Debate Michael Yon’s Latest: “Battle Over Body Armor”- Dragon Skin Or Interceptor?
Just got Michael Yon’s latest dispatch, and hints that body armor manufacturers seem to be “manufacturing” controversy.
Let’s hear some discussion/debate on this from you guys.
Here is an axcerpt from his article:
These soldiers are very familiar with body armor. Their cohorts, friends, and in many cases their sons and daughters wear that body armor into combat. These leaders know their gear.
In my extended time embedded with troops, I also have come to know body armor.
Pinnacle contacted me in late 2005 to offer a discounted set of Dragon Skin body armor. After buying it for about $4,000, I tried it on, tried to work with it, and quickly concluded that I had just wasted $4,000. Dragon Skin is heavier and difficult to wear. In fact, without wasting time on details here, bottom line is that I believe the wearability issues with Dragon Skin could prove lethal to many soldiers. I went back to my old Interceptor body armor, the same that many of our soldiers wear and have used the Interceptor for the better part of another year in the war.
While everyone waits for another round of tests, I’ll sell my Dragon Skin to the highest bidder.
Interceptor body armor (above).
Dragon Skin (above).
Discuss/Debate.
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Yep, this Dragonskin issue is all Dragonskin, underhanded Libby Slime and the MSM making noise. It’s all a big non-issue because nobody on the ground wants Dragonskin. It failed the gov’t tests and it’s no good.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:24 amThe answer is obvious- the Troops (and independant film makers) on the battlefield decide.
Period.
The Troops ass’s are inside the armor, their ass decides.
Not lobbyists, manufacturing companies, the back scratchers and back stabbers in our congress, and especially not the media.
I hear it falls apart fairly quickly due to sweat and heat. Has congess checked the weather in Iraq in the summer? It’s like the old robot saying- does not compute!
BTW- I’ll send you the money to ship your set of dragonskin to nasty peloosi for her ‘protection’ on her next trip to syria…
January 4th, 2008 at 10:41 amThe mission of the Marine rifle squad is “To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or to repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat.”
If you can’t maneuver half the battle is already lost. I’m not familiar with dragonskin other than what I saw on discovery’s future weapons so I can’t speak for it really, but I did wear the Interceptor, torso and back only, and it definitely gave me some added confidence, and although it was kind of uncomfortable and cumbersome it didn’t subtract from my movement a whole lot except I couldn’t jump as high or bend over at the waist to pick stuff up. The weight didn’t really bother me that bad, although it sucked when it was really hot and all I wanted to do was take it off, but for the most part I could deal with it with little problem.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:41 amThe dragonskin, I don’t know, with new technology I would love to see some improvements or new gear, but I don’t want to see a sub par piece of garbage get pushed on our troops when what they have is better. Maybe if Yon could send me his I could get a better idea….
Having knowledge on the use of both - Interceptor rocks, back to the drawing boards for Dragon Skin
January 4th, 2008 at 11:29 amLet the troops decide. My money is on Interceptor. Give the Dragon skin to the embedded reporters from ABC.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:58 amI saw a few years back some articles in my dad’s Military Officer and my Popular Mechanics magazines on the future of body armor. Apparently, there is some R&D looking at the possibility of genetically enhancing spider silk due to its strength! This would be far lighter than any kevlar or similar body armor, and in theory far more potent. But, I’m sure there’d still be a need for a ceramic plate, or some sort of other padding or buffer device.
Always think it’s great how there is protection for below the waistline.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:29 pmI will post here what I posted over at Yon’s site:
1. Dragon Skin is much heavier than Interceptor armor.
2. Dragon skin failed specific army tests dealing with temperature exceeding 140 degrees. Which isn’t unreasonable.
3. With interceptor armor, when a better balistic plate is design all you have to do is insert the new plates. MUCH CHEAPER.
The fact is when designing weapons, armor, vehicles, etc.. there is literally a price put on life and limb. You can not make any equipment that will save someone’s life 100% of the time and be of any real use. Sacrifices are made to achieve an objective for any piece of equipment. Dragon Skin may overall stop more bullets but it won’t get the job done that the soldier needs to do, and in the end that can cause even more soldiers to die.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:07 pmI only have experience with the interceptor and am thankful that I never had to put it to the ultimate test. We tankers didn’t get the ceramic inserts for them and it was by luck that one loader in my company had the chest plate. During a rocket attack we all got down inside the tanks (no time to button up) and he was hit with a big chunk of shrapnelle. Hit him right in the heart, but the interceptor did its job and stopped this chunk of metal slightly bigger than a golf ball.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pmHaving no experience with either armor and only having read on the internet about it, I’m not really qualified to comment, but… Well, it’s the internet.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 pmAs I see it, the main design difference is the Interceptors four rigid plates versus the Dragon Skins interlocking disks; besides that, both are Kevlar vests which are protected against piercing bullets by the ballistic plates over them.
The advantage of the Interceptor is that it’s lighter and that it doesn’t have the heat issue that the Dragon Skin has at the moment (which I really don’t understand as the solution should be as easy as making a Kevlar sheet with pockets to slip the disks into), while the Dragon Skins advantage are that it can twist, has probably a higher body surface coverage as it doesn’t rely on big rectangular plates, and that when enough hits are scored to shatter the ceramics, it’s just one disc with the Dragon Skin, but a bigger area with the Interceptor.
If most or all of that holds true, I don’t see why there should have to be a decision between the two; instead it’d be wise to create a compound armor with thick Interceptor-style plates in front and back and supplementary Dragon Skin scales everywhere else to retain mobility, especially in the extremities, where plates would lock or expose the joints.
Can anybody with appropriate expertise comment on that?