Pants...I need Pants ACP a complement to the ACS

[Soldat_Américain]

Army Combat Pants

Yes, the Army IS working on a new pair of pants to complement the Army Combat Shirt. The idea was to develop a pair of trousers that were designed specifically for combat. In addition to protection from flash and flame another major requirement was built in knee protection.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=987&pictureid=14622
(http://soldiersystems.net/2009/07/05/army-combat-pants/army_cbt_pants/)
Produced by Massif, manufacturers of the ACS, the Government design features hard knee pads developed by Crye Precision. They are made from 7.3-ounce, fire-resistant twill and offer a reinforced, stretchable seat. This last feature was added since so many Soldiers have to slide down steep slopes in mountainous regions. Limited User Evaluations (LUE) were completed earlier this year in Georgia and West Virginia. Further tests are scheduled for FY10 in Afghanistan but who knows what will happen now due to the Congressional monkey wrench (http://soldiersystems.net/2009/06/17/congress-cares-about-camo/).


It is very important to note that at this point there is no validated requirement nor a formal program to procure the ACP. The development and evaluations are another case of the folks at PEO-Soldier leaning forward in the foxhole.
http://soldiersystems.net/2009/07/05/army-combat-pants/

[ggk]

lol BDP joke coming in 5...4...3...2..1

[kuttless]

lol BDP joke coming in 5...4...3...2..1

First thing that came to my mind lol.

[Heazy]

sweet, somthing more to make my knees sweat.

[asch]

wrong colour. must be something between khaki and tan.

[Britboy]

This is probably a mock-up, they will probably make it in grey for real.

I suppose this is a good thing for the Americans (I banged my knee hard on a rock once on ex, only realised at the end of the 'attack' when trying to tab away that my trousers had gone a funny shade of red, then OUCH,bump was the size of an egg and couldnt walk properly for a fortnight, still get twinges) but Crye must be tearing their hair out at how many of their designs get copied by the American Army and the contracts handed to Massif.

Or, if Crye have it under patent and get some cash for every bit of kit made under licence for the huge Army, they must be laughing all the way to the bank!

[Hispeed1]

Interesting, looks tight in the knee area for some reason. (I have a feeling this will be another BDP epical thread)

[Kap]

Interesting, looks tight in the knee area for some reason. (I have a feeling this will be another BDP epical thread)

I believe it has velcro straps like the Crye combat pants so you can have them adjusted to your knees.

[BlackFlag]

Built in promotion pads? p-)

[Soldat_Américain]

Way earlier or maybe it was pics from the SHOT Show the Army was talking about combat pants...I think this was March or Aprilish and they had the combat pants in the new cry cut, it looked nice.

[Dragonscript]

They look like modified paintball pants.

[Frens]

interesting improvement compared to the standard ACU pants made with FR fabrics

[Soldat_Américain]

Army Combat Pants Update (http://soldiersystems.net/2009/09/02/army-combat-pants-update/)

September 2nd, 2009 We recently mentioned that the Army is working to pair the Army Combat Shirt with a Pant (http://soldiersystems.net/2009/07/05/army-combat-pants/). A successful Limited User Evaluation earlier this year is going to be followed up with a rather extensive Field Trial in Afghanistan early next year. Yes, they look mysteriously like Crye knee pads (http://www.cryeprecision.com/P-PADKC201000/Combat+Knee+Pads).
While there is still no formal requirement for the ACP, newly revealed plans include integrating the trouser’s special features into the ACU. Naturally, by extension, any changes made to the ACU will also be made to the FR-ACU. So, perhaps by 2011 we could begin to see the ACU transform once again into an even more combat focused uniform. What will be interesting to see is if it can survive peacetime.
http://soldiersystems.net/2009/09/02/army-combat-pants-update/

[Maine Finn]

So this would make an extra set of uniforms to pack and lug, where the ACU was implemented to reduce such 'excess'. Nice.

[ayanami_tard]

knee pad is sewn on top of fabric?

[Soldat_Américain]

FR ACU Trouser Product Improvement Program Update

Originally called the Army Combat Pant and for a short period referred to as the Fire Resistant Ruggedized Pant, the program has transformed into the FR ACU Trouser Product Improvement Program. Ultimately, what this means is that PEO-Soldier is working hard to transform the FR ACU into an even more combat focused garment rather than developing yet another garment.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=1325&pictureid=17883
In an interview yesterday with LTC Mike Sloane, Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, his Deputy PM Mr Todd Wendt, Mr Jeff Myrhe, Assistant Product Manager w/in PM SCIE and Mr Jed Watkins, Contract Support we discussed the latest information on this exciting project.

In addition to name changes, there have been some big changes in the goal of the project. But first let’s delve into the history of the project and then find out where it is going.

PEO Soldier identified issues with the seat, crotch, and knees of the ACU trouser based on feedback from Soldiers returning from theater. Specifically, in fall 2007, elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade presented PEO Soldier with information describing failures of the ACU trouser and they began a full court press to correct these issues. Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering (http://soldiersystems.net/2009/11/06/fr-acu-trouser-product-improvement-program/#) Center and industry partners prepared several solutions.

The evaluation process for these solutions is a journey that began in FY 2008 and will be completed later this year. In April 2008, seven variants of the trouser were issued to units in Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont for a limited user evaluation. Unfortunately, none of the seven variants completely addressed the failures, but did provide valuable information for further improvements.

Massif Mountain Gear and Crye Precision collaborated on the next step, which resulted in the Massif Army Combat Pant Version 4.0A, which employed various weights of Defender M fabric and Defender M stretch fabric to make the seat and crotch more durable. At the same time, Crye Precision’s adjustable-height, integrated hard-shell knee pad design greatly improved the durability of the knee, providing greater protection to the Soldier. This feature in particular has been the most important solution in the project. External knee pads require constant adjustment and lightweight pads slipped into the knee pad slot of the trouser result in extra abrasion and worn knees.

This trouser was evaluated in two phases. Phase I was a human factors evaluation, conducted with 38 Soldiers from the 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning from 11 January to 23 February 2009. Phase II involved 222 Soldiers from the 150th Armored Recon Squadron of the West Virginia National Guard, who evaluated the pant for dismounted functionality and vehicle compatibility during pre-deployment training at the National Training Center from 4 March to 2 April 2009.

Based on lessons learned from the previous phases, a new full and open competition was recently held to allow manufacturers to submit their version of the trouser. Five companies competed. Crye Precision won that competition and is producing 7,020 pairs of combat pants. The Crye trouser is a bit of a departure from previous incarnations as they have replaced the mechanical stretch fabric with a gusset design. These will be tested during Phase III of the evaluation. Testing will be conducted beginning in the 2nd quarter of FY10 with an infantry brigade deployed to Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and each Soldier will receive two pairs of the Crye trouser in addition to their normal complement of FR ACUs. This evaluation is more than a simple test and will deliver actual enhanced capability to the Soldiers involved as the enhancements are refinements of earlier solutions.

Additionally, the focus of the evaluation will no longer be to determine user acceptance of the whole garment. Instead, PEO-Soldier wants to determine which features of the garment are most effective in fixing the problem areas. The Infantry School drives requirements and will make the recommendations to the Army Uniform Board as to which improvements will be integrated into FR ACU. The Chief of Staff of the Army is the final approving authority for these modifications.

When asked if there were plans to remove the FR ACU from service and transform to an ACU for garrison use and ACP/ACS combo for combat operations, the answer was a simple “No”. However, PEO-Soldier officials caveated this statement by relating that the FR ACU will undergo a transformation in the future, making it a much different garment than we see today. In the interim, once approved by the CSA, the improvements to the FR ACU will trouser will greatly enhance the capability of our troops operating in Afghanistan and other regions around the world.
http://soldiersystems.net/2009/11/06/fr-acu-trouser-product-improvement-program/

[Kap]

Defender M fabric... Looks like we're going to wear pink ACUs again. :roll:

The Defender M uniforms I were issued are indeed FR, but they have a distinct pink hue that sucks. They also seem to fade in a very gross matter.

[Pappy]

Defender M fabric... Looks like we're going to wear pink ACUs again. :roll:

The Defender M uniforms I were issued are indeed FR, but they have a distinct pink hue that sucks. They also seem to fade in a very gross matter.

They also shrink after a wash more than regular ACUs, they're heavy and don't breath very well. But I actually really like my aircrew nomex ACUs. In fact, now that I just opened up my B-bag, I'm going to be wearing them instead of the FRACUs from RFI.

[Alpha-17]

I still love how four years ago, the Army gave Crye Precision the finger, and went with ACU. Now, we're desperately trying to rip-off Crye's uniform and get it to the troops.

[Kap]

They also shrink after a wash more than regular ACUs, they're heavy and don't breath very well. But I actually really like my aircrew nomex ACUs. In fact, now that I just opened up my B-bag, I'm going to be wearing them instead of the FRACUs from RFI.

Well with how KBR washes damn clothes in country, I can see why they shrink. I never wore my Defender M uniforms. I couldn't stand the heavy feel like you said and how gay they looked (pinkness). I pretty much wore A2CUs the whole time. I need new ones though as a rather large hole in most of my A2CUs are developing in the ass.


I still love how four years ago, the Army gave Crye Precision the finger, and went with ACU. Now, we're desperately trying to rip-off Crye's uniform and get it to the troops.

That is how the Army rolls. :|

[breki]

Cool. A thread about pants. I like pants.

[Pappy]

Well with how KBR washes damn clothes in country, I can see why they shrink. I never wore my Defender M uniforms. I couldn't stand the heavy feel like you said and how gay they looked (pinkness). I pretty much wore A2CUs the whole time. I need new ones though as a rather large hole in most of my A2CUs are developing in the ass.



You know, if the holes are in the ass, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think that assless ACU chaps would be very unique =P

[California Joe]

This is old news, it was done years ago. I had several pairs as a kid. Most indestructable pants ever created...

http://www.aperfectworld.org/Sears/sears20.jpg

[Hammer27]

I still love how four years ago, the Army gave Crye Precision the finger, and went with ACU. Now, we're desperately trying to rip-off Crye's uniform and get it to the troops.

And how its "not an effective pattern" but all you see on SOF in Afghanistan is Crye Precision or other uniforms in Multicam:bash: