GIs' New Armor Too Heavy, Army Says

[unhappycamper]

GIs' New Armor Too Heavy, Army Says
February 05, 2009
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Concerned that U.S. troops are already saddled with too much heavy gear, military officials will not require them to wear improved body armor until manufacturers cut the weight of the new protective plates.

The Army plans to buy 120,000 sets of the advanced bullet-blocking plates this year. This initial purchase of the plates, known as "XSAPI," will be stocked in Kuwait and be available if commanders need them, service officials said at a congressional hearing Wednesday.

The quality of small numbers of the current plates, called "ESAPI," was questioned last week in an audit by the Defense Department inspector general's office. The audit said the ESAPI plates from one body armor manufacturer - Armor Works of Chandler, Ariz. - were tested improperly and may not provide troops adequate protection.

The Army disputed the conclusion. ESAPI is the best body armor available and a lifesaver in Iraq and Afghanistan, service officials insisted. Nonetheless, as a precautionary step the Army decided to withdraw nearly 33,000 Armor Works plates in question from an ESAPI inventory of about 2 million produced by nearly a dozen different companies.

The body armor used by most American forces consists of a vest with a series of inserts that protect most of the upper body from armor-piercing rounds. The specially hardened ceramic plates are the largest of the inserts; one is placed in the front of the vest and another in the back.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-new-armor-too-heavy-army-says.html

[Crazy Dave]

1. I wonder whose cousin or nephew owns the company that got the contract

The stuff don't have to work if that's the case or if it's made by the lowest bidder.

[adadem]

2. Sadly that's true n/t