Defence Minister, Senator David Johnston (left), tries the Army’s new tiered body armour system and receives a briefing on its capabilities from Australian Army soldier Lance Corporal Aaron Williams from 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, at the Australian Defence Force Academy on 28 August 2014.
It has been recently announced that more than 20,000 Australian Defence Force personnel are set to be issued with new and improved personal protective equipment. Revealed at the Australian Defence Force Academy by Defence Minister David Johnston, the multi-million dollar roll-out is intended to significantly enhance the capability of ADF personnel deployed on military operations.
The program, known as Land 125 Phase 3B, aims to increase soldier mobility and endurance by providing new-generation body armor, combat helmets, hearing protection, and ballistic glasses and goggles, all of which consisting of lighter and better integrated components and materials.
Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison (left), AO, and Defence Minister, Senator David Johnston, receive a briefing on Army’s new Land 125 Phase 3B soldier equipment and the enhanced F88 Austeyr rifle from Australian Army soldiers Corporal Lachlan Robinson (centre) and Lance Corporal Aaron Williams (right) from 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, at the Australian Defence Force Academy on 28 August 2014.
Under the terms of a five-year contract, the first of the Land 125 Phase 3B contracts have been awarded to Bendigo-based Australian Defence Apparel (ADA). They are tasked with supplying load carriage equipment, including ballistic plate carriers, packs, basic pouches, and equipment bags.
The first thousand sets of Load Carriage Equipment are expected to be delivered in May 2015.
I envy the Aussies’ efforts to modernize. Of course it’s easier when you only have 30,000 Soldiers to do it with.
even the aussies have woodland multicam
That is the new DPCU coloured multicam
And I’m a light infantryman in a IOTV, what a oxymoron. WHATS UP ARMY FIRST YOU LET THE MARINES OUT DO YOU WITH ARMOR CARRIERS NOW YOU LET THE AUSSIES DO IT TOO!?!?!
Woah bro, the Magnum TAC-1 is pretty light isn’t it? I mean, it’s not really produced for everyone else that isn’t deployed, but at least the army has got it right? XD
The issue is that the government doesn’t have enough money to issue this kit across the board. You have sections with guys in 3 versions of TBAS, some with the new helmets, some without.
Cough up the cash and buy this kit across the board!
You are obviously not in a role where it really matters. At my battalion EVERYONE has the proper stuff.
The RBG. Had to so a Bde level x-level to get enough kit for everyone in the RCT.
“the government doesn’t have enough money to issue this kit across the board”
1. It isn’t ‘the government’, but the project. The project has scope, budget and schedule. The government has plenty of money.
2. The project was never intended to issue this kit ‘across the board.’ That’s what ‘tiered’ means.
Tiered…so that not everyone in the same section is able to get the same kit!?
FOs, engineers, medics and the like going without key kit whilst Bde HQ is rocking Tier 2 systems in Multicam!
The DMO ivory tower may say this is a well rolled out project, the reality on the ground is that it is not the case.
Let alone the new cams…not enough to kit out a single Bde!
Different project, different SPO.
That’s not what I said. Considering that the project is YET TO DELIVER ANYTHING, the fact that section members have different equipment has nothing to do with Land 125-3B. That was a different finding line to buy TBAS, not 125-3B $$ buying SCE.
same DMO.
So do we already know which manufacturers are involved with this effort? I spy what looks like a Sentry helmet from Ops-core, but this could just be a proof of concept demo…
Sentry it is.
And AirFrame for Tier 2, Tranche 1.
In Australia, everything is upside down. Even the Manta strobes.
Don’t read into this too much people. The trials conducted pretty much wrote all of this off as being inadequate and not up to standard with what is available with a COTS purchase (which was also A LOT cheaper). Also ADA told us “too bad we’ve already started manufacturing the products so any improvements you have won’t be implemented”. Also ADA being “awarded” contracts, please. All the ADF know anything we want will be put to tender and, surprise surprise, ADA get the contract 60% of the time, everytime!
I’d love to see ADA actually design from scratch a plate carrier, would look a lot different from what they are copy and pasting at the moment… by different i mean horrible.
These so called new rigs aren’t much of an improvement on the gen before they are still heavy and overly large and uncomfortable, also this ADA stuff if much more expensive than the top tier gear from the states such as tyr tactical .
Don’t get me wrong I understand what you are saying in regards to ADA. But buying direct from the US does nothing for local business and keeping work in Australia. At a time when unemployment is quite high, this needs to be taken into account.
That’s some gucci kit, from the combat shirt to the helmet with rails, and now the armor, the standard AUS troop looks like he has the good stuff. Then again, yeah, they have a smaller force.
There have been many issues with the US plates. I have done ballistic testing on the ADA plates and worked alongside the ADA engineers. I have a defence background (IDF sniper) and am an engineer. I have used Israeli and American armour, both in combat and in various security roles. I can assure you that ADA plates are second to none.
They are no less effective (and in many cases more effective) that those from the US.
It is easy to throw around claims but you know very little about what goes into choosing the armour.
For the record, I do not, and have not ever worked for ADA. I just happen to know a lot about ballistics, body armour and standards.