[roscoe]

Is this some sort of body armor?
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WORLD/meast/11/17/iraq.main/newt1.iraq.06.fri.afp.gi.jpg

[Chipperman]

It's part of his body armor, to protect the neck.

[SomeKid]

Cool, gives them an astronaut appearence. I want one!

[Outlaws]

What country and branch is that soldier in?

[Glockfan.45]

Looks to be some type of EOD suit. Bomb squad stuff perhaps :confused: .

[Jhetfield]

i think thats the new body armor. the guys in the army actually complained about it looking kind of goofy... they didnt want to use them:confused: . but its supposed to be for stuff like the bombs in the side of the road. when it explodes it stops the fragments and lessens neck blows

[4v50 Gary]

What army? Why, the rifle is British so I assume he's ein Englander.

[modifiedbrowning]

Looks like a Brit with EOD armor.

[lee n. field]

Looks hot. Can't be fun wandering around Eye-raq in that.

[MD_Willington]

UK troops wear that armor... plus the SA-80 is a give away.

[buzzcut]

Maybe a dismounted armored vehicle crewman?


.

[Mr White]

Tactical Bling!

[jaysouth]

Standard British army armor, SA-80 rifle and desert pattern DPM trousers and smock.

[Langenator]

Given the Brits' long term experience with the IRA, I'd expect them to have a decent handle on what works and what doesn't with regard to body armor vs bombs, among other things.

[possum]

I am almost positive that he is a british solider. we have simlar pieces on our point blank body armor, but they hardly recognizable unless you are looking hard for them, they don't stick up that far, we call them throat guards.

[DFW1911]

It's standard for the Brits...the extended "collar" ensures they won't spill a cup o tea :D

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist :)

[Cosmoline]

It's fascinating to see how infantry troops are looking more and more like knights in plate mail. Indeed they wear armor that probably weighs more than high medieval plate. By the end of this war they're going to need squires to help them into the humvees.

[Lonestar]

That has got to suck in the heat.

[ChiefThunderstick]

He appears to be hunched over from the weight.

[DFW1911]

It's fascinating to see how infantry troops are looking more and more like knights in plate mail. Indeed they wear armor that probably weighs more than high medieval plate. By the end of this war they're going to need squires to help them into the humvees.

Actually, I was thinking along the same lines. I want these guys and gals to be protected...as long as they can move! Do we really need more weight for the troops fighting in very hot weather...or any weather, for that matter?

He appears to be hunched over from the weight. I bet you're right, Chief, unless, of course, it's the SA-80 :D

Take care,
DFW1911

[MatthewVanitas]

When they first started issuing the shoulder-pad additions to the body armor in Iraq, folks thought it was getting excessive.

A buddy of mine got ahold of some tinfoil, and made big spikes to duct-tape to his shoulder pads. Great Mad Max look, until higher powers intervened...

-MV

[Gifted]

It's fascinating to see how infantry troops are looking more and more like knights in plate mail. Indeed they wear armor that probably weighs more than high medieval plate. By the end of this war they're going to need squires to help them into the humvees.I've looked at that. With things like Dragon Skin and such, armor tech is rapidly approaching the point it was towards the end of the Middle Ages, where a good suit of armor(and a horse to carry it) pretty much ruled the battlefield.

The firearm changed all that-after being standardized in the musket, armor went the way of the dodo. We almost caught up in the latter half of the 19th century, there were vests and suits made from tightly woven silk that did well, but then we went to breechloaders, and then nitro powder, and it was left behind again.

What's really lacking right now is concussion protection. Armor like that will stop fragments, but the blast wave doesn't care how much kevlar you have, it'll still liquify your brain if you're too close. If you can figure that out, we may find ourselves at a point where you can realistically close to hand-to-hand combat distances without trouble.

[Cromlech]

Given the Brits' long term experience with the IRA, I'd expect them to have a decent handle on what works and what doesn't with regard to body armor vs bombs, among other things.

This man speaks the truth. Well, the part about being used to this kind of urban warfare/police work. I'm not so sure that body armour was used that much in N.I until more recently. Then again, this is just a baseless assumption on my part.

[lathedog]

I've never seen the Elizabethan Collar before, except on my dog when he had stitches and kept chewing them out.

That vest is new to the Brits. I have only seen them wearing them for the last month or so. It is a lot closer to the quality (and bulk) of the US IBA. Their old vest was much less protective and had trauma plates smaller than a letter sized piece of paper.

As an aside, the Romanians wear a uniform with very similar pattern and color. Or should I spell that colour? The pockets and such are different (as are the AKs vs. IW) but in a photo it might look like the British Desert Camo.

[Heavy Metal Hero]

That has got to suck in the heat.

I think I read somewhere they put "cooling devices" in a neck collar such as that so it wouldn't be as uncomfortable.

[Kaylee]

What kind of cooling devices? Like the little "break and shake" things in the drug store?

Hrmm.. I know we've used cold-water "radiator" type suits inside our space suits for decades now .. I wonder if that could be made small and light enough to work inside armor and still be worth doing?

[rangerruck]

its part of american body armor as well. it actually spreads outward and upward, like a dog non scratch thingy. it is to protect from the neck up while riding in turrets, especially, from the ied's.

[Heavy Metal Hero]

I think it had something to do with the flow of air. I am very ignorant on the subject of cooling means, though.

I don't know if anyone has seen that $19.95 product on TV that is like a disk around your neck to keep you cool? Well it could possibly do something that effect (only it might work in this case).

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__SI758SL2

I think that is it?

[Langenator]

I think it might actually be less restrictive, and give better airflow, than the neck/throat pieces for US IBA, which are pretty close on the neck/throat. They're fairly uncomfortable, too, which is probably a big reason you don't see many Sandbox pics of our guys wearing them.

[gezzer]

I'll bet it is hot, uncomfortable, irritating, heavy and not very effective but your Butt will be in a sling if you are not wearing it.

If it's like the "cool head" used in the fire/hazmat services any benifit is taken up by the extra weight it gives the user. BTDT they are crap!

[Freedom in theSkies]

OMG!
It's a "Chicken Disk" that is designed to explosively decapitate the wearer if he/she runs away in battle...
I hear the French first patterned this model and the Dutch adopted it soon afterwards...:o

[cbsbyte]

The Enfield SA80(Small arm 1980) is the generic name for the rifle. The military term is L85, & L86. HK had to upgrade the weapons in the late 2000 to make them serviceable. The new version is L85A2

[Cromlech]

One thing that was weird, was that in the Cadets, we were allowed to use the LSW (L86A1) which is a bigger support version of the L85A1/A2, but never the L85A1/A2s themselves.