thedrifter
10-24-06, 01:55 PM
October 30, 2006
Best of the vests
MTV makes Marines safer, stronger than ever, Corps says
By Gordon Lubold
Staff writer
It’s bigger, easier to get out of — and just a bit heavier — but Corps officials say the new body armor vest will take care of Marines and make them more combat effective than they’ve ever been.
Corps officials have released the first details of the new vest, known as the Modular Tactical Vest, after showing a prototype to Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee, who reportedly liked what he saw and gave it the final nod Oct. 19.
Corps officials say the MTV — which Marines will start wearing in February — is more comfortable, offers more areas of protection from bullets and shrapnel, and distributes the load better.
There’s just one catch: At least for now, the MTV is about two pounds heavier than the Interceptor Outer Tactical Vest system Marines have been wearing since the war in Afghanistan began in October 2001.
Officials say the extra weight is offset by an improved weight-distribution system. And when you consider that the MTV offers far more side protection than the old Interceptor system, the extra weight is worth it, said Capt. Jeff Landis, a spokesman for Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va. The vest alone is about 10 pounds. Plates typically add about 18 more pounds.
New features include:
• Quick-release capability to allow Marines to get out of the vest in a hurry.
• Increased coverage, including the lower back and kidney area, side torso and shoulder.
• Integrated side armor plate pouches.
• Wiring channels for communications gear.
• Rifle bolster to allow the shooter to seat his weapon into his shoulder for proper firing.
• Improved closure strap system.
• “Component-compatible” features that allow users to easily attach other load-bearing items such as packs or ammo.
All this adds up to a better fighter, Corps officials said.
“Because of our forward thinking of comfort to the wearer and load-bearing capabilities, we do think we’ll have a more combat-effective war fighter,” Landis said.
The new vest offers the same ballistic protection against shrapnel and 9mm rounds and uses the same front, back and side ceramic plates as the Interceptor.
Protective Products International, based in Sunrise, Fla., was the winning bidder of the $33 million contract, announced by the Pentagon on Sept. 25. Paraclete Armor & Equipment Inc., of Saint Pauls, N.C., and Crye Precision LLC, of Brooklyn, N.Y., also bid on the contract. Calls to both companies were not returned as of Oct. 20.
A fitting improvement
Corps officials see the MTV as a major improvement over the OTV, which Marines said is too heavy, too cumbersome to wear and generally uncomfortable. Some Marines have groused that they would rather risk going without a vest than wear the Interceptor, prompting Corps officials to explore other options.
In December, Marines with recent combat experience gathered to discuss what improvements could be made to the OTV system.
That system was developed about a decade ago and incorporates a 9mm bullet- and shrapnel-resistant outer shell of Kevlar with two rigid ceramic plates in the front and back capable of stopping high-powered rifle rounds. Side plates were added earlier this year.
But the Interceptor was not designed to carry heavy loads such as ammo pouches, radios, hydration systems and other accessories. As a result, many troops either attached extra pouches to the vest or wore an additional load-carrying layer.
SysCom held a weeklong “limited-use evaluation” in April involving 40 Marines, after which the three vendors were selected to submit their final product.
In July, the Corps used a focus group of about 100 grunts from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II Marine Expeditionary Force to determine which vest offered the best, Landis said. The grunts used the systems in forced marches, movements to contact, rifle ranges, emergency egress drills and urban facility operations.
Infared reflectography tests were performed at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., and a water safety evaluation took place at the Naval Survival Training Institute in Pensacola, Fla.
Past gear purchases have used Marines’ opinions of tested gear as only one factor in the decision-making process. For example, when the Corps chose a new pack to replace the troubled Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, system, Systems Command officials weighed Marines’ input with overall cost and other criteria and did not choose the pack Marines liked the most.
In the case of the MTV, 89 percent of Marines in the three-week evaluation said they favored PPI’s design. Corps officials said the PPI vest was chosen because of its overall design, fit, comfort, “ease of assembly” and the quick-release design that makes it far easier to remove in emergencies. It will be offered in the desert tan color only, with no woodland camouflage versions planned.
The MTV is an interim solution, however. SysCom is looking for a system that will address all comfort and safety issues, including lighter armor that provides more ballistic protection. That’s three to five years away, Landis said.
For now, the MTV is the body armor Marines will wear in combat.
The Corps plans to have 60,000 vests made and wants to start fielding them in February. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, also at Quantico, and Marine Corps headquarters will decide who gets the new body armor and when. Each Marine expeditionary force will determine priority within its units.
Since the war in Iraq began, the issue of body armor has become an increasingly sensitive subject for the Pentagon, which many say did not sufficiently plan for the dangers of the insurgency and was caught flat-footed when it came to providing proper body armor for all troops in theater. Fearing that their current body armor wasn’t sufficient, many troops reportedly bought their own. Ever since, the Army and the Marine Corps have moved to replace the Interceptor system with something lighter, safer and easier to move around in.
Best of the vests
MTV makes Marines safer, stronger than ever, Corps says
By Gordon Lubold
Staff writer
It’s bigger, easier to get out of — and just a bit heavier — but Corps officials say the new body armor vest will take care of Marines and make them more combat effective than they’ve ever been.
Corps officials have released the first details of the new vest, known as the Modular Tactical Vest, after showing a prototype to Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee, who reportedly liked what he saw and gave it the final nod Oct. 19.
Corps officials say the MTV — which Marines will start wearing in February — is more comfortable, offers more areas of protection from bullets and shrapnel, and distributes the load better.
There’s just one catch: At least for now, the MTV is about two pounds heavier than the Interceptor Outer Tactical Vest system Marines have been wearing since the war in Afghanistan began in October 2001.
Officials say the extra weight is offset by an improved weight-distribution system. And when you consider that the MTV offers far more side protection than the old Interceptor system, the extra weight is worth it, said Capt. Jeff Landis, a spokesman for Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va. The vest alone is about 10 pounds. Plates typically add about 18 more pounds.
New features include:
• Quick-release capability to allow Marines to get out of the vest in a hurry.
• Increased coverage, including the lower back and kidney area, side torso and shoulder.
• Integrated side armor plate pouches.
• Wiring channels for communications gear.
• Rifle bolster to allow the shooter to seat his weapon into his shoulder for proper firing.
• Improved closure strap system.
• “Component-compatible” features that allow users to easily attach other load-bearing items such as packs or ammo.
All this adds up to a better fighter, Corps officials said.
“Because of our forward thinking of comfort to the wearer and load-bearing capabilities, we do think we’ll have a more combat-effective war fighter,” Landis said.
The new vest offers the same ballistic protection against shrapnel and 9mm rounds and uses the same front, back and side ceramic plates as the Interceptor.
Protective Products International, based in Sunrise, Fla., was the winning bidder of the $33 million contract, announced by the Pentagon on Sept. 25. Paraclete Armor & Equipment Inc., of Saint Pauls, N.C., and Crye Precision LLC, of Brooklyn, N.Y., also bid on the contract. Calls to both companies were not returned as of Oct. 20.
A fitting improvement
Corps officials see the MTV as a major improvement over the OTV, which Marines said is too heavy, too cumbersome to wear and generally uncomfortable. Some Marines have groused that they would rather risk going without a vest than wear the Interceptor, prompting Corps officials to explore other options.
In December, Marines with recent combat experience gathered to discuss what improvements could be made to the OTV system.
That system was developed about a decade ago and incorporates a 9mm bullet- and shrapnel-resistant outer shell of Kevlar with two rigid ceramic plates in the front and back capable of stopping high-powered rifle rounds. Side plates were added earlier this year.
But the Interceptor was not designed to carry heavy loads such as ammo pouches, radios, hydration systems and other accessories. As a result, many troops either attached extra pouches to the vest or wore an additional load-carrying layer.
SysCom held a weeklong “limited-use evaluation” in April involving 40 Marines, after which the three vendors were selected to submit their final product.
In July, the Corps used a focus group of about 100 grunts from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II Marine Expeditionary Force to determine which vest offered the best, Landis said. The grunts used the systems in forced marches, movements to contact, rifle ranges, emergency egress drills and urban facility operations.
Infared reflectography tests were performed at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., and a water safety evaluation took place at the Naval Survival Training Institute in Pensacola, Fla.
Past gear purchases have used Marines’ opinions of tested gear as only one factor in the decision-making process. For example, when the Corps chose a new pack to replace the troubled Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, system, Systems Command officials weighed Marines’ input with overall cost and other criteria and did not choose the pack Marines liked the most.
In the case of the MTV, 89 percent of Marines in the three-week evaluation said they favored PPI’s design. Corps officials said the PPI vest was chosen because of its overall design, fit, comfort, “ease of assembly” and the quick-release design that makes it far easier to remove in emergencies. It will be offered in the desert tan color only, with no woodland camouflage versions planned.
The MTV is an interim solution, however. SysCom is looking for a system that will address all comfort and safety issues, including lighter armor that provides more ballistic protection. That’s three to five years away, Landis said.
For now, the MTV is the body armor Marines will wear in combat.
The Corps plans to have 60,000 vests made and wants to start fielding them in February. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, also at Quantico, and Marine Corps headquarters will decide who gets the new body armor and when. Each Marine expeditionary force will determine priority within its units.
Since the war in Iraq began, the issue of body armor has become an increasingly sensitive subject for the Pentagon, which many say did not sufficiently plan for the dangers of the insurgency and was caught flat-footed when it came to providing proper body armor for all troops in theater. Fearing that their current body armor wasn’t sufficient, many troops reportedly bought their own. Ever since, the Army and the Marine Corps have moved to replace the Interceptor system with something lighter, safer and easier to move around in.