SubscribeLoos and Co cables provide strength and rapid escape functions in military quick release vests.
The smallest part can make all the difference.
Of all the products that the Loos & Co. team produces this year, there is one that may go unnoticed, but will have a real impact half a world away. Buried somewhere in that next reel of cable (strapped to a pallet and loaded on a truck like countless others), could very well be the five feet of cable that makes all the difference in the world for one brave soul wearing a new state-of-the-art vest featuring our cable. That soldier may never know where that cable came from, but we certainly will.
Quick Release Tactical Vests
Early in 2007, the U.S. Army unveiled a new design for battlefield tactical vests. Aimed at providing improved functionality and safety over previous models, it exemplifies the latest in personal protection technology. The most noticeable change in this new generation of body armor is the quick release function, which makes the vest easier to remove in life threatening situations.
Soldiers now have the ability to remove the vests in a split second if they find themselves submerged in water, trapped in a burning vehicle, or actually “on fire,” according to Maj. Carl Fulmore, assistant product manager for Soldier Survivability. Also, field medical teams now have the option of removing the vest in a flash to access wounds quickly and increase the chances that a soldier will survive.
The quick release is simple to operate—a soldier pulls the cord that holds the two halves of the vest together and the vest falls to a soldier’s feet. The entire design is based around Loos & Co. cable—five feet per vest to be exact—which is woven into the fabric on the back of the vest. The cable acts much the same as the pin in a door hinge: once removed the two sides are no longer connected and a once solid device easily pulls apart. While providing both the strength to ensure a secure fit and adequate protection, Loos & Co. cable also delivers the safest and fastest escape possible should the need arise.
The Army plans to refit all deployed personnel with this new vest as quickly as possible. Plans call for vests to be issued to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. The total number of vests to be deployed has yet to be determined as the Army has not awarded a full production contract.
