank but better,that protects every body part and is more mobile to wear than the armor we have now.i have tons of designs i bet they couldnt think of.
Im not quite sure but i believe that the new Army’s armor is much lighter than the Dragon Skin armor which is pretty nice because the soldiers already have a enough wieght to worry about with ammunition and a weapon not to mention all the other gear that is mandatory on missions over seas. It’s definitley nice to see some lighter body armor being developed and more breathable armor that offers better mobility for the troops. I like what i’ve heard about the dragon skin but im not a believer in soft armor nor do I like how it’s worn. I think they should make sure this is the armor they want of the future because you don’t want a huge waste of money when they find something new like the ACU’s. With soft skin armor it may offer good protection against small arms fire but it won’t protect against other thing like if somethings was to fall and crush you. I know that’s what body armor really isn’t for, but I just heard about an IBA hard plattting saving a life when a humvee rolled on top of a guy in iraq because it sparred his chest cavity but barley.
First, ALWAYS remember with any Defense Department Procurement Program, the first thing they do is compare the costs with what they will get in return, usually its the lowest bidder or the company that will give them the most “bang” for thier buck. The M-16/M-4 weapon system is a 40 year old design. There are multiple upgrades on the market which would at relatively low cost replace the Upper reciever and greatly increase reliability, service life, reduce cleaning, etc. Instead of spending the money on small arms weapon programs to develop a new firearm for military service the cost could have been spent retrofitting the weapons in inventory. On the rifle, new upper recievers could be purchased in lot and replaced in the field by pushing out two pins and replacing the upper and pushing the two pins back in. there is NOTHING else that realistically needs to be done other than a quick 5 minute class on disassembly of the updated gas system. the weapon would increase its service life and would save the military more money in the long run because of less cost in repairs, and worn out parts (the way the original system works, its designed to foul itself into inoperability, and high pressure gas and heat is contained in the most delicate part of the operational componants) The new system is similar in operation to the AK weapon that uses an operating rod pushed by gas instead of gas pressure venting into the bolt and leaving deposits as it cycles the weapon. Since the gasses and unburned powder, pressure and heat arent dumped into the bolt, it lasts longer, wears less, and the overall weapon lasts longer, requires less maintinance, which means less part breakage and need for replacement, which would also cost less in replacement part cost, etc. but for some reason they dont want to spend the money. The weapon would be hardier, cleaner, cheaper in long run. the only reason is someone is getting kickbacks from the original contractor and are making more money keeping the expensive system. The government is NOT about saving money, it is getting what ever barely meets the specs to get the job done at the time. the future interests and plans for the future dont plan into military spending very often. The same thing is going on with the vests, whoever owns the interceptor vest system probably was making a better offer on the wayside with “perks” and whatnot than the other companies. I have been working in the government for almost 17 years and its not about the item being sold, its the perks and other stuff, putting the prospective buyer in the nicest hotel suite, paying for the dinners, taking them out for drinks, etc. that is how contracts are won in the SYSTEM, not how good your equipment performs. If it was how good the equipment performs, the US Military would be using H&K G-36 rifles, using Springfield XD .45acp pistols……, but we dont. The list goes on and on. I dare anyone out there to prove me wrong. Additionally, the government also looks at, if the soldier gets killed and the weapon gets captured or destroyed, we dont want to loose very much money in equipment. It’s all just a Cost VS. Loss comparison and how much is the procurer going to be compensated.
If the military issues it, it is NOT the best equipment available, it is the best of the LEAST costly equipment avaiable. The government looks at it like this, ok we need some compact cars, what is the best compact car that we can get for the cheapest cost. Not what’s the best compact car and then we will get the money to purchase them. So people should not be suprised about the recalls, problems, costs, lack of provision, etc in relation to the body armor. The military is also worried that if someone purchases a better vest that is more expensive than what the miltary issues and word gets around, the government might be embarrased into having to purchase the more expensive vests. That is another reason for the military services not authorizing people to wear privately purchased vests on top of some soldiers may purchase inadequate vests. (remember this too, the people resposible for purchasing your body armor,or weapon are generally CLUELESS about it and go on the info of the sales, etc people. I was up at Natic Labs a while back and they have new privates testing weapon systems, equipment, etc……..like they have a clue………experienced soldiers and Field Experts should be testing them, not brand new soldiers. If they used soldiers who new about the systems to test the equipment, we wouldnt have some of the junk we do, to include the Interceptor Vests. (by the way the government LOVES high speed sounding names. Interceptor Body Armor, Crusader in artillery, Commanche Fast Attack Helicoptor, OICW Objective individual combat weapon-precurser to the canceled XM-8 rifle, etc.)
First of all, when it comes down to the $ bottem line, the added cost of the best body armor is zero. Compare the cost of rehab and other life long services many wounded require, against the small investment the BEST body armor would cost, anyone in their right mind would choose OUR men and women over a few bucks.
1)Dragon skin uses a silicon Carbide ceramic plate not boron carbide. Secondly it isn’t a plate it is a composite material which incorperates silicon carbide. Bron carbide is harder than silicon carbide however silicon carbide is signifigantly denser than boron carbide. Newtonian penetration equasions mean that it is signifigantly better at stopping high velocity rounds. There are over 200 poly types of silicon carbide (different configurations), pinacle systems uses a patented composite,”a Silicon carbide Matrix” so therefore argueing that well they seem to be made of the same stuff doesn’t work.
2)Silicon carbide is easier to manufacture, because it is used in chobam armor. The ease of manufactue means that there are less defects than boron carbide.
3) Boron carbide is brittle and when fractures occur they occur all the way through. Depending how you make it silicon carbide can be made to break outward.
Just because they are made of simialar mateirals doesn’t make them the same.
The major issue behind this new armor system is that the pentagon can’t get it through their thick skull that a flexable armor system is superior, ie a searies of overlapping plates. The crux of the issue which I discussed with the U.S. Army’s representative at the next convention Is whether interlocking plates allow for a the adversary to somehow adjust their angle of attack. given the way Dragon skin does this an enemy would have to be almost underneath the soldeir to hit him. Secondly smaller plates are easier to manufacture and have a lower rate of defect, the effects of defects in the plates are localized, Dragon skin plates are curved which increases their effective thickness. Lastly it has been preposed (speculative) that the spacing betwent he plates disperses the impact and prevents fragmentation.
To avoid any personal attacks yes I was in the army and I think we should be giving our people the best equipment and the pentagon needs to taking a scientific approach to equipment and not using it as a cash cow to buy jobs political influence and money
I just had one question. In a program I viewed the other day they were showing construction of the new helmet. They included testing of random helmets; the flaw I saw in the testing was their test was setup to use the 5.56mm round. We are not fighting ourselves and no one wants our M16′s to outfit their troops. AK47′s may lack in accuracy but, they fire the 7.62 round. We’re talking pickup trucks vs an 18 wheeler. They sure need to be evaluated using what we hope to stop.
The current Kevlar composite helmet defeats steel fragments and 9mm handgun rounds. It does not stop rifle rounds at rifle velocities. It can stop rifle bullets that have slowed down enough to have the same energy as the 9mm bullet. To stop rifle rounds the helmet would be as heavy as a ceramic body armor plate.
What you saw was a steel bomb fragment simulator testing. They use a rifle cartridge case with a plastic sabot to hold the little steel fragment. It takes a lot of gunpowder to get the velocity required for testing. They were not shooting 5.56 ammunition, just using the brass case to hold the propellent.
Ben, isn’t Pinnacle using silicon carbide ceramic from that French company saint gobain? Why don’t they use American made ceramic? This is not the French army you know. We also have the buy American law. Maybe that is another reason the Army doesn’t want it.
i dont want to comment actualy,what i want is to ask about the information when i want to be a south african army.so ihope i will get that information so that i will be up to date.
i have no comment
think Dragon scale is good but is quite heavy and does not take incerible amout of hits maybe 10 at best. A newer amour from Defend-X is much better it is like hard plates in shape and size but thats were the similaries end. I saw a video on you tube of it taking 63 5.56 nato green tip rounds before even dinting on the back. The armour has two plates with some for of rino lining on them and sandwiched in beteween them is a balsitic foam. any way it looks like the best amour out there right now.
you know what’s doing Obama bin Laden no muscle structure
Obama bin Laden isn’t getting presidency for one there are no papers for him to get it and the other the whole country’s going up well if there’s no paper work for the job then what is he getting
My negative, as my bosss brother was very sad. He said venting to find out the game we play games together, together fight monster, how to kill on how to kill. Later, we played the GuildWars game, my brother helped me apply a number, and she also bought some GW gold to me. Choose the name, I think a long time, in order to no longer immerse in the lovelorn, so I need to find individuals to love me, want to permanently, I hope that it is no longer the past fireworks fleeting. Finally, I choose love me 9 long time as my name. Brother saw and laughed; he said he hoped I will be happy. He let me go to play, beware of being cheated, do not give other people my phone and QQ.
So I decided to closed my own heart, I played lonely, I gave up to find, put aside feeling. I upgrade, take account and earn goonzu money a person. I live a little good; I think I have been really put aside.
Yesterday, because I miss you, I go back the game and I want to watch to see. The rohan crone that you give me is also in here. I unexpectedly met you; I think I should stay here because I still think around you. This afternoon, I let you played together me this night, you promised. In the evening I thought you would not have come, but I saw you really come, I really very happy.
Three years ago, after friends introduced, I played the Rappelz game. At that time, I dazed and confused, I like to go my own way, I have a lot of rappelz rupees, but I became the most evil villains in the game. Until I encountered her, I found the meaning of survival.
The friend took me to the game, but she own was leaving the game. A person to game is boring, every day, I only know to upgrade and earn ro zeny. I can not sad dot this mess of feelings and moving. Once, the two boys for me quarreled utterly, until I leaved and tool sad. Later, I found a boy to married, I think perhaps all this to change, and I pray to become a reality, a few days after he disappeared. A person was playing a marriage number, what would it have taken place.
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