Body Armor
Body Armor
I've seen the debates on Strategy Page and on the Military Channel about Dragon Skin verses the Interceptor vests. NBC has also weighed in and basically accused the Government of refusing to buy superior body armor for the troops because of corruption or sweetheart deals with the manufacturer of the current vest. And the president of Pinnacle Armor, makers of Dragon Skin has not been shy about saying his company's vest is superior and should be the Army standard.
I do NOT claim to know the answer, never having worn or even seen either vest in person.
However, Michael Yon purchased a Dragon Skin vest for $4,000 and is selling it on Ebay for what ever he can get for it. He WILL NOT wear it in Iraq and does not think it should be worn in combat. At his web site he states why he doesn't like DS. Here is what some other solders think of DS. Why should I accept the word of Michael Yon, well he has shown over the last 5 years he is a man of integrity and would rather tell the truth then be popular. Check out his web site to learn more about him.
2 comments:
Andrew,
I hate to admit it, but I really hate reading the comments at Military.com or other milblogs for the simple reason that armchair generals sound worse than armchair quarterbacks. When some gonzo starts spouting off how we should equip the troops with X203s and new, advanced body armor, Blue Force Tracker at the platoon level, (and all sorts of other nonsense we see on FutureWeapons) with the thought that it's relatively easy and cheap...I just shake my head. Concepts and PR we see on TV are far different than operational tests weapon systems go through. Pie in the sky is easy to sell, the problem is when you have to eat it.
Personally, I don't know who is right in this case. There are so many variables to consider, it's not as simple as just hauling out a vest and shooting it with the AK bought at the local gun-shop. You have to figure that there are different testing protocols, equipment requirements, the varying agendas of the military and industry AND media. It's just sickening.
One thing we can all agree on is that nobody will be in agreement. I'm also darned sure that it's not as easy to replace infantry equipment as we all would like to think (or hope).
Rob, I agree that there are a lot of variables in the testing. The Army did test DS using the same methodology it uses for all vests and it failed. The makers of DS are complaining the tests were rigged and that is what NBC was implying in its report. From what I've read from people in Iraq, DS is not considered superior to current vests.
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