Posted on 05/08/2006 6:51:57 PM PDT by blam
Armoured suits are 'too goofy' say US troops
By Francis Harris, in Washington
(Filed: 09/05/2006)
American troops have complained that a new armoured body suit designed to be worn in Iraq makes them look "goofy".
The water-cooled "alien spacesuits" are being handed out to turret gunners in their notoriously vulnerable Humvee vehicles.
The new suit is designed to protect against roadside bombs but has had mixed reviews from soldiers
The protective suit, based on those worn by bomb disposal officers, was intended to cut spiralling casualties for one of the most dangerous jobs in modern warfare.
But some troops have complained that the armour and headgear is inelegant. Others say the water-cooling system, designed for the soaring temperatures of an Iraqi summer, regularly breaks down.
Nonetheless, the suits being tested in combat by US military police units in northern Iraq have produced good results.
Capt Larry Bergeron told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes that the armour was credited with saving the lives of three men sprayed with shrapnel from roadside bombs.
"One soldier's visor stopped a piece of shrapnel that hit dead centre," he said. "If he had not had that suit on, the effects could have been catastrophic."
Gunners on Humvees have high casualty rates. While newly-installed armour protects those inside, the gunner stands with the upper half of his body exposed, making him far more vulnerable to roadside bombs and gunfire. Others have been crushed as vehicles overturn.
But Specialist Michael Floyd, 19, said: "I am not a big fan of this thing. It is really hot and hard to move around in. I do feel safer, but only in an explosion. I would not feel safer in a rollover or in small-arms fire."
Critics say the heavy suits also restrict movement during combat.
It made me laugh!
LOL!!!!!
There is absolutely no way my son will wear this!
screw that...
I wouldn't have wanted to wear anything like that....
and unless I miss my guess, most of our soldiers in Iraq wouldn't want to wear that stuff either.
This is the most outstanding "ANTI-RAPE" device ever invented.
OMG. I'd like to see them try to make my Marine Gunny Sergeant son-in-law wear something like that.
What's that turtle armor soldier thingie?
Super Ninja Turtles!
Hey, if it saves lives, it's all good - but I don't think any self-respecting soldier would voluntarily wear one! The guy ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT look like a soldier! It definitely does look like a space suit.
I nwonder what the Iraqis would think if they saw one of those Americans walking around in that.
First it was those infidel Americans, now it's infidels from another planet! What's next???
May look goofy but.. where can i buy a suit? :)
So if he died tomorrow.....you'd be happy knoing he didnt die looking like a dork?
I prefer the CROWs system myself. It is much safer for the crew, though it is much more expensive and requires modification to the vehicle. http://www.defense-update.com/products/c/CROWS.htm http://www.roi.bourns.com/weapon/crows.asp http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=7137
Note: All links are open source and approved for distribution. 
But do they actually work?
If it works then it may not be so goofy.
But do they actually work?
If it works then it may not be so goofy.
He would
For the average soldier in a combat environment, this would cause more casualties than it could prevent. If anything, it may actually case some deaths.
The ability to rapidly move and locate shelter (hide behind a wall), is a soldier's best form of protection.
However, as an "ANTI-RAPE" device for our military women in Iraq, this outfit may be useful.
It DOES look like a bomb disposal suit but it could be the difference between life and death. I would wear it, and get damn good wearing it too.Stylin and dyin is no match for livin and killin.
Dead is for a very long time.
CROWS is a remotely operated system. The gunner sits inside the vehicle (Stryker, HMMWV, M113) and operates the system from a flat screen panel using a joystick. It is very accurate, and accepts and crew-served weapon.
Again, these are all open source links.
It looks really hot.
if it isn't for the IED troops (who do an awesome job by the way), I doubt many would want to use it.
Not being able to move won't help you anymore than any piece of armor....
Maybe mount some oversized horns on the helmet and there ya go.
Seriously, if it works, use it.
Actually the glasses they make you wear in basic training are the most effective "Anti Rape" or "Anti-Date" device ever made.
Exactly.
As a (poor) analogy - when I was in high school and played football, the end of our season was always bitterly cold. As a lineman who didn't need to touch the ball, I would always layer up with wool socks, long johns, hat underneath helmet, etc. Didn't affect mobility, but initially had guys laughing at me. I say initially, because after 5 minutes of being outside my teammates didn't think I looked so goofy any more.
Reminds me of the automatic machine guns used in "Aliens", when the Marines were holed up in that one section of the base, they set up 2 automated guns that had radar which would lock onto anything moving and blast it. Really cool effect. Always wondered why we didn't see similar weapons (particularly with the abundance of 1st person shooter games - technology couldn't be that far behind).
IED survivability aside, what happens when the water cooled ECU pukes out? You become a bubble boy heat casualty and put your other team members at risk as they deal with your problem. I'm guessing that the design engineers of this contraption didn't personally don the suit at the test range to evaluate their dream child...maybe illegal aliens did it for them instead.
D'ya think we could somehow sucker Kerry into one of these to go along with his other stupid pics?
Aren't they supposed to install that remote control system on the Abrams as well?
"Klaatu barada nikto"
...although the wearers are condemned to be virgins for the rest of their days, there is an upside: they suddenly acquired the ability to program computers.
Others are retrofitted
But I have no idea of the number of either. Also, note that many tankers in the sandbox are driving around in Humvees
Thank you sir. That's the pic I knew I have somewhere...
First is the MULE UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) which will have a gun/missle system in the ARV-L model.
Thes UGVs range in size from the small I-Robot Packbot to vehicles as large as a tank. Kinda like the "Bolos" from the Sci-fi books series. UAVs range in size now from papaer airplane dimensions with a small camera, to Helicopters, to the Global Hawk.
We can make fun of its appearance, but it it saves just one from serious injury or loss of life, it will be worth it.
Why not just put a bulletproof glass bubble with a machine gun over the hole. Kindof like those machine gunners in the B17's during WW2. I think they were B17's, I have no clue what plane that was.
the point is that would protect the soldier from bullets and roadside bombs and if the vehicle was disabled and he had to exit quickly he could just jump out and be able to fight with average Marine efficiency.
I always though a revolver was the most effective anti-rape device.
A Scott AirPak on an EOD suit...I could see doing something real delicate - like cutting the blue wire...when the bell starts to go off...
If they work, who cares what they look like? Better to look goofy than to be dead.
I think it's a pretty good idea if it has a good fuctional cooling system and can stop bullets effectively enough . Fragments from a roadside bomb or other explosive elements ( IE. RPGs , grenades ) do not seem to be a problem for a suit like that . High powered rifle / machine gun rounds are a different story ... snipers suck ! By the way , could a Humvee mount the Crow system ok without losing too much interior space ? They don't seem to have much room to spare .
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