Indian Kit: Indian Armour Systems Pvt. Ltd. Tactical Vest

By Diego

Indian Armour Systems vest designated simply as “Tactical Vest”.

Since it is Republic Day today in India, the timing of this Indian made tactical vest arriving today from Indian Armour was perfect. Indian kit is a project we at FET have lagged progress with, and given the surplus of time are now making advances towards acquisition.

Initially we scavenged whatever uniforms we can find on eBay or UK qebsites, and vests from a British website. With the help of a friendly Indian source, we’ll able to get some equipment over to review.

Before we met him however, we struggled pursuing kit ourseves and acquire this OD green tactical vest from Indian Armour via email, which was an adventure in and of itself.

Rashtriya Rifles on operation. (scroll.in)

A vast majority of deployed military and law enforcement organizations in India make use of some form of this tactical vest or another. Plain olive drab such as this vest, black, digital woodland, and for army units Indian Army woodland color schemes.

Of these colors, olive drab is the most commonly used, whether by army or CPRF paramilitary units.

Rear of the vest has a suite of MOLLE for mounting pouches or small packs. Note the side adjustmen straps have velcro loop locks.

This tactical vest is made by Indian Armour Systems, based in Palwal, Haryana, bordering Uttar Pradesh. Aside from tactical vests, with color options ranging from black, green, Multicam and even ATACS, they also produce armor vests, ballistic helmets, as well as uparmored vehicle services.

Overall, the design is a simple split front vest, reminiscent of Blackhawk cross draw vests, and is closed similarly with a zipper and two buckles. The shoulder is adjustable for height via velcro and adjustment straps for extra security. MOLLE rows line the front chest area of the vest, though due to the height adjustment straps space is limited.

There are three, wide magazine pouches which are closed by velcro plus buckle closures, and is also height adjustable via a strap.

Rear of the vest, each MOLLE row is double stitched.

Moving to the rear of the vest, MOLLE rows are nicely double stitched. Much like Blackhawk crossdraw vests, inside the rear vest is a pocket for a hydration bladder.

Rear vest bag has a water bladder pocket.

Uniquely, this vest has a general purpose pouch to the right. It is wider than the magazine pouches and has storage pouches to its side, most likely for hand grenades. From an aestheric standpoint the outer pockets make the pouch resemble a USGI canteen pouch with small water purifier tablet pouches.

Indian Army Para SF with their own iteration of an Indian. tactical vest. (gettyimages via Hindustan Times)

While Indian Armour produces a wide array of defense articles whoch makes them unique to many Indian tactical companies, their tactical vest falls short despite the decent design cues implemented. My largest gripe is the material build. The website and brochure state that the vest is made of 1000 Denier Cordura, and the vest is clearly not. Instead, the material is a thinner Cordura fabric, possibly 330D.

However, this was the base model, and one is able to request customized specifications, so perhaps asking for a more durable fabric would be an option. The vest did come with features not seen on their brochure which is a pleasant addition.

CRPF units in Jammu and Kashmir. (economictimes)

Overall, the vest is great for any Indian kit, and it was fun sourcing the kit from Indian Armour. Their customer service was very friendly so as a company they offer great service. However, we also recommend having a friend in-country to physically pick out durable vest options for you as an easier and more varied option.