The PRU-70/P22P-18 (V) is an Armored Survival Vest (ASV) that is intended for
aircrews. It was designed by
Naval Air Systems Command
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the successor to the ...
Human Systems Division. The vests are manufactured by Peckham Vocational Industries in
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
and are used by
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
and
Marine aircrew in
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
The PRU-70 merges both the aircrew survival vest and the latest in body armor. The new system was developed to fit the various body types and sizes in the current U.S. aircrew population. The PRU-70 is also designed to reduce the bulk, weight and heat stressors commonly encountered by helicopter aircrews flying combat missions. The PRU-70 uses Halo-Tech fire retardant. The PRU-70 is produced in Coyote Brown camouflage color, which blends into the environment of 70 percent of the world's land masses.
The PRU-70 replaces three different items of aircrew clothing: the standard AIRSAVE Survival Vest, the separate body armor system that is worn beneath the AIRSAVE survival vest, and the current PRU-60B.
According to the manufacturer, this results in reduced cost and configuration management for both forces in combat and in logistic terms, because of its ability to be worn as a stand-alone survival vest by being configured with or without life preservers (as authorized) and by adding or deleting body armor as needed.
The PRU-70 is being replaced by the Aircrew Endurance Vest.
See also
*
Flak Jacket
The two components of an obsolete British military flak vest. On the left, the nylon vest. On the right, the several layers of ballistic nylon that provide the actual protection
A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of body armor. A flak jacke ...
*
Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV)
*
Modular Tactical Vest
The Modular Tactical Vest (MTV or MoTaV) is a ballistic vest originally adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 2006. The MTV was designed as a solution to shortcomings in the Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) and was selected after a rigorous pr ...
(MTV)
*
Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops
Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT, pronounced ) is a combat helmet and ballistic vest that was used by the United States military from the early 1980s until the mid-2000s, when the helmet and vest were succeeded by the Lightweigh ...
(PASGT)
*
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 ...
References
* http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004598.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20081223220950/http://pao.navair.navy.mil/press_releases/index.cfm?fuseaction=press_release_view&press_release_id=4044&site_id=29
{{Types of armour
Body armor
Ballistic vests
Military equipment of the United States
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s