File photo of one US soldier. Kevlar underwear, enhanced night-vision goggles and portable solar panels: the US military is seeing a gear revolution. |
Kevlar underwear, enhanced night-vision goggles and portable solar panels: the US military is seeing a gear revolution, thanks to the lessons learned during 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The M4 rifle remains the basic firearm of the American GI, but the addition of many gizmos now makes the soldier look more like Inspector Gadget than GI Joe: the typical gear kit includes 73 items, from clothes to weapons. Program Executive Office Soldier, the military unit responsible for inventing and producing army equipment, says some items are designed to better protect soldiers on the ground, while others help them understand the terrain. Since 2004, every soldier has been issued a bulletproof vest with extra protection panels. But the increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), responsible for more than half the deaths of US soldiers in Afghanistan, has led to the development of new protective gear. Over the next two months, "tens of thousands" of Kevlar outergarments to protect the pelvic area will be sent to US soldiers in Afghanistan, according to Colonel William Cole, who is part of the PEO Soldier unit. "It protects soldiers if they step on an anti-personnel IED. It can really mitigate their injuries," he told reporters. The protective outergarment is worn over the soldier's fatigues. Soldiers in Afghanistan also will have a Kevlar undergarment, similar to a pair of biker shorts, which helps protect them against infections caused by dirt and stones kicked up in a blast. "When you keep the wound area clean, you prevent follow-on infections," Cole said. To combat the frequent traumatic brain injuries suffered by troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, which doctors say often lead to cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, helmets are being tricked out with sensors. "When a soldier is caught in an IED event, we will be able to immediately download the data from his helmet to determine what kind of impact the helmet got to help the medical community correlate that to what kind of brain injury he might have," Cole said. For night-time combat, modern armies have the upper hand over insurgents thanks to night-vision goggles. The new-generation eyewear, which is just reaching the field, will allow troops to more easily detect enemy fighters. (Read by Christine Mallari. Christine Mallari is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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凱夫拉爾纖維內(nèi)衣褲、更先進(jìn)的夜視鏡、便攜式太陽能電池板……美軍裝備正迎來更新?lián)Q代,這還得益于十年來阿富汗和伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭的作戰(zhàn)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。 M4型步槍仍然是美軍步兵的基本作戰(zhàn)武器,但目前新增的諸多新式裝備使這些美國大兵看上去更像“神探加杰特”:從衣服到武器的全套裝備足足有73件。 負(fù)責(zé)設(shè)計(jì)、生產(chǎn)軍事裝備的單兵作戰(zhàn)系統(tǒng)執(zhí)行辦公室稱,其中一些裝備可以更好地保護(hù)執(zhí)行地面任務(wù)的士兵,另一些裝備則可以幫助士兵熟悉地形。 自2004年起,每位士兵就已配備有一個(gè)帶有額外保護(hù)墊的防彈背心。 但由于簡易爆炸裝置的使用愈發(fā)頻繁,美軍的防護(hù)裝備也在更新?lián)Q代。在陣亡的駐阿美軍士兵中,愈半死于各種簡易炸彈。 單兵作戰(zhàn)系統(tǒng)執(zhí)行辦公室上校威廉?科爾表示,未來兩個(gè)月內(nèi),駐阿美軍將配備數(shù)萬套凱夫拉爾纖維防護(hù)服,用來保護(hù)士兵下體。 他對記者說:“這種防護(hù)服可以保護(hù)踩上殺傷性簡易炸彈的士兵,減輕受傷程度。” 這種防護(hù)服穿在士兵的作戰(zhàn)服外面。 駐阿美軍還將配備凱夫拉爾纖維內(nèi)衣褲,類似于一條單車短褲,可以幫助士兵阻擋爆炸時(shí)揚(yáng)起的灰塵和沙礫的感染。 科爾說:“只要傷口清潔,就可以預(yù)防繼發(fā)感染。” 為了應(yīng)對駐阿富汗和伊拉克美軍頻繁遭受的腦外傷,士兵的頭盔上還將加裝傳感器。據(jù)醫(yī)生介紹,戰(zhàn)場上的腦外傷經(jīng)常導(dǎo)致創(chuàng)傷后壓力失調(diào)。 科爾說:“當(dāng)一名士兵遭到簡易爆炸裝置的襲擊,我們就可以立即從頭盔下載到數(shù)據(jù),確定頭盔受到的撞擊類型,以幫助醫(yī)療人員了解士兵受到了何種腦外傷?!?/p> 在夜間戰(zhàn)斗方面,由于有了夜視鏡,現(xiàn)代部隊(duì)比非正規(guī)軍具有作戰(zhàn)優(yōu)勢。剛剛用于戰(zhàn)場的新一代夜視鏡將使美軍能夠更容易地探測到敵軍。 相關(guān)閱讀 有條件撤軍 conditions-based withdrawal The Hurt Locker《拆彈部隊(duì)》精講之一 (中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯:馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: Kevlar: 凱夫拉爾,一種質(zhì)地牢固重量輕的合成纖維 GI: 美國步兵 gizmo: a device; gadget(小發(fā)明,小裝置) Inspector Gadget:神探加杰特,也稱為G型神探,是美國科幻卡通片中的主人公。 bulletproof vest: 防彈背心 pelvic: 骨盆的 anti-personnel: an anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people(殺傷的) fatigue: military uniform, also known as fatigues(作戰(zhàn)軍服,作戰(zhàn)服) trick out: 裝束, 打扮 the upper hand: 優(yōu)勢 |