Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/929822
Complete set up of ALICE Fighting Load (early variant) In the end, its was discontinued in favor of harness that, during the testing stage, were redesigned from H to Y-style with a double rear attachment. Experimental suspenders were also facilitated with spring buckles for quick length adjustments (known from the first ALICE packs). However, they appeared to be very defective. In LIN- CLOE also canteen covers, without lining or full bottom, and a case for two large dressings were also tested. Tests included various types of belts, mainly with Davis buckles, different types of adjustment buck- les (by one or two hooks, or, later on, the buckle known from final ALICE belts.) The plastic snaps and the plastic or aluminum clips also did not perform well. One of the elements that was created as a part of LINCLOE and that did not end up in the ALICE system, but still produced in 1972-1973 (for the USMC) were the 30 round magazine pouches with internal separation flaps for each of the magazines (snap closure). The de- cision on introducing them to serial production was caused by the insufficient number of 30-round magazine pouches. It should be added here that as a part of LINCLOE, a "Vest, Grenade Carrying, Nylon Duck, OG-106" (produced since 1973) for the M79 grenade launcher was also developed. Enlarged dressing case with an internal plastic container was also tested - finally it became IFAK used by the USMC and USAF (however, it was not stand- ardized until 1980). Finally, the new equipment system was approved on 17 January 1973 as "Standard A". Initially, the system was assigned M1972 ILLCE (Im- proved Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment) designation and the serial production of all elements was launched in the 4Q1973. That is why, the first contracts for ALICE elements are usually 1974-dated (the contract award date covers the fiscal year, that was postponed by a quarter). The M1972 designation was generally used only for first production runs of belts and magazine pouches. Paradoxically, probably due to a mess in the documentation, the M1972 was also used on the Y-harness suspenders from one 1980 contract . The M1972 was abandoned at the end of 1973 and the system was giv- en the final name ALICE. Newly designed elements (belt, suspenders, magazine pouches, and e-tool carrier) were marked LC-1, while the el- ements that had been already standardized and included into the sys- tem (canteen covers and dressing case) were still marked as M1967. equipment