A USMC officer fits the new trial helmet, which weighs about 500g less than the current in-service helmet.Photo provided by American forces press service

Becoming bullet proof

NEW, reinforced helmets and body armor being fielded to the US military represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's on the drawing board for protecting warfighters of the future.

According to officials at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center at Natick, Massachusetts, tomorrow's soldiers will have far superior protective systems that provide enhanced capabilities while imposing less weight on the user.

Natick's engineers are looking at new materials and composites that offer enhanced protection with less weight.

Already the Marine Corps is fielding a new helmet that offers 6 per cent more fragmentation protection and the ability to stop 9mm rounds.

At just over 1.5kg, it weighs about 500gm less than the Kevlar helmet introduced in the early 1980s.

By 2010, warfighters' helmets are expected to become even more impenetrable to enemy rounds, while offering an array of added protections.

New technology is also improving warfighters' body armour systems. The new vest includes two 1.5kg inserts that protect the vital organs against 9mm submachine gun fire at point-blank range. It also includes removable flaps that cover the groin, throat and neck.

Lightweight boron-carbide protective plates make the Interceptor weigh more than 6kg, compared to 10kg for the flak jacket, the previous body armor.

Natick is exploring different materials and composites of materials that will provide increased ballistic protection while shedding as many as another 2.5kg from the vest. The goal is an armoured jacket weighing less than 4kg.

The body armor system being developed for the Objective Force Warrior program incorporates next-generation boron-carbide ceramic plates that will weigh 10 to 30 per cent less than those in the Interceptor, while delivering equal or greater protection.

New construction processes are being explored to shape the plates so they fit more snugly against the chest and spine.

Natick plans to replace the 20-plus layers of Kevlar in the Interceptor vest with a new M-5 fiber that will weigh about one-third less.

The self-adjusting vest will position the protective plates about five centimeters from the torso, to reduce chest injuries or bruising in the event that the wearer is hit.

The goal is to create a protective system that is lower profile, lower bulk and lower weight. It is intended to be like a second skin, so the wearer hardly knows that it's there, but offers the protection needed in a combat environment.

- From American forces press service

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