MOLLE (military)
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MOLLE (pronounced ,,
homophonic In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...
with the name Molly) is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by a number of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
armed forces, especially the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
. The system's modularity is derived from the use of
Pouch Attachment Ladder System The Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS is a grid of webbing invented and patented by United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center used to attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests an ...
(PALS)
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as rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the vest to allow for the attachment of various compatible pouches and accessories. This method of attachment has become a ''de facto'' standard for modular tactical gear, replacing the
All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment The All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) is a set of load-carrying equipment adopted as United States Army Standard A on 17 January 1973 to replace the M-1956 Individual Load-Carrying Equipment (ILCE) and M-1967 Mo ...
(ALICE) system used in the earliest modular vest systems (which is still in use with many police forces).


Components


Tactical assault panel

The Tactical Assault Panel (TAP) replaces the fighting load carrier (FLC). It is a bib-like chest rig that can be used alone or mounted on the Improved Outer Tactical Vest or
Soldier Plate Carrier System The Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS), known commercially as the KDH Magnum TAC-1, is a plate carrier developed for the U.S. Army which provides protection in accordance with if not greater than, the Improved Outer Tactical Vest. The SPCS is ...
. The TAP is covered with
PALS webbing The Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS is a grid of webbing invented and patented by United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center used to attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests a ...
and storage for up to eight rifle magazines (six 5.56 magazines + two 7.62 NATO magazines or eight 5.56 magazines).


Assault pack

The Assault Pack is a backpack with 2000 cubic inches (32L) of storage space.


Medium rucksack

The Medium Rucksack is an external frame rucksack with 3000 cubic inches (50L) of storage space. It is designed to be worn over body armor and supports loads up to 60 lbs. It features a large main compartment with internal dividers for items like the hydration system, 60mm mortar rounds, along with a harness for ASIP radios. Two smaller compartments are located outside the main compartment. The pack is adorned in PALS webbing.


Large rucksack

The Large Rucksack is an external frame rucksack with 4000 cubic inches (65L) of storage space. It features a large main compartment with an internal divider between the upper and lower half for organizing loads. It is covered with PALS webbing, and ALICE webbing on the side to support legacy items such as the 2 quart canteen pouch. It is highly adjustable for comfort and load distribution.


Hydration bladder

Plastic
hydration bladder A hydration pack or drink bag is a type of hydration system built as a backpack or waistpack containing a reservoir or "bladder" commonly made of rubber or flexible plastic. The reservoir contains a capped mouth for filling with liquid and a ho ...
to supplement the and canteens for on-the-go hydration.


Modular pouches

Pouches of various utility that can be attached wherever PALS webbing exists. One type is a "sustainment pouch", which holds three
MRE A Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging purchased by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or field conditions where other food is not avail ...
s. The various MOLLE pouches are commonly used to carry ammunition,
gas masks A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...
, batons, flares,
grenades A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade gene ...
, handcuffs and
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, ...
, and custom pouches include PALS-compatible pistol holders, hydration pouches and utility pouches. These pouches are normally secured through the use of straps,
alice clip The All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) is a set of load-carrying equipment adopted as United States Army Standard A on 17 January 1973 to replace the M-1956 Individual Load-Carrying Equipment (ILCE) and M-1967 Mo ...
s or speedclips.


MOLLE and PALS

The term MOLLE is technically only used to describe the specific system manufactured by Specialty Defense Systems, but is also casually used interchangeably to describe generically all load bearing systems and subsystems that utilize the woven PALS (
Pouch Attachment Ladder System The Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS is a grid of webbing invented and patented by United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center used to attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests an ...
) webbing for modular pouch attachment (though PALS is proprietary to
Natick Labs The Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Soldier Center, now CCDC SC, was formerly the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, and is a tenant unit of the United States Army Natick Soldier Syste ...
, most use MOLLE and PALS interchangeably). Derivatives based on the MOLLE attachment method (such as the Tactical Tailor MALICE clip system) have also been developed. Any system that utilizes modular attachment methods and is usable with U.S. general issue MOLLE components is often considered "MOLLE-compatible" or is called a "MOLLE" system. Increasingly, non-military manufacturers are incorporating PALS onto outdoor equipment. There are three general modes of attachment in the MOLLE arena; the "Natick Snap", which uses a
polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including b ...
reinforced webbing strap with the 'pushthedot' snap fastener for security; the polymer "Malice" clip, developed by Tactical Tailor as an alternative to the Natick Snap concept, which interweaves like the Natick Snap but terminates in a semi-permanent closure that requires a screwdriver or other flat-tipped object to disengage; and a variety of attachments that fall into the "Weave & Tuck" category, in which the end of an interwoven strap is tucked into an item's backing after attachment to a vest or pack (Paraclete's SofStrap and Spec Ops Brand's hybrid attachment). The PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of
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, spaced 25 mm apart, and attached to the backing at intervals.MIL-W-43668 C NOTICE-1 WEBBING TEXTILE TEXTURED OR NYLON
/ref> Although the specification is for the stitchings to be spaced apart, stitching in the range is considered acceptable in practice.


Evolution and criticism

The MOLLE system was introduced in 1997. However, it did not see widespread issue until after the September 11, 2001 attacks and was used by U.S. troops serving in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. Early criticisms of the MOLLE system emerged, particularly from the Army. Many of these criticisms have centered on the sustainment-load pack and frame, due to the external plastic frame being too fragile and subject to breaking in the field (since mitigated), that the zippers have a tendency to burst when stuffed full and that the pack's straps lack sufficient length to be used with bulky body armor. The first generation of this system used a ball and socket joint between the frame and rucksack belt (which in itself formed the waistbelt of the MOLLE vest). This method led to numerous lower back injuries due to the ball (mounted on the frame) missing the socket on the waistbelt and hurting the user's body. Subsequent redesign of the SDS MOLLE led to the deletion of this feature and thus the vest (FLC) and ruck/frame were separate non-integral items.


See also

*
Individual Integrated Fighting System The IIFS (''Individual Integrated Fighting System'') was introduced in 1988, to serve as a fighting (arms, ammunition etc) and existence (food, first aid, etc) carrying system - a possible replacement for the All-Purpose Lightweight Individual ...
(IIFS) *
Interceptor body armor The Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System (IBA) is a bullet-resistant body armor system that was used by the United States Armed Forces during the 2000s, with some limited usage into the mid-2010s. IBA and its design replaced the older stan ...
*
Personal Load Carrying Equipment Personal Load Carrying Equipment (PLCE) is one of several tactical webbing systems of the British Armed Forces. Dependent upon the year of design, and the decade of introduction, the webbing system was named and is commonly referred to as the ...
(PLCE), used by the British Army


References


External links


ciehub.info

gear-illustration.com
{{US Army uniforms Military equipment introduced in the 1990s Military equipment of the United States Personal military carrying equipment