Introduction Announced on International Women’s Day
The UK’s defence ministry will, in April, begin issuing body armour specially designed for women.
The Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest (STV) has been adapted following its introduction for men in close-combat roles. According to an MoD release, “extensive trials with serving female soldiers” have led to the creation of a version of the vest more tailored to women, though no details have been given about what modifications have been made. The Virtus STV is manufactured by Israeli company Source Tactical Gear and has been in use by men in the British military since 2020.
The UK is also introducing a new range of clothing for women. “The range is an improvement on the current offering, with more sizes and changes to the cut of the garments for a more ergonomic and high-performance fit for all personnel,” according to MoD. There will be “around 25” sizes of shirt available, for example, while most high-street clothing shops would usually provide around 10 sizes.
“I am very pleased that we are continuing to roll out a wider range of combat clothing and new sizes of the scalable tactical vest for our service personnel,” said Brig Elizabeth Faithfull-Davies, commander of 102 Logistic Brigade. “Now that women are employed in all roles across the Army, it remains crucially important that all our equipment is designed to ensure we can operate efficiently and effectively in both training and on operations overseas.”
“This new fit body armour has massive benefits to me and my fellow soldiers,” said Trooper Charmaine Cochrane of the Queen’s Royal Hussars. “The improved fit will help me move more freely and ultimately feel more confident to do my job better“.