#Thread | Every plate carrier (almost) used by the indian army [1/30]

Note: Even after decades of use the IA still doesn't have any standard plate carrier in service. In most cases the CO make the call for procurement then the team will reach local big garments shop and place the orders. This causes quality issues and non standardization

Thanks to This identity crisis of personal protection gear caused by The chaos of decentralized buying of the indian army we have many type of plate carrier in service Enjoy the thread, it's going to be a long read

1. Ma Durga Enterprises plate carrier. An local basic entry level budget plate carrier. This is the most common PC in service replacing the older load bearing vest.

It features 03 fixed mag pouches on the lower front, secured by plastic buckles / velcro / bungee retention. Basic molle webbing on the upper chest & side panel and basic nylon straps cummerbund with plastic side-release buckles to secure the front and back panels together.

It's better then older zipped tactical vests as it is more stable, Customisable and plate sits on the chest instent of dangling low and good enough if you are fighting rag rag terrorist but against a superior foe it's not up to the mark

Typically made with generic 600D Polyester or basic Nylon. Heavy, absorbs water quickly, Bulky, boxy fit. Weight hangs directly on the shoulders. Also highly visible under Night vision device as it reflects IR. Not for near peer war hence you only see them with rashtriya rifles

2. Armasen Tactical S.T. R.I.G. (Special Terrain Rapid Interchangeable Gear): Features integrated Universal 03 mag kangaroo pouch,Stretchable Elastic Convertible Cummurbund (convertible from Quick Clip to Hook and Loop) with Gear/Magazine Slots ,Layered Molle Webbing across.

Made using military grade 1000 D 2 PU Coated Nylon Primary Fabric Unlike cheap polyester that reflects like a mirror it had much lower reflective index under NVG It uses Nylon Thread, Hook & Loop Nylon Webbing, Polyacetal Buckles,Air Mesh/Net Lined.

3. SMPP Tactical Plate Carrier: Prob the best Indian made PC in service. Instead of standard heavy nylon straps it features laser cut Molle, 4 quick-release structural buckles two at the shoulders and two flanking the lower torso.Admin Pocket & Patch Panel on chest

Made using Mil-Spec 1000D Cordura Nylon with a water repellent/polyurethane coating Fully treated Mil-Spec NIR fabric suppresses reflection under NVDs.

4. Free Soldier Imphal "SF" Edition Plate Carrier. Mostly used by local units op in the north east, it's your local minimalist budget plate carrier With NO varified information on the net. So everything will be my own observation.

Features Laser-Cut PALS Grid on upper admin panel & lower utility pouches, Quick-Release Buckles & a Dual-Layer Front pouchs in which The Primary Layers houses 03 rifle mag pouches w/ bungee retainers & 2nd layer Directly stacked on top are smaller utility pouches

Material and quality depends upon the price if it cost 2 to 3000 rs (which is most likely the case) then it uses cheaper Nylon/Polyester blend like ma durga one. It's performance under night vision is also the same otherwise

5. Olive Planet plate carrier. Two types of plate carrier from olive planet are in service one is square cut specifically made for Indian Ordnance ballistic plates Other is shooter cut for special forces

Square cut. Features: Integrated 3 pouch with bungee restrainers, The upper chest houses a dedicated built-in utility pocket, adjustable shoulder straps with a non-slip lining to keep the heavy load from shifting. A wrap-around side cummerbund with MOLLE webbing

Shooter cut. Just like sq cut it have integrated 03 open-top mag pouch with bungee retention,Upper Admin Pocket, molle but unlike the sq cut pc It completely deletes the cummerbund. Instead, it relies on three simple parallel rows of nylon webbing straps on the sides

6. SAPL plate carrier: Used by few SF and RR units. I can't find any info about this so here my observation It features a wide chassis design, horizontal zippered utility pouch , standard molle and a V-shaped yolk design with padded shoulder straps which have following adv.

a. The strap angles inward toward the neck, keeping the shoulder pocket flat and clear so the rifle buttstock seats properly without slipping on the nylon strap. b. Notice how high the plate sits on the chest. The yoke allows this instead of letting the heavy plate drag forward

7. Crye Precision plate carriers: The army have both JPC (Jumpable Plate Carrier) and the CPC (CAGE Plate Carrier) in service It's a benchmark company that defined modern plate carrier architecture.

a. The JPC is ment for hight speed ops. It's a minimalist,lightweight PC Features Empty Wt. 500 gram, Skeletal Cummerbund for ventilation and wt reduction ,Integrated triple mag pouch on front,admin pouch. Built from custom 500D Mil-Spec Cordura paired with Hypalon.

The PC is treated with chemically bonded NIR (Near-Infrared) suppression which dampens IR reflection perfectly However, bec the chassis is so minimal and uses thin Hypalon shoulders, it is not designed to carry massive weight.but it's modularity is unmatched

Crye Precision CPC (CAGE Plate Carrier) if the JPC was for minimalist ops CPC is a heavy-duty load carriage Features Empty wt ~2kgs, it have an internal, semi-rigid plastic/composite contoured harness shell that completely wraps around your ribcage to carry weight

Made by 500D/1000D dual-ply Cordura Nylon with internal padding grids.its unique Weight Transfer System (StKSS), Night Vision & IR Visibility, is similar to jPC. it's the most comfortable heavy vest ever built

8. Agilite plate carrier: Both the K19 (The Heavy-Load Comfort Machine) and the K-Zero / K-Zero SF (The Modern, High-Mobility Slick Hybrid). Are in very limited service For more info : youtube link since it explain it better https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkV6f_11q-o5thMAJbMk0Ih-lMetmdGEB…

9. Armasen Tactical S.F. R.I.G. (Special Forces Rapid Interchangeable Gear). It offer 3 version: Shooter's Cut (SAPI), Swimmer's Cut, and Square/Rectangular Cut plates.

Features triple universal mag placard pouch, metal OR buckles on the shoulder and sides, bottom-loading internal pockets that easily swallow heavy Level IV plates ,adjustable shock-cord mounted skeletal cummerbund internal webbing to firmly mount 6x6 side plates (HAP + SAP).

10. Cliff climbers plate carriers. Two varients of cliff climbers PC are in service A standard varient called PLATE CARRIER QR IT camo STD. and special varients (mostly in sf service) called PLATE CARRIER QR IT camo SPL.

The spl varient comes in Multicam camo and features polymer quick-release slip-tabs , triple-rifle mag open-top shingle with elastic bungee retention tabs w/ 3 utility pouch in top. laser-cut MOLLE laminate slots, horizontal admin utility pouch

The standard varient came in stand army digital camo along with standard Webbing molle , hook-and-loop (Velcro), 4 rifle magazine shingle using thick canvas security flaps rather than open bungee cords

No info about the material is available but I thing the spl varient which is also expensive uses Real mil-spec Cordura Nylon amd standard varient uses Polyester or Polyester-Nylon canvas

End for now , I will update it in the future

Credit: @SF boys 🇮🇳🔱 (he basically made the whole thread i just wrote those boring text) @Abhinav (sapl pic) And original owner of the pics I don't own anything