Next-gen flak jacket ordered for U.S. Army

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army soon will be issuing a new protective vest to troops bound for Iraq that weighs less and offers a higher degree of protection.

Armor Holdings was awarded a $112 million contract this week for production of the Improved Outer Tactical Vest that will replace the current models worn by GIs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Florida company's version was chosen in a competition and will be produced this year and in 2008 at plants in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

"This contract enables Armor Holdings to begin immediately to field vests required to outfit our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we expect to participate in replacing all current systems in use today," Armor Holdings President Robert Schiller said in a statement Friday.

The Improved Outer Tactical Vest debuts as a response to criticisms about body armor that began almost as soon as the United States settled into security duty in Iraq.

Schiller said the vest was designed to Army specs aimed at making the ubiquitous "battle rattle" both stronger and easier to deal with. Along with being lighter weight, the vests will come in a larger array of sizes, mesh linings for better ventilation and redesigned pockets for armor plates that will enable the soldier to adjust them to a better fit.