Wrekin762 wrote:45 Commando out in Gibraltar are already wearing it as well:
Lol..very unusual if the marines aren't the very first to get all the new stuff.
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 05 Feb 2016, 17:14
by arfah
.....................
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 06 Feb 2016, 07:08
by ArmChairCivvy
Ever wondered why the instruction with the previous fuel tablets was to cook/ boil the water with the lid on?
- the fumes were poisonous and the US Army dumped that fuel decades ago
Unlike the BCP stuff, this is allowable on civil airliners. Of course airport security has no idea, so if you plan to take any with you, take the paperwork with the gel pouches
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 03 Mar 2016, 17:51
by JayDee
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 31 Mar 2016, 19:04
by The Armchair Soldier
Soldiers of The Mercian Regiment have been in Wales putting the British Army’s latest hi-tech body armour through its paces.
2 MERCIAN is one of the first battalions to be issued with the armour. It will now be used in the unit’s current role as part of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF): a multinational quick response body, which can serve as a ‘Spearhead’ to any threat against NATO.
The personnel spent a week at Sennybridge Training Camp, near Brecon, during difficult weather conditions testing the equipment in an urban combat setting.
Virtus uses the latest materials and offers the same protection as the previous Osprey armour system but is significantly lighter, moves with the body more easily and produces a slimmer profile. The amount of protection can be scaled up or down by adding or removing pads and plates to match the type of threat.
Private Fahren Holz, 26, from Middlewich in Cheshire, is impressed – so far: “It’s early days, but Vertis is lighter than the Osprey armour we had before and it distributes more evenly any weight that we’re carrying. In the confined spaces we’ve been working in at Sennybridge it has worked really well.”
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 31 Mar 2016, 22:11
by JayDee
The British Army's High-Tech Soldier
Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES) have been testing the next generation of British Army kit on a challenging exercise in America's Deep South, alongside their US colleagues.
Today's infantry soldier is meant to fight light, leaving behind anything non-essential. That means that their kit needs to be streamlined.
The new Virtus personal protective system is designed to combat some of the problems experienced with the older kit worn in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Army Soldiers Raise Concerns About New Body Armour
British army soldiers have raised concerns about their new body armour, the BBC has learned.
Virtus, which is replacing Osprey armour, is described by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as "one of the most advanced integrated body armour and load carrying systems in the world".
But among other complaints, soldiers say its webbing - where ammunition and kit is stored - has been snapping.
The MoD said it was working with the armour's supplier to make improvements.
What are people making of this? Surely just teething problems at this stage, as with every new piece of kit?
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 20 May 2016, 14:34
by ArmChairCivvy
What I think is a real winner is the single spine, adjustable load balancing system; see the Forces TV link @8+ minutes of run time.
It might also be the problem in getting up nimbly, after having had to dive
... will end up a winner in the civilian market, where the diving and getting quickly up does not apply.
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 27 May 2016, 18:12
by arfah
……………………………………………
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 27 May 2016, 18:33
by ArmChairCivvy
In that link the load adjustment system is highlighted
"One of the most radical innovations is an integral spine, the so-called dynamic weight distribution (DWD) system. The device is linked to the user’s waist belt and helps spread the load of the body armour, a Bergen or daysack across the back, shoulders and hips.
The wearer is able to adjust the weight bias to his or her preference with one hand via a small controller in the small of the back. So on long marches, for instance, troops can opt for the most efficient set-up where most of the burden is towards the hips and away from the shoulders, increasing comfort and stamina."
The next bit is borrowing from the FELIN development (power cells next?):
"Virtus will be developed and updated over the next few years with lighter components to increase the mobility and agility of the wearer to an even greater degree. Also in the pipeline is the incorporation of a central power supply and data system that will reduce the battery burden and allow the introduction of new digital situational awareness tools."
- time to copy also the interaction of front pockets and armour plates from FELIN (much better access)
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 27 May 2016, 20:57
by arfah
…………………………………………..
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 29 May 2016, 18:08
by Tinman
arfah wrote:Army Recognition realises that project Virtus has commenced initial issue to some UK Troops
The opinions I've heard are that its a bit gash, construction wise, mine is ok. lots of stuff i don't need.
Wan't one of the design criteria that it is modular enough so that what isn't needed can be left (I guess that will be for the whole group rather than lots of different individual decisions)?
How's the access to pockets when all layers are worn? I only know FELIN for comparison, and the pockets have been placed giving thought to the body armour plates on top of them:
Looks like they've changed the design of the A2....again.
..they love to tinker with it don't they.
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 14 Oct 2016, 17:14
by arfah
..................
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 15 Oct 2016, 14:16
by marktigger
how much weight has the Rail systems added?
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 15 Oct 2016, 20:15
by arfah
………………………………………..
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 15 Oct 2016, 20:25
by arfah
.....................
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 15 Oct 2016, 20:36
by ArmChairCivvy
Not sure I can interpret all that I see in those piccies, but the approach is(?) different from Felin (where, away from their vehicles, a squad level "source" partly based on fuel-cell technology is carried).
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 15 Oct 2016, 20:44
by arfah
....................
-<>-<>-<>-
Re: British Forces Personal Issue Kit Thread
Posted: 12 May 2022, 13:27
by leonard
The former British Army Mk6 and mk7 helmet are going strong in Ukrainian Army service
