New U.S Armor considered 'too goofy' by U.S Troops.

Kampfwagen

Junior Member
By Francis Harris, in Washington
(Filed: 09/05/2006)

American troops have complained that a new armoured body suit designed to be worn in Iraq makes them look "goofy".

The water-cooled "alien spacesuits" are being handed out to turret gunners in their notoriously vulnerable Humvee vehicles.


The new suit is designed to protect against roadside bombs but has had mixed reviews from soldiers

The protective suit, based on those worn by bomb disposal officers, was intended to cut spiralling casualties for one of the most dangerous jobs in modern warfare.

But some troops have complained that the armour and headgear is inelegant. Others say the water-cooling system, designed for the soaring temperatures of an Iraqi summer, regularly breaks down.

Nonetheless, the suits being tested in combat by US military police units in northern Iraq have produced good results.

Capt Larry Bergeron told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes that the armour was credited with saving the lives of three men sprayed with shrapnel from roadside bombs.

"One soldier's visor stopped a piece of shrapnel that hit dead centre," he said. "If he had not had that suit on, the effects could have been catastrophic."

Gunners on Humvees have high casualty rates. While newly-installed armour protects those inside, the gunner stands with the upper half of his body exposed, making him far more vulnerable to roadside bombs and gunfire. Others have been crushed as vehicles overturn.

But Specialist Michael Floyd, 19, said: "I am not a big fan of this thing. It is really hot and hard to move around in. I do feel safer, but only in an explosion. I would not feel safer in a rollover or in small-arms fire."

Critics say the heavy suits also restrict movement during combat.


army.jpg

Danger, Danger Private Robinson!
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
Hehe laughed my ass off when i saw that. Not so much cause of the suit itself but cause of the fact soldiers are worried how they'll look in them. your your lost in space pun is on the money, made me crack up. :)

That being said, i dont see what's wrong with that suit? In the article they do point out its not designed for footsoldiers but for gunners that do not require full mobility. Performance comes first, only then can the military afford to fiddle around with fashion. I know i would sure pick such suit if i was a humvee gunner over simple bullet resistant (whatever happened to bullet proof? :D) vest.
 

jchu1988

New Member
we all know how easy it is to kill a humvee: rpg, roadside bombs. If the humvee was rendered useless, eg: the vehicle was on fire or something of that diastourous nature, how useful will that body suit be? You can barely run with that thing. As it is connected to the vehicle, i take it u will need to either that off the suit or disconneect the damn thing before u can try to escape.
 

adeptitus

Captain
VIP Professional
Seems to me the basic problem is having the gunner stick his upper body out in exposed position? Why not install Remote-controlled weapon stations like this:
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netspider

New Member
Am I reading it right? It looks like the article is implying the suit can be effective on bomb shell but not bullet proof? What if they must get off Humvee and do some battle? Run to a safe place to change to armor vest?
 

jwangyue

Junior Member
adeptitus said:
Seems to me the basic problem is having the gunner stick his upper body out in exposed position? Why not install Remote-controlled weapon stations like this:
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It is possible the main reason might be cost! Just a speculation, but Bush family will not profit from purchasing weapons from an Isrealie company.
 

MIGleader

Banned Idiot
Weapons systems like the one adeptitus shows are available from u.s makers aswell, and not jsut for the military. If your rich and concenred for your own safety, you can actually buy one of those automated turrrets to install on your SUV. I think some company offered to install one on the pope-mobile, but got rejected...Im sure you why.
 

The_Zergling

Junior Member
Wait a minute... automated turrets? Am I hearing this correctly? Moral outrage aside, has IFF technology advanced so much that we've got something in the matter of the perimeter guns in "Aliens" that can distinguish between friend and foe... on an SUV?!
 

renmin

Junior Member
Hey, isnt that what american bomb squad units wear? It looks remarkably similar. Well it looks goofy all right! HAHAHAHAHA! Some one has been eating too much!:rofl:
 

MIGleader

Banned Idiot
The_Zergling said:
Wait a minute... automated turrets? Am I hearing this correctly? Moral outrage aside, has IFF technology advanced so much that we've got something in the matter of the perimeter guns in "Aliens" that can distinguish between friend and foe... on an SUV?!

I watched it on the history channel. No, it is not an autonomous system, it has a human gunner who sits inside the SUV, which has bulletproff armor installed. I believe the weapon was 50 caliber.
 
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