A Kit Up! reader forwarded us some info on the new Tiered Body Armor System that's now in full production and will soon be fielded to Australian forces in Afghanistan.
We knew the TBAS was being tested by Aussie spec ops troops last summer, but now it seems the MoD has made the call to give it to everyone...
At the moment our soldiers in Afghanistan wear either the Modular Combat Body Armour System (MCBAS) or the Eagle Marine body armour.MCBAS body armour is very effective, but it’s heavy. It was designed for conditions in Iraq where troops weren’t regularly required to patrol on foot.
In Afghanistan the feedback from troops was it made it difficult to move around and do their job, so Defence made an urgent purchase of the lighter Eagle Marine body armour last year from the United States.
The new TBAS is lighter than both. It also allows troops to insert different types of ballistic plates in the vest depending on their mission.
The MoD will begin fielding the new armor to general purpose troops in April.
The TBAS is in line with US initiatives to develop a suite of body armor options in one package.
The TBAS package currently includes up to three load carriers designed for multiple combat roles. TBAS also uses a new ballistic plate system that weighs less than the current Modular Combat Body Armour System (MCBAS) issued to most troops in Afghanistan.
We've taken a look at the Tyr Tactical armor and the BAE scalable platform already, but the Army and Marine Corps haven't moved off the dime on these yet.
It seems to me the logical evolution of armor -- where a trooper can tailor his protection (if gunny says so) for patrols, vehicle ops or more inconspicuous "shura" type solutions (wouldn't it be nice to make a show of taking off your armor while you have a "just in case" shield under your ACU top?)...Nowadays, it's possible and the Aussies seem to be jumping ahead of the US on this.
