ABSTRACT
Textiles in military and defense can be grouped into two categories. They are protective clothing and individual equipment, including battle-dress uniforms, ballistic protective vests and helmets, chemical protective uniforms, field packs, equipment belts and suspenders, and mountain climbing ropes; and textiles used in defense systems and weapons, including tents, shelters, parachutes, harnesses, cords, tarpaulins, and textile composites. The main objective of military protective clothing was to protect the soldier from environmental effects such as rain, snow, cold, heat and wind as well as to give him freedom to maneuver. Recent advances in military clothing include high performance fibers/fabrics, flame resistant materials, microdenier fibers, bioengineered fibers, blended yarns and stitchless seaming. Two conflicting requirements have to be met in ballistic protective clothing: ballistic performance which generally requires high mass and bulk, and lightweight and comfortable clothing. The US Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center developed the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System for protection from extremely cold weather.
