Bullet proof vests in the Chinese military
- Thread starter Phead128
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knee pads and jackets with steel plates x 2.5 million cost more than a ferrari. Just try to understand, buying them enmass in a time of peace = waste.
The question you should be asking, does China have the ability to manufacturer A LOT of body armor in a very short period of time when needed?
vesicles
Colonel
I did not use the number as a precise measurement, simply to illustrate the scale.
No amount of training of any kind can replicate what happens in a battle. So you have to pick your battle when designing a training regiment. There is a trade-off. Spending that much money on something deemed less of a priority when there are so many other things you can do simply for having a realistic training is not wise.
Does that mean the US soldiers have to buy their own M-16 with their own money? Does that mean they have to buy their bullets? Or these are all issued to them? The US military issues its soldiers the things that are thought to be essential to fighting and surviving on the battlefield. If that's the case, not issuing body armor suggests the US govn't used to think body armor was not essential on the battlefield. plain the simple. Why is it illogical? BTW, it's not a lynch pin. It's fact.
About the metal plates on vehicles. It does not mean the US army does not care the vehicle protection. IT only means they did not think the metal plates were necessary, which was absolutely wrong. That's why they didn't issue them. This actually supports my case since it illustrates clearly that heavy armor on personnel and vehicles was NOT needed until fighting in middle east began. The US has been fighting wars everywhere almost non-stop. Why didn't they think of the need to up-armor their vehicle until recently? Why didn't the soldiers complain about it until recently? Is it that the US military works so inefficiently that they only realized their lack of armor after 50-60 years of fighting all over the world? Is it the modern soldiers become softies and the can't handle the harsh environment of a battlefield as well as older generations? or is it because of the fighting style they encountered before did not require the kind of heavy armor on their personnel and vehicles? No body, including the soldiers and the govn't, felt the need to armor themselves so much until now.
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vesicles
Colonel
I admit Ferrari analogy is a little off. However, the house with metal bars example still stands...
no i do not advocate equipping them en mass during peace time
but PLA has to have a solid foundation and experience with body armors
producer research and trial can only go so far
vesicles
Colonel
If you have limited budget and you have to choose between body armor and stealth fighter/carrier, which would you pick? I don't know about you, I would pick stealth fighters and carriers without hesitation. And I hope from the bottom of my heart that you don't pick body armor. Like I said before, with all the advanced weapons, I may never have to use body armor again. That's called deterrence. And China, like anyone else on this planet, has a limited budget. Its defense spending, no matter how you over-estimate it, is significantly less than that of the US. So it makes perfect sense for China to pick their priority and divert the funds to more urgent projects.
now that's a difference of opinion that i would agree to
the body armor is a standard issue, there is no arguing about it since the beginning, the premise is false from the start
and yes US soldiers sometimes buys their own bullets, batteries, or anything they think they need or want
make do they say, how this evolve to becoming a doctrine of regarding body armors is useless is beyond me
not going to comment at this at all, apples and oranges
i would rather not think of one, or try to formulate one, as it will be an exhaustive effort and elaboration
even without carrier and stealth fighter projects PLA has always been on this way, and probably will be to the near future
this is the observable trend, and i in my humblest insignificant opinion do not agree with it
Who says they DON'T produce body armor? I won't be surprised if they equip a few of their elite divisions with body armor. And besides, just because you don't wear it does not mean you have no experiences it, PLA is closely studying the result of US troops in Iraq. I am sure they are learning a thing or two from them, without endanger their own in process.
And if you are going to tell me that China don't have the technology then LOL, because anyone with a credit card can order them online here in US, and what are the chances that China won't receive a few samples?