Corps to field two new body armor vests

[unhappycamper]

Corps to field two new body armor vests
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 19, 2009 12:16:45 EST

The Corps is seeking replacements for both kinds of body armor it commonly issues, and could have new vests on Marines late this year.

The Improved Modular Tactical Vest and the Improved Scalable Plate Carrier will be sought through separate competitions this summer, said Lt. Col. A.J. Pasagian, program manager of Infantry Combat Equipment at Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va. They will replace the bulky MTV commonly in use in Iraq and the SPC, which was first fielded widely last year in Afghanistan as a lighter alternative, helpful in mountainous terrain.

While the IMTV will be the main body armor system for Marines, the Corps plans to order about 70,000 of the improved plate carriers, far more than the estimated 10,000 to 14,000 plate carriers in use today, Pasagian said. Many Marines in Afghanistan are now issued both the MTV and SPC.

“We are looking at expanding (production of the plate carrier) because it’s a really valuable alternative for commanders whose units are going into areas where mobility is important, like mountainous areas, or into areas with a hot, jungle environment,” Pasagian said. “A good amount of Marines are wearing the scalable plate carrier successfully in Afghanistan, and we’re getting a lot of good feedback on that.”

There are about 108,000 MTVs in use Corpswide — at a cost of about $1,000 each, Pasagian said — that the Corps plans to fully replace with the IMTV. The plate carriers cost $400 to $500 each.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/marine_bodyarmor_011908w/%2e