U.S. Army Testing Personal Cooling Suits

DJ BenBen writes to tell us that they Army is currently testing some 500 liquid cooled vests with Humvee crews in Iraq. From the article: "The Humvees with add-on armor were fitted with air conditioners after TARDEC engineers in Warren, Mich., were given the requirement to figure out how Soldiers in armored vehicles could be kept cool under the desert sun. Some of the same engineers had designed the add-on armor kits for the M-998 and M-1025 Humvees in theater. But with the extra armor and doors closed, temperatures inside the vehicles could reportedly reach more than 130 degrees. 'It's like putting somebody in a toaster oven on low heat,' said Charlie Bussee, an engineer at TARDEC."

Comments

i don't know

[xo0bob0ox]

I don't know if this is such a good idea..when I was in Afghanistan we often were in humvees and they were already crammed as it is. I think anything like this would just add to the chaos that is inside the humvee. Although it is a step in the right direction It just dosn't seem smart. Its hard to get out of a humvee when you plan to, and I can't imagine how bad this might add to any reaction to contact or IED. The Ac in humvees right now is not too bad, its just the fact that it overheats the engine and you end up having to shut it off is what sucks. Then again, its always cool up top on the turret...

Military Development

[clark625]

Okay, yes, a coolsuit isn't news for some. What I take issue with is that you seem to have taken the same, unfortunate belief that so many smart people fall into. Military development isn't cheap, and because all the exact details are rarely given out to the public, it's assumed to be mostly waste. While this may be true in some cases, it's not the norm. Believe it or not, the Army does have a limited budget and actually cares about researching many areas simultaneously; thus they do care about waste.

Anyway, there's always a difference between a commercial technology and a military one. Take this suit for example. How many times do you think racecar drivers get shot at while in their cars? If a bullet penetrates through, what will the results be? If there is fluid leakage, will it harm internal tissue or poison the blood stream, or is it so cold that muscles will tense up? If there are wires (and there are), could those short out and cause electrical damage to the wearer? If the system becomes non-functioning, what could happen that would prevent the wearer from continuing the mission? Lastly, what do the soldiers that will be issued this device think about it? You know, the guys that have been there, and will be going back? Yep, the Army gets everyone's input (even privates), and that's a huge benefit mostly unique to our military.

As someone that's in the Army, I can tell you that we don't get issued ANYTHING unless the leadership is confident that it will benefit our mission. That's not a bad thing.

Re:Military Development

[still cynical]

I suggest you study the history of the procurement of the Beretta 9mm pistol, replacement for the old .45 auto. Pay careful attention to the bits about known problems with metal fatigue, and slide recoil injuring shooters.

If you mean the incidents that gave rise to the saying "You're not really a SEAL until you've eaten Italian steel", the problems were not with the pistol or the procurement system. The real problem was forcing the standard sidearm onto special ops units.

The standard military sidearm has NEVER been intended for anything other than last-resort defensive use, or low-risk missions such as police, low-security guards, etc. Spec-ops guys such as SEALs, Special Forces, etc. need a pistol for primary and offensive use as well. The only way to do that (semi)effectively with a 9mm is to use ammo loaded to much higher pressures and velocities. The incidents you refer to were confined to Navy units using custom ammo loaded WAY past SAAMI specs, beyond what is usually called "+P+". Notice that it was never a wide-spread problem, and has not been known to recur since spec-ops were given more latitude to select and procure non-standard sidearms. The big H&K "offensive" pistol is designed specifically for the requirements of spec-ops, and to handle +P .45 ammo. I personally think it's not the best out there, but for very different reasons. Other special units are using .45s also, like the new 1911 designed for USMC Force Recon.

So don't blame military waste, blame the penny-pinchers who oversee the military from nice civilian offices and have no idea what the complexities and realities are.