Modular Tactical Vest - Design

Design

The MTV includes the following features:

• Quick-release system to remove the vest in emergencies, meant to help corpsmen get to an injured Marine's body. Troops complained that the pull string got caught on equipment and the MTV would accidentally fall off in the middle of battle.
• Greater coverage of the lower back, side torso, and shoulders.
• Integrated side SAPI pouches.
• Integrated channels for communications wiring.
• Rifle bolster to assist in seating the wearer's rifle.
• Same modular PALS webbing as the Interceptor.
• A changed closure system. This was intended to be an improvement, but some Marines have complained that it takes too long to put on because the vest slips over the head. An updated version of the MTV is currently in production to address these issues.

The vest is donned and removed using a hook-and-pile "cummerbund," which fastens around the waist, and a buckle atop each shoulder. Some users have complained that the vest is more time-consuming to don (especially with a full combat load attached) when compared to the Interceptor's single hook-and-loop flap.

The quick-release system was designed in response to concerns that the Interceptor was difficult for medical personnel to remove from incapacitated troops, and in some cases had to be cut off. When pulled firmly, a cord at the bottom of the vest causes the cummerbund to separate into two pieces. The shoulder buckles can then be unfastened and the vest removed in pieces, with no need to change the casualty's body position.