Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

Uniform lab tests 7 more changes

In addition to designing a lighter weight blouse for the airman battle uniform [Better, lighter ABU blouse is on the way], the Air Force’s top uniform lab, based at San Antonio’s Brooks City-Base, is working on seven more uniform changes.

Fire resistant ABUs

A fire-resistant version of the ABU will also likely use a fabric lighter than the current uniform.

A prototype of the fire-resistant uniform, revealed to Air Force Times in December, looked to be an exact replica of the standard-issue ABU. Now, the 648th Aeronautical Systems Squadron is pursuing a fire-resistant uniform made of much more breathable fabric without sacrificing its flame-resistant qualities.

“We’ll have a garrison uniform and a combat uniform,” said Capt. Kathryn Parker, who focuses on fire resistance for the 648th squadron. “The [fire-resistant version] will be issued to you if you’re going to an area where you’ll need it. Otherwise, you’ll wear the lightweight ABU.”

The idea stems from the rise in IED attacks, which continue to threaten airmen sent outside the wire, such as security forces personnel, pararescuemen, joint terminal attack controllers and “in-lieu-of” airmen helping fill other services’ shortages. Army commanders overseeing airmen performing in-lieu-of duties commonly suit them up in the fire-resistant Army Combat Uniforms and Army combat shirts introduced last summer.

The fire-resistant cloth does burn, but it ignites slower than cotton and buys time for airmen fleeing a blast area.

“We’ve got thousands of airmen with outside-the-wire missions going on right now. There’s a good chance that may go up,” said Maj. Mark Swiatek, of U.S. Air Forces Central ground combat support.

“The bottom line is our guys are working next to soldiers and Marines ... and we don’t want our guys out there with anything less than soldiers or Marines have.”

The fire-resistant ABU may be contracted this month, Parker said, and initial test items will arrive roughly 120 days after the signing. An in-theater field test would follow, and “assuming a positive outcome,” she said, the uniform could be released one year later.

Sleeve pockets

Air Force uniform designers are also experimenting with adding a sleeve pocket to the fire-resistant ABU. They’ve brought Air Forces Central staff to Brooks City-Base several times for consultation.

“It’s been popular for special ops people and PJs to add pockets to the sleeve,” Parker said. “That’s something we’re looking at.”

Medics in particular like pockets there — a part of the body accessible even when fitted with armor — though some airmen toting carbines have noted that weighing down the forearms could interfere with shooting, Swiatek said.

Combat shirt

The Air Force has passed around several prototypes of an Air Force combat shirt, a fire-resistant long-sleeve pullover that’s essentially a rendition of the Army’s combat shirt with ABU-style tiger-stripe camouflage.

The shirts, intended for wear beneath body armor, have been informally tested by about 20 airmen in combat-centric career fields, Swiatek said.

“Overwhelmingly, the response has been positive. It’s cooler, it’s lighter and it’s easy to slip on,” he said.

The shirt is fitted with reinforced foam-and-rubber on the elbows, reinforced fire-resistant material around the underarms and pockets on the forearm area. The shirt remains in development, Parker said, and no decisions on pocket placement have been made.

Balaclavas, gloves, socks

Uniform designers are also developing a set of fire-resistant garments including balaclavas, gloves and socks. These items will allow outside-the-wire airmen to slip on and peel off articles of clothing depending on the weather conditions.

“They’ll be able to customize before they head out,” Parker said. “Working with [Air Forces Central], we’re helping develop an entire ensemble, not just an item here or there.”

This approach is particularly useful in desert climes where heat intensifies during daylight and temperatures drop dramatically after nightfall. These items have been specifically requested by the Pentagon, though none have gone to contracting phase.

Dress blues

Roughly 250 airmen at the Pentagon, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Ala., and the Air Force Academy are beginning to test-drive the new service dress uniform.

The Air Force’s new service blues, heavily inspired by World War II-era vintage uniforms, are now being tested for wear and tear. This follows a February fit test with 500 airmen of various body types, which received mostly positive feedback, said Lt. Col. Gary Salmans, commander of the 648th Aeronautical Systems Squadron.

“People seem to like the comfort and feel of it,” he said.

A wear test with no hitches could clear the uniform for roll-out in 2009.