Posted on 05/08/2006 6:51:57 PM PDT by blam
Armoured suits are 'too goofy' say US troops
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.
Thank you sir. That's the pic I knew I have somewhere...
First is the MULE UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) which will have a gun/missle system in the ARV-L model.
Thes UGVs range in size from the small I-Robot Packbot to vehicles as large as a tank. Kinda like the "Bolos" from the Sci-fi books series. UAVs range in size now from papaer airplane dimensions with a small camera, to Helicopters, to the Global Hawk.
We can make fun of its appearance, but it it saves just one from serious injury or loss of life, it will be worth it.
Why not just put a bulletproof glass bubble with a machine gun over the hole. Kindof like those machine gunners in the B17's during WW2. I think they were B17's, I have no clue what plane that was.
the point is that would protect the soldier from bullets and roadside bombs and if the vehicle was disabled and he had to exit quickly he could just jump out and be able to fight with average Marine efficiency.
I always though a revolver was the most effective anti-rape device.
A Scott AirPak on an EOD suit...I could see doing something real delicate - like cutting the blue wire...when the bell starts to go off...
If they work, who cares what they look like? Better to look goofy than to be dead.
I think it's a pretty good idea if it has a good fuctional cooling system and can stop bullets effectively enough . Fragments from a roadside bomb or other explosive elements ( IE. RPGs , grenades ) do not seem to be a problem for a suit like that . High powered rifle / machine gun rounds are a different story ... snipers suck ! By the way , could a Humvee mount the Crow system ok without losing too much interior space ? They don't seem to have much room to spare .
"These are not the droids you are looking for...."
Rat Patrol!
"There's no limit to what he could do. He could destroy the Earth. ..."
Maybe with a bigger codpiece they'd be more intimidating?
ping
But will it protect against bears?
There is a problem with the suit in the sense that it distances soldier from the civilians in a SASO/SOSO operation. This is important as the soldier has to be approachable to win the "hearts and minds" of the people. We are having tremendous success in Iraq in this area. So much so that the terrorists are losing safe havens in many areas. Winning the support of the people saves more soldiers than anything else.
Issues the Army/USMC had to work through were the use of NVGs (the Baathists and hate mongers told Iraqis they were X-Ray goggles) and the "Terminator" style sunglasses. Without eye-contact, it is hard to be perceived as human. Taking off the glasses when talking was a simple lesson that took a while to learn for some.
So now, what will happen in a few years when something like this comes out:
Both of these are renditions of Powered Armor from the book (not the movie) Starship Troopers. These are not that far off, as this picture shows.
Another rendition is this:
The cartoon is a DARPA depiction. The picture is an actual prototype. So the futuristic Powered Armor Suit looking somewhat like a cross between the EOD model and that Bear Suit may not be that far off.
Just like they used to call the standard issue eyeglasses "contraceptive devices" becuase you'd never get any action wearing those fugly things. ;-)
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