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Soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, took the Army’s new body armor into the field and put it to the test over a series of tasks from Oct. 16-20.
The new modular scalable vest could be the replacement for the improved outer tactical vest, or IOTV, that’s currently in use, according to the Army.
The IOTV is five pounds heavier than the new vest.
The new vest weighs approximately 11-pounds, based on a medium-sized vest without ballistic plates, the Army said. Fully loaded with its protective plates, the vest weighs approximately 25 pounds.
“We have been working on this vest for the past five years and have since gone through four versions of the vest and an additional two versions of the soldier plate carrier system,” said Stephen McNair, a test manager for the new equipment.
Soldiers conducted an obstacle course, weapons training, donning and doffing procedures, tactical vehicle access capabilities and a ruck march in the new, lighter vest, the Army said.
“Compared to my IOTV, this vest is lighter and cooler, has a greater range of motion, and a better fit,” said 1st Lt. Dawn Ward, a platoon leader with the 663rd Ordnance Company. “It is a huge improvement over previous body armors.”
The Army is pushing for the new vest as a part of its effort to lighten the total load a soldier has to carry, the service said.
From 2018 to 2021, troops could see the new vest, as well as new head protection that resembles a motorcycle helmet and eyewear that goes from light to dark in under a second, Army Times previously reported in April.
The new gear falls under the Soldier Protection System, which is under development at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
A spokesman for the office told Army Times that soldiers who are deploying are first in line for any newly released equipment. Once this evaluation is complete, the vest will go into production and is expected to reach soldiers in the field by summer 2018, according to the Army.
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Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
