M-1956 load-carrying equipment vs Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops

FORCETALLY

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AProtective equipment

M-1956 load-carrying equipment

individual load-carrying equipment (ILCE)

BProtective equipment

Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops

Combat helmet and bulletproof vest

First system

Second system

Measured figures

Head to head

3 of 50 rows sourced on both sides

—

3.2–4.9kgdepending on size Vest depending on size

Mass

All recorded figures & sources

3.2–4.9 kg

depending on size Vest depending on size

Single source

1.41–1.91 kg

Helmet

Single source

Configuration

Details

M-1956 load-carrying equipment and Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops configuration
Specification	M-1956 load-carrying equipment	Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops
Type	individual load-carrying equipment (ILCE)^[source]	Combat helmet and bulletproof vest^[source]
Designer	developed by the U.S. Army^[source]	U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center^[source]
Introduction	early 1960s^[source]	—
Configuration	quickly configured, using no tools, to accommodate various mission and ammunition loads^[source]	—

Material	olive drab cotton webbing^[source]	Kevlar^[source]

Attachment system	Slide keepers were used to attach the various pouches of the M-1956 equipment to the pistol belt.^[source]	—

Place of origin	—	United States^[source]

In service	—	1983–2003 (U.S. Army & Marines) 1983–present (U.S. Navy) 1985–present (other countries)^[source]

Used by	—	United States Navy United States Coast Guard U.S. Army (historical) U.S. Marine Corps (historical) U.S. Air Force (historical) See Users for other foreign military/law enforcement users^[source]

Wars	—	Invasion of Grenada (first usage) Invasion of Panama Persian Gulf War Operation Gothic Serpent Yugoslav Wars Global War on Terrorism War in Afghanistan Iraq War Russo-Ukrainian War 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War^[source]

Designed	—	1975 (vest), 1977 (helmet)^[source]

Manufacturer	—	Gibraltar Industries (first known helmet/vest manufacturer) Made by numerous manufacturers, such as Isratex, Inc.^[source]

Variants	—	U.S. Navy Flak Jacket (Mk 1, Mod 0)^[source]

Protection standard	—	The shell is made from 19 layers of Kevlar , a ballistic aramid fabric treated with a phenolic resin system, and is rated at Threat Level IIIA .^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT helmet shell, not the PASGT vest It meets the 1800 requirement of MIL-STD-662 E.^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT helmet; the source does not supply a unit for its stated 1800 requirement Based on testing conducted for the Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing Company, former ARDEC research engineer John Ervin stated that the PASGT vest is equivalent to NIJ level II or IIA protection: able to stop multiple 124-grain 9×19mm FMJ pistol rounds to its main torso panels (front and back), but susceptible to several closely spaced rounds or shots to the thin neck and shoulder panels.^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT vest torso-panel independent-test comparison to NIJ II or IIA; the neck/shoulder limitations are retained

Protection standard

—

The shell is made from 19 layers of Kevlar , a ballistic aramid fabric treated with a phenolic resin system, and is rated at Threat Level IIIA .^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT helmet shell, not the PASGT vest

It meets the 1800 requirement of MIL-STD-662 E.^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT helmet; the source does not supply a unit for its stated 1800 requirement

Based on testing conducted for the Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing Company, former ARDEC research engineer John Ervin stated that the PASGT vest is equivalent to NIJ level II or IIA protection: able to stop multiple 124-grain 9×19mm FMJ pistol rounds to its main torso panels (front and back), but susceptible to several closely spaced rounds or shots to the thin neck and shoulder panels.^[source]Open-source estimate; PASGT vest torso-panel independent-test comparison to NIJ II or IIA; the neck/shoulder limitations are retained

Reported operators	—	Reported operator · Afghanistan Reported operator · Argentina Reported operator · Armenia Reported operator · Brazil Reported operator · Bolivia Reported operator · Bosnia and Herzegovina Reported operator · Chile Reported operator · Costa Rica Reported operator · Dominican Republic Reported operator · Ecuador Reported operator · El Salvador Reported operator · Estonia Reported operator · Greece Reported operator · Haiti Reported operator · Indonesia Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Israel Reported operator · Kazakhstan Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Mexico Reported operator · Moldova Reported operator · Nicaragua Reported operator · Philippines Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Saudi Arabia Reported operator · Slovenia Reported operator · Taiwan Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · United States Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Uruguay Reported operator · Venezuela Reported operator · Vietnam