UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment and Support, Bristol, UK
UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment and Support, Bristol, UK.
BMJ Mil Health. 2023 Feb;169(1):17-22. doi: 10.1136/jramc-2019-001248. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
OSPREY personal armour has been issued to UK forces since 2005. From 2015, the VIRTUS personal armour and load carriage system have been progressively replacing OSPREY. In 2016, the ban on women in ground close combat roles throughout the UK's Armed Forces was lifted. In anticipation of this, work has been ongoing to prepare future ballistic protection programmes for a potential increase in the number of female users.
A human factors questionnaire was provided to 150 female users of OSPREY body armour to complete while on combat operations in Afghanistan. The questionnaire asked the users to rate the comfort of their OSPREY body armour along with their ability to carry out basic tasks. Other background data such as size of body armour worn and bra size were also collected for the analysis.
The female participants reported various types of discomfort when wearing their OSPREY body armour, with 135 instances of discomfort experienced in the hip region, for example. Challenges were reported in the ability to carry out basic movements, with the tasks rated on a Likert scale as difficult or very difficult by between 29% and 59% of participants. In addition, a restriction in ability to access personal equipment worn on the person (including pouches, trouser pockets) was commented on by 39% of participants.
Female users reported challenges relating to the fit and function of OSPREY body armour. The VIRTUS body armour system for UK Armed Forces Personnel has already addressed many of the reported issues with OSPREY. Further optimisation for VIRTUS with regard to female users is planned and includes sizing of ballistic hard plates.
自 2005 年以来，OSPREY 个人装甲已在英国军队中使用。从 2015 年开始，VIRTUS 个人装甲和负载输送系统已逐步取代 OSPREY。2016 年，英国武装部队取消了禁止女性参与地面近战角色的禁令。预计会有更多的女性使用者，因此一直在为未来的弹道保护计划做准备。
向 150 名在阿富汗作战行动中使用 OSPREY 身体装甲的女性用户提供一份人为因素调查问卷，要求她们在使用 OSPREY 身体装甲时对其舒适性以及完成基本任务的能力进行评分。还收集了其他背景数据，例如所穿装甲的尺寸和胸罩尺寸。
女性参与者报告在穿着 OSPREY 身体装甲时会出现各种不适，例如 135 例在臀部区域感到不适。在进行基本动作的能力方面也存在挑战，29%至 59%的参与者认为这些任务困难或非常困难。此外，39%的参与者表示，她们的个人装备（包括口袋、裤子口袋）存取受到限制。
女性用户报告了与 OSPREY 身体装甲的贴合度和功能相关的挑战。英国武装部队人员的 VIRTUS 装甲系统已经解决了 OSPREY 报告的许多问题。计划进一步优化 VIRTUS 系统，以适应女性用户，包括弹道硬板的尺寸。
