Army helmet question
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Unwritten practice from combat-experienced armies such as the British Army is that if you cannot get far away enough from the grenade, you lie right next to it on the ground. This is because the blast goes upward in a conical shape, rather than expanding hemispherically, unless the grenade is elevated.Originally posted by Geforce3:I believe so, but if he didn't lie on top of the helmet, the helmet would have been blown off the nade and he would get more injures?
The main danger from the grenade would be from shrapnel, and the helmet, with or without someone on top of it, should take care of that problem to a large extent. Ultimately, getting on top of the helmet was an unnecessary measure and resulted in that fellow's broken ribs. -
the vest is heavy and bulky. after wearing the vest, one has to extend all the straps of his sbo before he can clip it on... and if we really encountered the robbers, i doubt we will have the strength to chase them... hahaOriginally posted by wuming78:was it the huge search for the robbers at tekong?
anyway, for someone who does not usually wear vests during training and exercises, how did it feel?
i would imagine bullet proof vests are more versatile and less restrictive and heavy than flakvests? -
and saving the lives of his squad membersOriginally posted by Gedanken:Ultimately, getting on top of the helmet was an unnecessary measure and resulted in that fellow's broken ribs. -
anyone tried the flak jacket? hehe.. that is 1 heavy sob.
all steel plates beneath it
anyway, saw the cdos who were deployed in my camp previously as part of the RDF after sep11. all of them were given bullet proof vests which i must say look quite cool coz' if i remember correctly, had various compartments for ammos and such.
but they really had it tough back then. always see them in a state of readiness 24 x 7 for 1 whole month cannot book out. all sleeping with LIVE ammo on them. sometimes middle of the night got activation and off they went to underslung their LSV and heliborne to somewhere...
tough guys.
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Hahahah..! I see, you're still not convince that the logistic short fall is just a minor issue. Tell you what, why don't you point out any country that can afford to build military weapons, vehicles, etc, faster then the U.S & then ship it half way across the world within the time frame as that of the current situation in Iraq.Originally posted by chunyong:last time maybe but in iraq they are short of practically everything...they use plywood and sand to fortify their humvees cos they dun have enough armoured cars to go along...not to say stuff like nvg which the soldiers parents have to fork out $ to buy.....
tankees should have flakvest loh.
The use of plywood & sand to fortify the humvees is because the armour of the humvees were bulid by the factory standards. The soldiers were innovative enough to add on the necessary safety measures.
To make it easier for you to understand, I've heard alot about the S'pore produced assault rifle & heard that not all the S'pore armed forces are equip with it yet, I wonder why? I've also heard alot of complains about the rifle yet I'ven't heard of a S'pore soldier doing anything about it. Do not jump to the conclusion that I'm being insulting, rather I'm highlighting the fact that everything needs time to produce, etc even if you've got the cash. -
Well what he did was right and wrong.Originally posted by sidestep1984:i read an article in the past whereby a US soldier covered a live frag grenade with his helmet and lay on top of it and onli escaped with minor injuries(cracked ribs i think)....
can the same be said of the SAF standard issue helmet?
He did right was to put the helmet over the live frag . In theory the helmet would have successfully defected or contain most of the fragments. Yes the Kelar helmet can be strong enough.
He did wrong was to lay on top of it ( got cracked ribs ). -
Hmm! I just want to add that currently in Iraq, some of the Spec Ops are testing out other models of kevlar helmets that are lighter, more reliable & fits the head snuggly.
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i presume you're referring to the ones by gallet? or was it another one.. blah.. forgotten.
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From -Originally posted by John Ching:Hmm! I just want to add that currently in Iraq, some of the Spec Ops are testing out other models of kevlar helmets that are lighter, more reliable & fits the head snuggly.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040827/news_1n27helmet1.html
Army's new combat helmet might have fatal flaw
By Greg Jaffe
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 27, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Earlier this year, with the insurgency in Iraq building and U.S. casualties mounting, Lt. Col. Jeff Poffenbarger, the Army's senior neurosurgeon here, became convinced the Army was making a mistake that could lead to American deaths.
The Army had begun issuing a new helmet, dubbed the Advanced Combat Helmet. Made of a new type of Kevlar, the helmet is stronger and lighter than its predecessor.
But the new helmet has a critical flaw, Poffenbarger contends. It is about 8 percent smaller than the old helmet, offering less protection on the back and side of the head.
In past wars, that might not have been a big problem. In infantry-style combat, soldiers typically are struck in the front of the head as they charge toward the enemy.
But in Iraq, the deadliest threat is from remote-detonated roadside bombs, and many soldiers are getting hit on the sides and back of the head, said Poffenbarger.
"I've become convinced that for this type of guerrilla fight, we are giving away coverage that we need to save lives," said Poffenbarger, a 42-year-old former Green Beret.
This summer, he briefed Gen. George Casey, the top American general in Iraq, as well as a senior Army official in the Pentagon about his concerns regarding the helmet.
Gen. Casey declined to comment on the matter.
But for now, the Army is committed to issuing the helmet to all 840,000 soldiers in the force by 2007, said Col. John Norwood, the Army's project manager for soldier equipment.
There's a good reason that the new helmet is slightly smaller, Norwood said. For years, soldiers have complained that when they are lying on their stomachs firing rifles, their body armor rides up, tipping their helmet over their eyes. The new helmet was designed to address that problem.
"We think it is a good trade-off or we wouldn't be fielding it," Norwood said.
However, the Marine Corps has decided not to issue the smaller helmet to the vast majority of its forces and has developed its own new helmet. It is made of the same stronger Kevlar as the Army's, but the Marines decided not to alter the shape.
Because of Poffenbarger's research, some senior commanders of new units arriving in Iraq have been given the choice of keeping their old helmets or using the new ones, one defense official said. Tens of thousands of soldiers are already wearing the new helmet in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The biggest appeal of the new Army helmet is that it is made of a stronger Kevlar, able to stop a bullet from a 9mm pistol at close range, said the Army's Norwood.
The new helmet is also lighter, weighing three pounds compared with the older four-pound helmet.
Soldiers in Iraq say the new Army helmet, which is padded on the inside, is more comfortable.
"It doesn't shift around on your head as much as the old helmet," said an Army sergeant who leads regular convoys between Ramadi and Khalidiyah.
But the sergeant said he also noticed the new helmet doesn't cover as much of his head. "It seems the area around my ears is a lot more exposed," he said.
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Yep -Originally posted by Gedanken:Unwritten practice from combat-experienced armies such as the British Army is that if you cannot get far away enough from the grenade, you lie right next to it on the ground. This is because the blast goes upward in a conical shape, rather than expanding hemispherically, unless the grenade is elevated.
The main danger from the grenade would be from shrapnel, and the helmet, with or without someone on top of it, should take care of that problem to a large extent. Ultimately, getting on top of the helmet was an unnecessary measure and resulted in that fellow's broken ribs.
I remembered in basic, we were thought to lie flat on the ground, with our helmet facing towards the blast for protection. The blast goes upwards if the grenade lands on flat ground. -
so if we are to train as we fight, we should all train with the proper weight and heat load brought about by the vest, unless of course that is not going to be a standard issue during ops.Originally posted by TVaddict:the vest is heavy and bulky. after wearing the vest, one has to extend all the straps of his sbo before he can clip it on... and if we really encountered the robbers, i doubt we will have the strength to chase them... haha