Osprey body armour

A soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment wearing Enhanced Combat Body Armour during Operation Telic

British forces first began using body armour on a widespread basis when combatting terrorist activities in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner,[1] with this initially consisting of M52 and M69 flak vests and then the Individual Northern Ireland Body Armour vest which could be worn under the combat jacket.[2] A vest known as Combat Body Armour was introduced for general issue outside of Northern Ireland in the 1980s,[3] but consisted purely of soft body armour since the focus was on preventing injury from fragments generated by explosive blasts.[4] A later version known as Enhanced Combat Body Armour was developed in 1991 and allowed for the soft body armour to be augmented with ceramic hard armour plates for improved ballistic protection,[5] but the small size of these plates meant that only the upper torso was protected.

Following lessons identified in Iraq by both British and US forces the Osprey armour system was released in 2006 for general use. It has subsequently been subject to modification, with a fourth version being issued to personnel serving in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick in 2010.

Front and rear hard armour plates as used with Osprey vests.

Unassembled Osprey Mk 2 body armour. The wrap around fasteners clearly visible on the rear half (left) were introduced on the Mk 2 covers and help provide the wearer with a more secure and comfortable fit.

The body armour system is designed and manufactured by CQC Ltd, a long-standing UK-based manufacturer that has provided various items for the Ministry of Defence,[6] with some additional batches produced by Solo International Ltd.[7] The Osprey system is modular and built around two vest halves which, when assembled, cover the wearer's torso. The vest has Pouch Attachment Ladder System-type webbing loops stitched to the outside to act as attachment points for compatible pouches and accessories, removing the need to wear a webbing harness or assault vest over the armour (though a "Load Carrying Tactical Vest" was issued with early iterations of the armour). A grab handle on the rear of the vest allows an injured wearer to be dragged behind cover by their comrades. Fastex buckles on the vest may be used for the fitting of a hydration bladder or a PLCE daysack pouch on the rear and a respirator haversack on the bottom left,[8] and there is also provision for attaching a rank slide to the vest.[9]

The body armour consists of front and rear soft armour panels, which are inserted into the vest (preferably after the hard armour plates have been added) and secured with the aid of Velcro hook and loop fasteners, and front and rear ceramic hard armour plates which are inserted into dedicated pockets (external pockets on Mk 1 to Mk 3A vests, internal pockets on Mk 4 and Mk 4A vests) and protected by a rubber-edged cover intended to avoid wear and tear in routine use. These plates are of sufficient size to cover both the upper and lower torso. The smaller hard armour plates that were used with Enhanced Combat Body Armour[10] are inserted into side pockets (integral to Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3, and Mk 3A vests, integrated into cummerbunds issued with Mk 4 vest) or dedicated side pouches (Mk 4A vest) for additional lower torso protection, though they can also be used as an alternative to the larger Osprey front and rear armour plates, with the relevant pockets being located in the same place as those for the Osprey-specific plates.[11] Optional collar attachments (available in half and full versions) and arm protectors (consisting of brassards and shoulder guards), each with their own soft armour fillers, provide further protection; an Osprey vest thus configured is referred to as 'Complete Fighting Order', but normally the vest is worn in 'Light Fighting Order' without the addition of collar and arm protection.[12][13]

The armour system is not currently issued to personnel stationed in the UK, and instead retained in theatre and issued to troops during inward processing. Training is undertaken using earlier versions of Osprey.

The Osprey Body Armour is complemented by the Under Body Armour Combat Shirt (UBACS), but can be worn over the CS95 and PCS jacket. The UBACS torso is made of wicking CoolMax fabric with soft protection in the shoulders and sleeves.

The pouch system consists of a range of accessories that can be fitted to the vest, allowing an easily configurable load carrying capability that can be tailored to the needs of the individual user. This includes a range of magazine, machine gun link, hand grenade, and 40x46mm pouches as well as utility pouches and medical packs. These accessories are mounted using the PALS tape and can also be fitted to any other equipment with this arrangement, such as the issued MTP 45 litre patrol daysack [NSN: 8465-99-213-3777].

Soldiers were discouraged from carrying items such as bayonets, pens, or cyalume torches on the front of the Osprey vest in order to prevent facial injury in the event of a blast.[23] The combined weight of the Osprey vest, the body armour carried within the vest, and pouches attached to the vest meant that some wearers went back to using the earlier PLCE webbing.[24][25][26][27]

Each generation of Osprey has been subjected to some form of criticism from users and journalists.

Initial criticisms of the first generation were related to the significant increase in weight, and size of the trauma plates, compared with the existing ECBA.

The quality of the manufacture of versions 1 and 2 has been criticised with reports of seams and fasteners tearing open in normal use.

First generation pouches were criticised for poor stability on the cover, with some infantry identifying that pouches designed to hold two magazines did not securely hold three, and that the scale of issue was inadequate to hold a standard patrol ammunition load of six magazines.

In response to lessons learned in combat, the British Army developed the Virtus personal armour system that offers the same protection as Osprey, but is significantly lighter, moves with the body more easily, and produces a slimmer profile. Virtus is 4.7 kg (10 lb 6 oz) lighter, and will be even lighter once new armour plates in development are introduced. The level of protection can be increased or decreased depending on the threat environment by adding or removing soft armour pads and hard ballistic plates. Unlike the Osprey's Velcro straps, the Virtus has a chest-positioned pin quick-release mechanism that releases the entire body kit when pulled for safe extraction in hazardous situations. A new, lighter helmet provides increased blunt impact protection, face and mandible guards for certain roles, and a shape designed to work with the armour and daysack so weapons can be comfortably used even in a prone position; it has a permanent universal mount for night vision gear and a scalable counterweight attached to the rear to ease strain on the wearer's neck. The system also eases strain on loads the soldier would be carrying, incorporating the dynamic weight distribution (DWD) integral spine system, which is linked to the waist belt and helps spread the load of the body armour or daysac across the back, shoulders, and hips, which can be adjusted through a hand controller to their preference.[28] Virtus began being issued in May 2016.[29]