Spetsodezhda Camouflage
Armor Vest in Pictures

• The Vest Front
• Front Ammunition Pockets
• The Shoulder Fastener Straps

• The Vest Back
• The Inside Back Panel
• Armor Plates

The Vest Front 

The spetsodezhda camouflaged armor vest has many similarities to other armored vests around the world.  In this picture you can see the upper fastening straps and the four large pockets for holding additional ammunition magazines.

The large rectangular padding on the upper sides of the vest help keep the wearer's web gear in place as he moves.  The large gap above the four pockets is where the belt is expected to go when it is worn over the vest (though it was not often worn that way).

Flak Vest Front Pockets

The four front pockets on the vest can hold two AK-74 magazines each.  The pictures below and to the right illustrate this.  They have a large velcro strip running down them which fastens to the cover flap.

The cover flap can be seen in the bottom right picture.  You can see the double strips of velcro at the base of the flap and the single strip near the top of the flap.  A soldier's name can also be seen in this picture..

The Shoulder Fastener Straps

A soldier can adjust the fit of his vest in one of two ways.  The first is to adjust the waist strap and the second is to adjust the shoulder straps.

The shoulder straps are adjusted by both a buckle and a large velcro strip underneath.  The velcro strip can be seen below.  It also serves to connect the back half of the vest with the front half.  The buckles shown at right add an extra measure of durability and more firmly secure the vest in place.

The Vest Back

The rear of the vest is shorter than the front.  In the upper right picture you can see the lower part of the front hanging below the rear pockets.  Two belt loops can also be found on the rear of the vest, although they are seldom used.

A total of five pockets can be found on the jacket back.  The larger one at the top is of limited utility and is probably only used to hold a large metal plate of armor.  The lower four pockets are large enough to contain a single grenade each, but are difficult to keep fastened.

Inside Back Panel

Inside the back section of the vest is a large panel with information about the wearing and care of the vest.  A close up of this panel can be seen below.

The Internal Armor Plates

Inside the layers of ballistic cloth on the front and back sections of the vest are a series of pouches.  Each of these 14 pouches contain a curved piece of titanium.  They overlap eachother from right to left so that there is no gap in coverage.

The titanium armor plates vary in thickness from 3/16 of an inch thick on the rear to the 1/16 inch plates on the front.  Both of these plates and their unique curvature can be seen below.

When combined with the ballistic cloth, these plates provide excellent protection against fragmentation and small arms fire.  Unfortunately the vest has no armor plates on the sides and it offers virtually no protection from attacks from those directions!

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