Personal Load Carrying Equipment
Personal load carrying equipment (PLCE) is one of several tactical webbing systems of the British Armed Forces.
Associated with the PLCE webbing system is a series of other similar load carrying equipment, individual items and rucksacks that are produced of the same materials and which are compatible.
The purpose of the PLCE webbing system is to retain the means by which a soldier may operate for 48 hours or conduct a mission-specific task.
Items and components may include a variety of munitions and weapon ancillaries, a three-fold entrenching tool, a bayonet, food and water (including a means to heat water and prepare food), chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protective clothing and communications equipment.
Following this influential lead and reconsidering the progression and renewal of military load bearing systems around the world, Britain developed 72 pattern webbing, which mainly consisted of two ammunition pouches, to be worn on the front and a field pack, to be worn on the back, made of Polyurethane-coated nylon and Butyl rubber.
The National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) of the German Democratic Republic designed and introduced the Uniformtrageversuch 85–90 (UTV 85–90), resembling, with the exception of the clothing system, a modified duplicate of the British Type 58 Pattern webbing, inheriting very similar features in appearance and function.
Trials of experimental PLCE webbing and combat body armour (CBA) were conducted with selected units in 1984 and 1985.
Being very similar to the first standard issue PLCE webbing system, it used snaps of proprietary design for closure on all pouches[citation needed].
The PLCE webbing system is produced from double-layered 1,000 Denier internally rubberised Cordura Nylon, a long lasting and hard wearing fabric.
The IRR camouflage pattern therefore works correctly when viewed through infrared night vision optics just as it does in visible light.
Ammunition, the water bottle, the entrenching tool, the bayonet, the helmet, and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) protective clothing (stowed in one of the detachable side pouches of the rucksack) is to be carried on operations and patrols of only short duration.
In practice, the patrol packs are used by many units and individual soldiers instead of the side pouches, as they are to be found larger in size and more convenient.
[2] The initial basis of the PLCE webbing system is the belt; it features two D-rings at the back to attach to the shoulder harness, and many rows of narrow vertical slots sewn into the fabric.
Pouches that are to be worn on the back (field pack, utility, water bottle, respirator, wire cutter, entrenching tool) attach to the belt using the same loop and tab system.
The main criticism of the PLCE webbing system amongst members of the British Armed Forces is that the belt is prone to slipping.
Some soldiers opt to change the plastic buckle for a Roll-Pin type, whereby the belt is threaded and tightened each time it is put on.
In 2015, VIRTUS, the Personal Protective Equipment and Load Carriage System, began being issued to high readiness units.
Following this major improvement, the Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) had been incorporated into the Osprey Body Armour (OBA) platform, which is currently being issued to British troops on operations world-wide.
