flak jacket question

good evening guys ,i was just wondering what year of use were the earlier pre osprey flak jackets ,the type that has two pockets for kevlar fillers ,were they used in the mid 80's or much later ,thanks in advance

thunderchild wrote:good evening guys ,i was just wondering what year of use were the earlier pre osprey flak jackets ,the type that has two pockets for kevlar fillers ,were they used in the mid 80's or much later ,thanks in advance

I remember these in the very late 80's and they were produced with tropical fabric. The first issue had 2 chest pockets only no rear. The 2nd issue had large front and rear hard plate pockets.

There is also re tailored first issue desert ones floating about, sparse desert for main soft filler and modern camo back and front hard plate pocket.

many thanks bravo 2 zero ,i picked one up but going by your description i have the 2nd version in woodland dpm,would this type of been used in the early stages of the first gulf war ,kind regards thunderchild

thunderchild wrote:many thanks bravo 2 zero ,i picked one up but going by your description i have the 2nd version in woodland dpm,would this type of been used in the early stages of the first gulf war ,kind regards thunderchild

No, the first gulf period ones are the 2 pocket front type with elasticated opening with Velcro flap. The type you had would have been used in the 2000's for the start of OIF. The flak vests were hastily improvised for the 2nd Iraq invasion hence re sewn desert ones with large front and back plate pockets.

Are you talking about these two?  

PedroPato wrote:Are you talking about these two?  

Yes they are the ones.

The right one has a later addition modified pockets added to it as they are from a different bolt of cloth.

The added pockets are in CS95 fabric, the rest of it its like the tropical pattern.

yes pedro this is the type ,thanks for showing ,and many thanks bravo 2 zero for giving me the year of issue its been a great help ,cheers TC

Was not the first one used during Operation Barras?

Here's a reissue of the first gulf war vest (1990) with single armour pocket front and rear. Please not the different camo prints used.

looks great ,thanks for showing your example b2z

Hi Thunderchild, here's a an example of the first issue Gulf war CBA, and the S95 version for reference,hope this helps . 

many thanks gary this has helped out mate just to get it into my thick head  

thunderchild wrote:many thanks gary this has helped out mate just to get it into my thick head  

No worries Mate your welcome, I was going to post these up ages ago for you but  forgot,  until today, I think I need a rest  

sorry to bump this old thread but I was just wondering what the horizontal front strap and horizontal rear strap and buckle were used for and any reference pictures to show its use, im guessing it was to retain webbing ?

Good question,been wondering that for many years myself.

Retaining the PLCE belt kit.
The original two front pockets vest was known as CBA(Combat body armour) the one with pockets back and front for plates is known as ECBA(Enhanced combat body armour).Their was a UN blue ECBA cover produced for use with UNPROFOR also and currently their is an MTP version being rolled out.

many thanks raptor ,great info

Retaining the PLCE belt kit.

Sorry if Im being a dumbass but dont understand?

i too would benefit from a detailed referance picture ,thanks james

The vertical front strap is to facilitate a rapid opening of the front flap, rather than having to waste time trying to peel the front flap off the retaining velcro. The rear vertical strap and buckle was to anchor the rear of the flak jacket to the belt. Reason being that in a kneeling/crouching position the rear of the jacket would ride up, exposing the lower back and kidneys. Anchoring the rear of the jacket to the belt alleviates this somewhat. The fastex buckle is to disconnect the jacket from the belt in a hurry if needed.

Hello filupe ,your a gent and just thank you very much for your explanation ,it all makes perfect sense now ,
kind regards, james

I'm looking for ballistic plates for CBA (Combat body armour), but I can't find any.
CBA stands for Combat body armour, which has two front pockets.
ECBA plates fit, but I can't close the pocket flaps.
In other words, the size doesn't fit.
I'm starting to think that plates for CBA don't exist, but what do you think?