U.S. Army to integrate power cables into a tactical vest

The U.S. Army has announced plans to integrate flexible, power cables into a tactical vest used by Soldiers.

Currently, Army engineers and scientists faced with the need to expand the capabilities of soldiers on the modern battlefield. Every day, more and more powerful and versatile weaponry, modern systems and gadgets will be included in the personal equipment, which, in turn, requires solutions to ensure their recharge.

Combat Capabilities Development Command’s (CCDC) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center has partnered with the CCDC Soldier Center to investigate integrated power solutions in support of programs across the Army. These include Nett Warrior, Next-Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) and Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).

As the Army has increased the number of electronic devices that Soldiers need to carry, more cables have been required to connect equipment to power sources and share data. In addition, the Army’s modernization initiatives will demand continually increasing rates of Soldier-worn power.