Posted on 06/07/2007 11:34:32 AM PDT by pissant
The technical expert solicited by a major news network to certify its tests of Dragon Skin body armor admitted Wednesday that the controversial vests weren't "ready for prime time."
In an investigative report broadcast by NBC May 20, the network used the expert opinion of Dr. Phillip Coyle - the former director of test and evaluation at the Pentagon during the Clinton administration - to certify results of side-by-side tests conducted at NBC's expense in Germany.
In testimony submitted to the House Armed Services Committee during a June 6 hearing in the issue, Coyle stated Dragon Skin - manufactured by Fresno, Calif.-based Pinnacle Armor - was "better … against multiple rounds and in reducing blunt force trauma" than the Army's current rifle-resistant Interceptor armor.
But after being confronted with conflicting information by lawmakers who questioned the NBC test results and provided Army-supplied data of vest failures from a May 2006 test, Coyle backed away from his staunch defense of Dragon Skin.
"You're saying today ... that you cannot say that it's ready for prime time. That's your testimony?" Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) asked Coyle.
Coyle agreed that the NBC tests fell short of proving Dragon Skin was ready for fielding.
Alert: Tell your public officials how you feel about this issue.
Sitting beside Coyle at the hearing, Pinnacle president Murray Neal put forward a vigorous, if disjointed, defense of his product, telling lawmakers in written testimony the Army was manipulating test results, conducted unfair shots on his armor and released contradictory data to lawmakers and the media.
"Nothing jives, nothing makes sense," Neal told committee members. "The information coming from the Army is fraught with inconsistencies."
Video: Do U.S. Troops Have the Right Body Armor?
While calling the failure of his vest to stop a round on the second shot of the Army test a "once in a while" occurrence, Neal denied Army claims that a dozen more rounds penetrated his Dragon Skin vests.
He argued x-ray photos of one vest the Army claims failed showed the Dragon Skin disks had stopped the round.
"The bullet did not go through the armor," Neal said flatly.
Army officials responded by showing lawmakers a video clip of Neal inspecting the same vest after a test shot, watching engineers dig the penetrating round out of ballistic clay backing.
"Are you telling me if you were wearing this vest ... and that round hit you in the chest, would that have killed you or not?" a skeptical Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) asked Neal.
"No," he replied.
The Armed Services Committee hearing is the latest round in the long-simmering debate over Pinnacle's claims that its armor system - which uses a series of linked ceramic disks wrapped around a Soldier's body to stop armor-piercing rifle rounds - is better than the Army-issued Interceptor vest that uses four rigid ceramic plates.
At the request of Hunter and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), the Army conducted a so-called "first article test" for Dragon Skin armor at a private ballistics lab in Maryland last year to see if the Dragon Skin technology met Army specifications.
Those tests resulted in 13 penetrations in 48 shots, the Army claims, including a full penetration on the second shot of the first test vest.
Investigators with NBC conducted their own series of tests at a German lab this spring, firing dozens of armor-piercing rounds at both Dragon Skin and a vest they said contained Army-issued plates, though Coyle cast some doubt on whether they were the same plates used by Soldiers in the field.
The NBC tests showed Dragon Skin absorbing many more rifle rounds than the Army vest, prompting Coyle's assertion that Dragon Skin was better than Interceptor armor.
Coyle, Neal and NBC are calling for another series of independent, side-by-side tests to prove once and for all which armor system is better.
"The best way to resolve this matter would be for the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command to conduct comparable side-by-side tests of both Interceptor and Dragon Skin body armor," Coyle said.
While Hunter subjected both Neal and Coyle to harsh questioning over their claims, the California lawmaker agreed that another round of tests is the only thing that will put the issue to rest.
"We need to straight away, in an expeditious way, to find out if there's value to this system," Hunter said. "And if there is value, we need to extract it as soon as possible and get it to the troops in the field."
Enclose them in tactical dreadnought terminator armor, equip them all with bolters and plasma pistols. And while we’re at it, replace Humvees with Land Raiders imbued with the machine spirit.
Military PING
Robocop?
Follow the money. This 'expert' smells like he's got hidden financial interests in this product.
Such a good man! We probably don’t deserve him for president!
I’ll bet it’s still better than that “Diamond Fuse Armour” junk that the Xantarians were peddling a few years ago.
“We need to straight away, in an expeditious way, to find out if there’s value to this system,” Hunter said. “And if there is value, we need to extract it as soon as possible and get it to the troops in the field.”
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This is the mark of a man, a leader who says, “Damn the politics, we need to do our best to protect our troops.”
I like his priorities.
Who says the war has not reached within our borders? The Honorable Duncan Hunter steps up to the front lines once again. I have every confidence that he will continue to do the right thing
The mere fact that NBC was involved makes this so-called independent test smell like road-kill in August.
Future NBC commentary:
“Dragon Skin is the next best thing since the Pot Roast MRE, so stop all operations until EVERY soldier or Marine has it.”
Thanks for the ping. Interesting information.
OK, I asked my local video game/scifi expert, and in his 14 years, he hasn't heard of this stuff.
OK, I asked my local video game/scifi expert, and in his 14 years, he hasn't heard of this stuff.
no no no.. put them in Crisis Suits, Broadside Suits and a couple Hammerhead tanks. ;) Go Tau!
It’s a reference to the game, Warhammer 40K: Dawn Of War. Very fun game!
Everyone knows that D-Cannons, vortex grenades, and a summoned Bloodthirster running around the battlefield is the way to maximize carnage.
Or...just dump a bunch of Tyranids all over the place :)
Why you filthy heretic...
I though NBC had topped itself when it rigged Chevrolet pickup trucks with explosives to demonstrated that the truck’s gas tanks would exploded from a side impact.
It must be something in the network’s bias stream that is causing the subjective infection to always be on display.
Ummm...didn't you know that Jorge Bush is too interested in granting amnesty to illegals to give a tinkers dam about protecting our troops?
Didn't you know that Jorge Bush has TOTALLY botched the so called "global war on terror" because he hasn't secured our borders and refuses to call the war what it really is--a war against radical Islam?
Didn't you know that there has been ZERO reform at the Pentagon since Jorge Bush became president and the "not invented by us" syndrome there drives EVERY decision in equipping our troops for combat?
I learned all of that by hanging around here for less than one year.
Tyranids FTW. What is a bunch of bioweapons among enemies?
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