"USMC plate carriers? Solid, battle-proven choice. I was scared you might want an IBA, IOTV, or something ridiculous like Dragon Skin. Should be easy to find them in a variety of sizes. The ECH and plates might be tricky, but still doable."
The Scalable Plate Carrier is a late 00's plate carrier designed to supplement the heavy, unergonomic MTV.
For plates, we've decided on an ESAPI front plate, S-ESAPI side plates, and a SAPI back plate. To strike a balance between protection and cost (though of course, Neil has a bit of leeway if he manages to stumble upon better plates for cheap, whether that be XSAPI or something more... exotic.) As for the helmet, it can be LWH or ECH or PSAGT for all I care. Just as long they have something.
Difficulty Modifier: Average (+/-0)
CRUNCH PENALTY: -1
Roll (2d4): 7
Result: 6 - Good
Although niche examples can certainly be cited, modern military body armor was popularized by the British made WWII "flak jacket." Steel plates sewed into nylon, it was intended as infantry body armor to defeat the OPFOR's sidearm, the 9mm Luger pistol. Relatively ineffective against pistol rounds and still too cumbersome for ground forces use, it was relegated to the RAF to protect bomber crews from anti-aircraft artillery fragments. Ironically, it still proved too bulky for use in RAF bombers, and threw them to the USAAF under "reverse lend-lease." USAAF eagerly issued 10,000 flak jackets for use in their roomier B-17's and B-24's.
With improvements in material science, steel plates were replaced with fiberglass composites. While steel plate-based flak jackets weighed around 30 lbs, fiberglass "Doron plate" brought the weight of flak jackets under 10 lbs. At that weight, Doron plate flak jackets were issued to ground forces from the Battle of Okinawa up through the Vietnam War. Of course these jackets were still ineffective against small arms rounds, notably the OPFOR's service rifle, the 7.62mm AK-47. This ineffectiveness, combined with with it's encumberance in jungle warfare, led troops in the Vietnam War to typically refuse to wear "The Heat Stroke Coat" in the field.
Then in the 1970's, kevlar changed everything. The first of various aramid fibers, law enforcement drove kevlar soft armor that would be worn comfortably. Meanwhile, the US DoD developed the kevlar-based Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT), creating a non-metallic kit that could actually stop small arms rounds now, (although still not a direct AK-47 shot).
In the late 1990's, the PASGT was replaced by the Interceptor Body Armor (IBA). A kevlar vest, it finally added ceramic strike/trauma plate pockets. Derided as "chicken plate" and generally rejected by air crews in Vietnam, ceramic plates had since become popular with SWAT, and the material science had finally progressed to something light enough for everyday wear. Ceramic Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) weighed now only 4 lb a piece, and could finally stop a direct AK-47 shot. Furthermore, the IBA introduced PALS/MOLLE webbing, allowed highly customizable chest rig set-ups right on the body armor.
Widely fielded and extensively battle-tests in post-9/11 warfare, the IBA proved more than adequate. However, it did have plenty of opportunities to show room for improvment. Harkening back to Vietnam, infantry again found themselves wearing full-coverage "flak jacket" in a hot weather environment that generally lacked artillery produced flak. Furthermore, the bulk of the body armor hampered various fundamental soldiering tasks, including entirely changing how a soldier shoulders a rifle or carries a backpack.
While conventional forces tragically decided to literally double the weight of the IBA into the 30+ lb IOTV and make it even bulkier, Special Operation Forces (SOF) trended towards minimalist plate carriers. SOF, highly agile light infantry troops operating in highly difficult terrain, accordingly rejected heavy armor. The IOTV was great for mounted-troops and turret gunners, but it could not be used for airborne, mountaineering, air assault, or amphibious ops. Accordingly, other elite light infantry, such as the USMC and 82nd Airborne, soon moved away from flak jackets for general use.
More like chest rigs (or racks) with pockets for SAPI plates, plate carriers strip away all the unused bulky anti-fragmentation coverage. Shoulders in particular are more exposed, to allow unhampered use of rifles. Furthermore, additional armor attachments, such as side plates and groin protectors, could be attached to turn the plate carrier back into a flak jacket if needed.
One of the most popular of these plate carriers was the aptly named "Scalable Plate Carrier..."
USMC Scalable Plate Carrier w/ ESAPI plates and ECH (Quantity: Standard Issue)An externally-worn coyote tan ballistic vest, the USMC SPC provides ballistic protection of the vital chest cavity. The issued pair of ESAPI ceramic plates can stop most rifle rounds, while clocking under a total weight of 20 lbs. For additional protection, side plates and a groin protector are issued (although most true operators wouldn't be caught dead wearing any of it). The SPC is covered in PALS/MOLLE webbing, doubling as a chest rig, thus allowing a highly customizable layout of ammo/gear pouches. The purchase also includes a matching Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH), an early 21st century US military helmet also able to stop most rifle rounds. The helmet includes a NOD mount and a headband. The SPC, plates, and helmets have been stocked in a variety of sizes to fit the full range of our personnel.
"Glad you took my advice about the breaching kit. I can't imagine doing a forced entry op this month without it."
Consisting of a Halligan bar, sledgehammer/maul, bolt cutters, and a customized backpack, the Forced Entry Breaching Backpack Kit is a literal toolbox of forced entry solutions. Invented by a New York City firefighter, the Halligan bar is the key handtool for firefighters since the late 20th century. With proper technique, a Halligan bar can breach most common doors and perform a variety of utility tasks. The sledge provides for additional utility and brute force solutions. The bolt cutters can cut chain link fencing, chains, and most common padlocks. A custom backpack will secure the heavy metal gear ergonomically in manner than won't break light discipline (reflective metal finishes) or noise discipline (metal on metal rattling).
Difficulty Modifier: Easy (+1)
CRUNCH PENALTY: -1
Roll (2d4): 6
Result: 6 - Good
10k is a lot to spend on hand tools, and Neil enjoys this surplus as he shops around for tactical gear. While he mostly finds firefighter gear, such as "The Irons," he keeps shopping until he finds more tactical versions of the hardware.
With a smile, he finds what he was looking for...
Blackhawk! Dynamic Entry Backpack Kit (Quantity: Standard Issue)A black backpack of 40 lbs of black anodized steel tools for forced entry. Kit includes a Halligan bar, Thundermaul axe/sledge combo, BoltMaster camming bolt cutters, and a Break-N-Rake window raking polearm. Too heavy and conspicuous for general wear, these kits will likely be stowed in the back of vehicles prior to immediate deployment. Combined, these tools provided a variety of brute force solutions for bypassing locked doors, windows, restraints, padlocks, and fences.
Specialist Phase"Now Ma'am, I think that crunch went really well. Now let's talk about training for this upcoming op."
"So the way I see it, Redbrick has the demo down pat, but also we need one spy to confirm the time/location of the hostage. Anna can do that pretty easily, though so could Nikita. Hopefully we can locate her on the move, with an easy snatch and grab that won't involve any time-consuming breaching. The problem then is the getaway. If this ends up being a night op, offroading through snow in the darkness isn't going to be easy."
"I know I already mentioned this a few months ago, but a wheelman seems prudent now. While Erik Heller did a great job crossing rivers with the Red Cross, but his acting skills make him more valuable as a face. Ethan Hunt is partially crippled for the next few months however, and putting him in a vehicle might be a good way to keep him out of trouble."
Manual or automatic, off-road or on, if it's got wheels the Wheelman can drive it. Whether you need a getaway driver or a high speed interception with a PIT manuever, the Wheelman is your guy. Familiar with a wide variety of vehicles, get him in the driver seat with the keys, and all is good.
Ethan Hunt will be trained as a wheelman.
(1) Ethan the Wheelman: OpsChief
"Also, have you decided what we're doing with the dino yet?"
(3) Pay 30-50k to keep and care for "Sid" the Velociraptor: Stirk, m1895, Kashyyk
(5) "Thanks, but no thanks Hox:" Ops Chief, Powder Miner, Pokeboss44, King Zultan, NG1999