Protective equipment Helmet All soldiers are now equipped with the new Virtus helmet (Revision Batlskin Cobra Plus) which provides increased blunt impact protection, has a lighter weight than the preceding Mk7, can be fitted with face and mandible guards for certain roles, is specially shaped to allow effective weapon usage while in a prone position and wearing body armour, and features a permanent universal
night vision mount and a scalable counterweight attached to the helmet's rear in order to ease strain on the user's neck while a night vision device is equipped. The helmet allows the soldier to wear a respirator, hearing protection, goggles and/or a radio headset as necessary. The previous standard helmet in service was the
Mk7 which replaced the older
Mk6 and Mk6A helmets on operations. 84,000
Mk 7 helmets were donated to the
Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022.
Combat body armour The British Army uses two main combat body armour systems; The
Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest (STV) is the primary body armour system used on live operations,
LFTT, and firing ranges and has replaced the previously used Osprey body armour. It is 10 lbs lighter than Osprey and closer-fitting and can have its level of protection more closely scaled to the prevailing threat type. The vest also features a quick-release mechanism to aid safe extraction from hazardous situations such as burning vehicles or drowning and a dynamic weight distribution system which, when linked to a soldier's waist belt, aids in spreading the soldier's load across the back, shoulders, and hips; a mechanism in the small of the back allows the wearer to adjust the weight bias depending on the situation. The STV can be used in a variety of ways including; load carriage without armour, a fragmentation vest with soft composite armour but no hard plates, a plate carrier with no soft armour, and a full body armour system with both soft armour padding and hard plates. is a soft body armour vest that was first introduced in the 1980s and can be augmented with ceramic
ballistic plates. It was used on operations until the introduction of the
Osprey body armour series in 2006 and is now used solely for training purposes, primarily for non-infantry phase one training recruits. Ancillary to regular body armour is a three-tier pelvic armour system - issued since 2010 - to mitigate against shrapnel and other blast effects. The first layer is a pair of underwear shorts manufactured from a ballistic silk material. The second layer consists of detachable pelvic body armour that is intended to be worn while 'outside the wire' to meet the greater threats faced by soldiers on patrol. The third layer consists of knee-length ballistic shorts worn over a soldier's combat trousers, offering coverage of the upper leg and wider abdominal region and designed for use by soldiers operating hand-held metal detectors to search for explosive devices or otherwise serving in a combat role where greater levels of protection are required. 8,450 sets of
Osprey body armour were donated to the
Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022.
Respirator By January 2015, over 300,000
General Service Respirators had been delivered to replace the older
S10 respirator. Features which differentiate it from the S10 which it replaced are: • Twin filter canisters can be changed more easily while in a
CBRN environment • Single
visor provides better visibility and reduces the claustrophobic effect • Improved drinking system • Ability to convert to EU standard canisters with a simple modification These respirators are also used by the rest of the
British Armed Forces.
Uniforms The multi-terrain pattern (MTP) combat clothing is designed to blend with the range of environments such as woodland, jungle, compounds, crops, grassland and arid stone. This change to the British camouflage pattern was the first in 40 years. The uniform is flame-retardant and insect-repellent treated. Troops on operations are issued with knee length, waterproof socks that have antimicrobial properties similar to those found in medical dressings and keep feet warmer than conventional socks.
Boots In 2012, the
MOD purchased a newly designed range of brown combat boots from Haix, Alt-Berg, and other manufacturers for the
Army,
Royal Marines and
RAF to replace the black and
Desert Combat Boot previously worn. Five different types of boots, developed to match the Multi-Terrain Pattern uniform, are available to Armed Forces personnel depending on where they are based and what role they are in. Black boots have been retained for wear with most non-camouflage uniforms as well as units on parade in full dress uniform, such as regiments performing
ceremonial duties in central London. • Desert Combat – worn by dismounted troops conducting medium to high levels of activity in
desert type environments with temperatures exceeding 40 °C • Desert Patrol – worn by drivers/armoured troops conducting lower levels of activity in desert type environments exceeding 40 °C • Temperate Combat – worn by dismounted troops for medium to high levels of activity in
temperate (
European) climates • Patrol – worn by
mounted troops (drivers/armoured troops) taking part in lower levels of activity in temperate (European) climates • Cold Wet Weather – worn by dismounted troops for medium to high levels of activity in temperatures down to −20 °C.
Personal Role Radio A Personal Role Radio (PRR) is distributed to every member of an eight-strong infantry section. It consists of a headset attached to a
UHF transmitter/receiver which has 256 channels, a 500m range, 20 hour battery life, weighs 1.5 kg, and is effective through thick cover and walls and floors of buildings, increasing the communication and effectiveness of infantry fireteams. Usage of privately purchased webbing, whether based on or customised PLCE or with MOLLE compatibility, also remains a very common item. 'Airborne' webbing, which is a single unit webbing set of multiple pouches sewn or stitched directly onto a foam hip pad is favoured among soldiers for its comfort, stability and durability.
Personal load carrying equipment (PLCE), officially known as 95 pattern webbing, is an older webbing system issued temporarily solely for training purposes during phase 1 'basic' training for non-infantry recruits, to carry ammunition, food and water, protective equipment, and other individual supplies. The webbing consists of a belt, a yoke harness, and various belt pouches. The system also consists of two daysacks (backpacks) for use with the Combat Order; these can be attached to a larger 'Bergen' rucksack for use with the Marching Order. The
Osprey body armour and webbing series, and various items associated with either system such as daysacks all feature
MOLLE loops for direct attachment of load carrying pouches, thus obviating the need for and mostly supplanting the earlier PLCE webbing. Regardless of the particular load carrying system used by any given soldier, Army doctrine prescribes that it should be capable of holding everything that a soldier needs to operate in the field for up to 24 hours without resupply in
Fighting Order, for up to 48 hours without resupply in
Patrol Order and for up to two weeks without resupply in
Marching Order. ==Combat vehicles==