And even if Pakistan spent $32 million on body armour… see what the result would be.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=419963&in_page_id=1770
New body armour issued to British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq is so bulky that many are forced to take it off to fire their weapons, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Soldiers cannot fit their assault rifles to their shoulders or look through the sights properly when wearing the kit.
The Ministry of Defence has spent £16million on the new Osprey Improved Combat Body Armour which is meant to improve the odds of surviving bullets or shrapnel.
It covers the front and back of the torso with wider and thicker ceramic plates than in previous armour vests.
**But troops under fire have chosen to rip out the plate inserts and throw them away, judging that freedom to move and fire their weapon is more likely to save their lives than thicker armour.
Royal Marines serving in Afghanistan have given a scathing assessment of the new kit, claiming it put them at “greater risk” of becoming casualties.
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What could possibly give you more freedom to move and fire than shalwaar kameez? Even Britain’s elite marines complain that body armour is more of a hindrance than help. Now continuing with the story…
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The political fall-out from his death proved highly damaging, and the MoD has now spent some £16million sending 16,000 upgraded Osprey body armour sets to Afghanistan and Iraq for infantry troops, along with an even heavier “Kestrel” version with extra arm and neck armour for soldiers in the vulnerable “top cover” position on patrol vehicles.
Each set of Osprey armour costs around £1,000 - compared with just £167 for older sets which had smaller ceramic plates to protect the vital organs.
**But after putting Osprey to the test in battle, many troops are quietly now ignoring orders to wear it. **
One Marine told the Mail: "We’ve had situations where as soon as we’ve got into a contact [firefight with enemy], guys are pulling out the plates and throwing them away. That’s what I did.
"It’s hard to run for cover wearing Osprey. They’re heavy, but more importantly they’re so bulky you can’t even bend down.
"Worst of all you can’t fit your weapon to your shoulder. The front plate is so thick and in just the wrong place so the rifle butt slips off the edge, and you can’t get your eye to the sight.
"So you’ve got an infantryman who can’t hold his rifle correctly or aim properly.
**"Who designed this thing? Someone behind a desk?
“They’re clearly worried about casualties, which is fine, but it’s as though someone who’s never been on the ground has decided to push this stuff out to all the lads.” **