Corps Interested In Bullet-Stopping Shields -- Military.com
The Marine Corps is keeping tabs on the Army’s plan to test face shields, some of which can stop 7.62mm rifle rounds. Deployed Marines already see the benefit, some paying out of pocket to wear them in Afghanistan, according to industry sources.
The Army is seeking 160 shields, with the option to buy 2,000 more, according to an April 20 solicitation posted to FedBizOpps.gov.
“The Marine Corps is monitoring multiple efforts with the Army Research Labs and Office of Naval Research to address maxillofacial protection as part of an integrated headborne protection system,” said Jim Katzaman, a Marine Corps Systems Command spokesman in Quantico, Va.
In layman’s terms, the Corps is interested in gear that will protect Marines’ faces.
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My Comment: This looks very impressive .... but I would expect a few broken bones (and concussion) if a bullet should hit you on this mask.
1 comment:
Ballistic face masks have been around for years, from Kevlar plated masks to different levels of web-entwined fabrics designed to minimise the impact of bullets and even the low-grade ones from DuPont can be effective.
While it is good to see the Army is investing in improving this area, it makes you wonder why, with the availability of effective face masks already available, especially the kevlar fabric ones, that they are not standard issue?
I guess it comes down to the same reason why the common low-level protection Humvee is used over the much more expensive but less common MRAP vehicles designed to resist IED blasts, the number 1 killer in Afghanistan...
And that reason is simply down to military politics and budget restraints. It all comes down to money in the end, and it is a sad fact of military life everywhere that the common soldier can and should have access to life saving technologies, but in the end, it is the budget cuts, restraint and political agenda's that cost lives...
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