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Army responds to report on Dragon Skin

Army body armor officials announced Monday they would meet with members of Congress this week in the wake of recent media reports that question whether soldiers are equipped with the best body armor available.

Program Executive Officer Soldier commander Brig. Gen. Mark Brown made the announcement at a press briefing at the Pentagon on Monday to explain why the Army refuses to allow its soldiers to wear controversial body armor known as Dragon Skin.

The briefing followed an NBC News report Sunday that presented results of independent ballistics tests commissioned by NBC. The tests were conducted May 3 in Germany. At NBC’s request, according to NBC News spokeswoman Barbara L. Levin, the Beschussamt Mellrichstadt laboratory did comparative testing of the Army's body armor, Interceptor, against Dragon Skin, a flexible body armor.

The tests show Level IV Dragon Skin vests outperforming Interceptor vests equipped with “ESAPI” plates in ballistic tests with various types of unnamed “armor piercing” ammunition.

“NBC News has blacked out the specific caliber of ammunition used in the tests, because the Army believes that level of detail may assist the enemy. NBC News did, however, share those details with the Army,” according to test results from NBC released Sunday.

Brown, who oversees all body armor development for the Army, said Monday that the Army has requested specific details of how the test were conducted from NBC, but so far has not received that information.

In addition, Brown said he questions whether the “ESAPI” plates used in NBC’s tests were “certified” Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts that the service issues to soldiers deploying to combat.

Brown presented the results of the tests the Army conducted on Pinnacle’s SOV 3000 Level VI Dragon Skin vests May 16-19 at the National Institute of Justice-certified H.P. White labs near Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.

The tests subjected Dragon Skin against the same test protocols the Army uses to test its ESAPI and Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts. The vests were exposed to temperatures ranging from -60 degrees to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as being immersed in diesel fuel, oil and salt water for extended periods of time. After each of these exposures, testers shot the vests with armor-piercing ammunition, the most lethal small arms threat in the war.

Four out the eight vests tested failed after suffering 13 first- or second-shot complete penetrations with 7.62mmx63mm APM2 Armor Piercing ammunition, Brown said.

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Army responds to report on Dragon Skin

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