High-tech flame-retardant combat suit, advanced and more powerful.
In the past, flame-retardant combat suits were generally made of blended fabrics such as DefenderM. Although the skin-friendly fabric was good, the characteristics such as flame retardancy were closer to ordinary clothing, and it was not wear-resistant and durable. The performance was limited, and it did not have the expandability of complex meteorological conditions, so it could only be used as a close-fitting layer and training suit. Thus, flame retardancy in winter became a difficult problem.
Fortunately, material technology has made significant progress beyond human imagination. Nowadays, with new technologies and new processes, a large number of synthetic fiber flame-retardant fabrics have entered the market and are being used. A typical example is the FREE flame-retardant shell issued by the US Army.
Except for the base layer and socks, all the clothes in this FREE set are made of synthetic fibers or are mainly made of synthetic fibers, but they are all flame-retardant.
FREE is issued to land aviation and vehicle crews, but not to infantry and special forces. However, now, all-weather infantry can use combat suits that are no longer just a dream.
The STRIKER combat suit is a well-known piece of equipment, especially due to the appearance of German police SEK and Hong Kong police CTRU, which has become deeply ingrained in people’s minds.
The flame-retardant version of the STRIKER combat suit is based on the STRIKER design with slight modifications, so there is not much difference in appearance. The biggest and most critical difference is that this time, the flame-retardant fabric made mainly of synthetic fibers produced by Schoeller flame-retardant technology was used.
In fact, flame-retardant synthetic fibers are not rare. Both meta-aramid and para-aramid fibers can be flame-retardant. However, because of their extremely poor skin-friendliness and moisture resistance, this material has always been a supporting material for combat suits and the main material for special workwear jackets.
This suit uses four different specifications of fabrics – two of which are flame-retardant fabrics mainly made of nylon (one is nylon + aramid, and the other is nylon + modified acrylic), used for limbs; one is mainly cotton-polyester blended fabric for the trunk; the last one is 100% aramid, which cannot be seen from the outside. I think it is compounded in the limb fabric.
As a close-fitting garment, this suit has a very good fabric texture: it is very soft and elastic overall, with good touch and skin-friendliness, good breathability, and no discomfort when worn.
Tops:
The flame-retardant version of the STRIKER combat suit is similar to the STRIKER series in appearance, with the main difference being the Velcro. The left arm features a German-style shield, while the right arm has been changed to a square.
The trunk fabric, which is very similar to the flame-retardant headgear, is a processed cotton-nylon blend. Since the combat suit’s trunk fabric is in direct contact with the skin, long filament fibers must be used to improve skin-friendliness and comfort. Therefore, cotton and wool are the preferred choices.
Early versions of the STRIKER combat suit, such as the Berlin SEK custom version, did not have the horizontal Velcro strip on the left upper arm. However, it has been added in this version, probably for the convenience of identifying name tags, rank, and roles.
Pants:
The pants have a crotch ventilation zipper, just like the HT pants, and the pocket layout is also similar to that of the HT pants.
The pants are made of soft shell material, and the cut is different from that of spliced pants.
The pants feature a double-headed zipper, and you can notice that the fabric has horizontal stripes, which are a major characteristic of this flame-retardant fabric.
diamond-shaped crotch
knee pads
The two different nylon blended fabrics differ in texture and quality from 65/35 cotton-nylon blended fabric. They are thicker, softer, and more elastic (with spandex).
Summary:
Flame retardancy is an essential feature of combat suits. Although not melting and dripping is a basic requirement, being flame-retardant provides an extra layer of protection in the face of flash fires, explosions, and various complex hot battlefield environments.
The fabric used in this suit has excellent skin-friendliness, and the texture and elasticity are good. This fabric can burn for 3-5 seconds without changing when exposed to open flames, with only a slight wrinkle on the surface. After continuous burning, it will directly carbonize into ashes without melting or dripping. It is a very standard flame-retardant fabric that will automatically extinguish after leaving the flame.
What’s more, this elastic synthetic fiber clothing with a soft shell effect has fast-drying properties that cotton does not have – at least you don’t have to worry about comfort issues after sweating. You can compare it to the all-weather combat suit with flame-retardant function from CP – but CP doesn’t have anything like this.
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