(Europa) British Army

[Quintus Fabius]

Die britische Armee erhält neue Helme, Westen und Tragesysteme, welche wesentlich leichter sein sollen als die bisher verwendeten Modelle. Hintergrund sind die Auswertungen der Einsatzerfahrungen in Afghanistan welche zwingend eine leichtere Schutz- und Trageausrüstung benannten:

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Hersteller der Ausrüstung ist Virtus:

The Virtus body armour system.

Infantry troops are set to benefit from a new body armour system which will increase agility and make it easier to carry heavy kit.

The new Virtus system uses the latest materials and offers the same protection as Osprey body armour but is significantly lighter, moves with the body more easily and produces a slimmer profile. The amount of protection employed can be scaled up or down to match the type of threat by adding or removing soft armour pads and hard ballistic plates. It is compatible with both Osprey and Enhanced Combat Body Armour.

A new, lighter helmet will provide increased blunt impact protection, face and mandible guards for certain roles and a shape that is designed to work with the armour and daysack so weapons can be comfortably used even in a prone position.

One of the most radical innovations is an integral 'spine' - the 'dynamic weight distribution' 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 system also employs a new quick-release mechanism – a pin positioned on the chest that when pulled releases the entire body kit.