Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/929822
FO!: What Makes the neW uniFOrM stanD Out? MS, ASz: The new uniform offers a clean cut, so you don't look like you're wearing a sackcloth. We've got rid of most of excessive ad- ditions found in wz. 2010. A simple, no-frills uniform compatible with DROMADER – looks good, it's practical, easy to manufacture, and relatively inexpensive. Much less fabric is used with particular si- zes – the cut has been improved, which makes it lighter and dry quicker. A characteristic feature will be new field cap, the so-called rogatywka, a four-cornered peaked hat, which will be a cultural ID of the uniform and act as a reference to the Polish army's tradition. And the camouflage, of course – MAPA is a very promising pattern and we hope to see it used by TDF soon, and then, with time, by all of the Polish Armed Forces. Yes, we do know that "camouflage wz. 93 may have its flaws, but it's been in use for 25 years and has become a kind of integral part of a Polish soldier's image" (that's an actual argument "against", which was raised in a discussion some time ago, and not by a civilian...), but we hope to be able to break the strong resistance. Polish institutions dealing with camouflage te- sting have not introduced any new masking patterns for the last 25 years. The only "success" includes subsequent replicas of MultiCam and their variants. The notion of micro- and macro-pattern does not exist, and a conclusive test of masking according to the applied Po- lish standard involves watching three dummies through binoculars from a distance of 1,300 by an evaluation committee... composed of three employees of the institution designing the camo. So we're rather nowhere near "Scorpion", we'd say. MAPA is something way different, and is therefore a threat and encounters much resistance. But as the Italians say, "Avanti Savoia"! FO!: DrOMaDer incluDes ballistic prOtectiOn (helMet, plate carrier, plates). What abOut theM? MS, ASz: The ballistic plates have a "new" shape. 3D geometry, and the result is a so-called shooter's cut (or swimmer's cut). They offer better profile and fit – then again, you don't have to be a genius to get the idea, it's enough to visit the web and browse through press on a more or less regular basis (interestingly enough, it's still unk- nown if these plates are going to be based on the technology most popular so far because there has appeared an interesting alternati- ve). The helmet is a very important element of the system – first, it resembles a "high-cut", so it is hearing protection compatible. Se- cond, it comes with cover with a pocket for a night-vision device co- unterweight – unfortunately, the cover is made of Cordura 2000D of NIJ Level 4 class, but of a light mesh, which will be eventually manufactured with the MAPA camouflage pattern. The accessory sie rails have been modified as well – the previous ones were not compatible with standards and acted, in fact, only as a decoration. We're also working on a way to change the NVD mount, with an in- tention to work together with PCO S.A. in that scope. www.fragoutmag.com