Defence Forces personnel will soon receive new state-of-the-art body armour, with deliveries expected before the year’s end, reports RTE.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris announced that his department has procured over 6,000 units at a cost of €16.5 million, significantly improving protection for Irish soldiers.
The body armour, designed internally by the Defence Forces Ordnance Corps, will be called the Individual Modular Body Armour System (IMBAS), reports RTE.
In a statement, Mr Harris said: “The safety of our Defence Forces personnel is a key priority for me as Minister for Defence and this supply of body armour will mean that our troops have access to state-of-the-art protection during their missions. This week I had the opportunity to visit Defence Forces personnel deployed to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. While there, I saw first hand the challenging and volatile environment that our peacekeepers operate in – further illustrating the need to ensure we properly invest in force protection,” he added, reports RTE.
The Tánaiste stated that the IMBAS technology will offer enhanced ballistic and fragmentation protection, incorporating the latest advancements in standards, materials, and ergonomics.
This new system will be complemented by a modern combat clothing system and combat helmet, both of which are currently under tender.
Following a competitive bidding process, the contract to supply the new body armour was awarded to Seyntex NV, a Belgian company, reports RTE.
A total of 6,105 body armour systems will be delivered by the end of June next year, with the option to supply up to 2,000 additional units if needed.
The current General Service Body Armour has been in use since 2006.
The IMBAS system consists of five plates available in six different sizes, offering improved comfort, protection, and flexibility for the wearer, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
