[quote][img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62993000/jpg/_62993871_62993870.jpg[/img]
[I]The female soldiers can lie closer to the ground in the new vests[/I]
[B]American women soldiers deploying to Afghanistan are to become the first to field-test body armour made specifically for women.[/B]
Troops from 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, part of a team working with Afghan women, were given prototypes of the tactical vests.
The female soldiers tried out the armour during trials with M4A1 rifles.
The need for new vests were first suggested in 2009, after women soldiers described problems with larger vests.
They reported trouble bending over, getting in and out of tight spaces such as military vehicles, and properly positioning their rifles on their shoulders, Maj Joel Dillon, US Army assistant product manager for the armour, told the Associated Press.
In addition, the long plates in the vests would rub against the women soldiers' hips and dig into their thighs when sitting down, Maj Dillon added.
[B]
'Feeling safer'[/B]
The new vests are designed for a shorter torso, fit closer to women's chests, and can also include smaller ballistic inserts for narrower waists.
They are lighter because the new vests will not hang from the shoulders as current male vests do, Maj Dillon added.
"With a vest that is too long, if they lay their rifle on the ground or drop it, it's very hard to bend over to pick it up because that plate digs into their side.
"Now they can bend down and touch their toes and so they are more mobile and therefore you can get additional safety because you can perform better," Maj Dillon said.
Although women have fought on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq for several years, women now make up 14% of the Army and are closer to combat than ever before, Maj Dillon noted.
Feedback from 19 women soldiers wearing the armour will be incorporated into the vest design before it goes into large-scale production for the rest of the Army.
One woman soldier, Spc Gilliann Campbell, described the new vest as "a dream", adding that having space to rest her rifle on her shoulder or get the vest on quickly can be critical in combat situations.
"I feel safer in my own abilities because it lets me do what I need to do as a soldier. With my other armour, I felt a fear in my head that I was not able to perform to the best of my abilities. Now I can."
Meanwhile, Spc Sarah Sutphin said the improvements were clear during marksmanship training on Tuesday with the new vests on.
It was no longer necessary to shift the vests around to fire a weapon, or move gear on the vest to lie closer to the ground, she added.[/quote]
[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19652591]BBC UK[/url]
[t]http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/330/5/0/female_dragon_armor___client_by_azmal-d1jwfai.jpg[/t]
I'm okay with this.
Why not just make vests that fit smaller people?
About time. I've wondered why they haven't done this yet.
[editline]19th September 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726857]Why not just make vests that fit smaller people?[/QUOTE]
Because female torso shape is vastly different from male torso shape.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726857]Why not just make vests that fit smaller people?[/QUOTE]
Because there's a difference between a man and a woman's physique.
[QUOTE=Van-man;37726903]Because there's a difference between a man and a woman's physique.[/QUOTE]
what????
[QUOTE=ASmellyOgre;37726862]About time. I've wondered why they haven't done this yet.
[/QUOTE]
Sexists, budgets.
How is this dumb? They haven't experimented with female armor before because:
1. Plenty of people still say women shouldn't be soldiers
2. Budget issues. R&D takes money, money takes time to obtain.
[QUOTE=Riller;37726798][t]http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/330/5/0/female_dragon_armor___client_by_azmal-d1jwfai.jpg[/t]
I'm okay with this.[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;OTGh0EMmMC8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTGh0EMmMC8[/video]
[QUOTE=Van-man;37726903]Because there's a difference between a man and a woman's physique.[/QUOTE]
Beyond minor differences, no not really.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726857]Why not just make vests that fit smaller people?[/QUOTE]
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ALk8q.jpg[/thumb]
[sub][sub][sub]And smaller bone structure and stuff like Gunfox said[/sub][/sub][/sub]
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;37726949][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ALk8q.jpg[/thumb][/QUOTE]
She does not need to me on the front lines... Bring her back so we can have those!
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
Well apparently they were big enough to validate the need to design armor specifically for women.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
I'd hardly call breasts, narrower bone dimensions, and wider hips (and a different waist to hip ratio as a result) "minor differences". The vests are basically designed to account for sexual dimorphic differences.
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;37726949][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ALk8q.jpg[/thumb][/QUOTE]
Sounds like it has far more to do with bone structure than boobs. It is rare (AND [I]GLORIOUS[/I]) for boobs to be large enough to interfere with armor in any significant capacity.
Police ballistic vests for women are all about the cut around the waist and shoulders and ultimately make few concessions for breasts. Any change in shape around the breasts would reduce effectiveness in a ballistic vest.
Plus soldiers carry ballistic plates, so they CAN'T make any changes for breasts.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
Yes, really. Men's shoulders broaden at puberty, meaning you can just kinda drape something rigid from the shoulders and they'll be fine. Women's hips broaden and their chests swell (as you may have noticed), so something rigid draped from the shoulders will fit loosely and restrict movement at various points. That's what this fixes.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
Try wearing body armour first, it can be pretty restrictive anways.
What Gunfox said^
As long as it has no boobplate everything will be fine.
If it does, well, I won't be visiting /tg/ and /k/ for quite some time
i would have thought they did this a while ago
oh well
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;37726949][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ALk8q.jpg[/thumb]
[sub][sub][sub]And smaller bone structure and stuff like Gunfox said[/sub][/sub][/sub][/QUOTE]
Private McTits take your team and secure the Burger Town
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
Vastly different weight distribution. If you wanted to go the next step, you'd also design female specific backpacks and other stuff with different packing spaces.
On top of that the shoulders are fairly different.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37726934]Beyond minor differences, no not really.[/QUOTE]
Have you ever even [I]seen[/I] a real woman, besides whatever family members you have and whatever you like to watch at night on your computer screen?
There's a reason why there's a woman's clothing size and a men's clothing size, after all..
[QUOTE=Pat4ever;37727451]Have you ever even [I]seen[/I] a real woman, besides whatever family members you have and whatever you like to watch at night on your computer screen?
There's a reason why there's a woman's clothing size and a men's clothing size, after all..[/QUOTE]
I'm sorry but why on earth would my family members differ? We're not a family of mutants
[QUOTE=Squad;37727020]She does not need to me on the front lines... Bring her back so we can have those![/QUOTE]
there are so many things wrong with this post
I hope this means that we will have women allowed to be in all roles in our military soon.
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;37726949][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ALk8q.jpg[/thumb]
[sub][sub][sub]And smaller bone structure and stuff like Gunfox said[/sub][/sub][/sub][/QUOTE]
Remember sports bras :v:
[img]http://www.lionsdenu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/jenna-marbles-sports-bra-and-bikini.png[/img]
[QUOTE=smurfy;37727263]Private McTits take your team and secure the Burger Town[/QUOTE]
She can man my artillery cannon any time :v:
[QUOTE=ASmellyOgre;37726862]About time. I've wondered why they haven't done this yet.
[editline]19th September 2012[/editline]
Because female torso shape is vastly different from male torso shape.[/QUOTE]
Just shove the current ones on and strap it tight, duh!
It's not like female troops need body armor that conforms to some hour glass figure.
[QUOTE=cqbcat;37733122]Just shove the current ones on and strap it tight, duh!
It's not like female troops need body armor that conforms to some hour glass figure.[/QUOTE]
how to strap ballistic plates tighter without them being in the way, which is what this is trying to stop??
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