MKU, a global defense solutions company and a pioneer in personal and vehicle protection solutions is showcasing the acclaimed Instavest Ballistic over vest at DSEi 2009, London The Instavest ballistic over vest features advanced features and an innovative design to offer enhanced protection and comfort to the user. MKU claims that Instavest is the most revolutionary and advanced ballistic vest available in the world today. It was launched officially amongst much fanfare by MKU at IDEX ’09 at Abu Dhabi earlier this year in February.

In life threatening situations… a split second is all that a soldier has. He needs to react swiftly to avoid drastic consequences. Instavest features a new quick release jettison system which divests the vest immediately from the user’s body within a split second in a single action. MKU claims that this new vest, for which it has filed a patent, will change the way soldiers perceive and use a Quick Release Vest. It claims that Instavest is the fastest quick release vest in the world, both, in terms of taking it off and then reassembling it and putting it on.

‘Although there are some other quick release ballistic vests available in the market – all have cumbersome systems to jettison the vest of the users body, once taken off, it is a very cumbersome process to reassemble the jacket back again due to the various wire systems used in the vests, it takes a lot of training and time for a soldier to put it back again and then also chances are that a normal soldier would not be able to put reassemble it a manner which will ensure a safe jettison in the eventuality of an emergency’ says Manish Khandelwal, the Business Manager – Personal Protection, MKU. Manish is also the inventor of Instavest, he claims that ‘Instavest from MKU is a jacket that is advanced by design, it is a product which is a result of a lot of research and field trials – it uses no wires or metal parts ’ Manish claims that putting the Instavest on and off is so simple that a person can jettison the vest in less than a second in a single action and then reassemble and put it back on in less than 45 seconds.

The quick release function is the latest specification which some of the best armies in the world demand as mandatory for their regular issues vests, this system is provided for emergency scenarios which would need the soldier to jettison off the vest along with all the equipment and load on it, in emergency situations which require split second reflexes and decisions. Some of the common scenario where Instavest would prove to be the split second difference between life and death for the soldiers could be described as ‘in an overturned vehicle with soldiers in full battle dress’, in combat zones ‘when the soldier needs to evade enemy onslaught and have to run through treacherous terrain like jungles etc in an evasive action’ or ‘when he needs to jump into waterbeds to avoid being caught’. Wading through shallow waters is another scenario where soldiers might need to jettison of their load to avoid drowning. Instavest would be a boon for wounded soldiers who can get can be immediately treated by Doctors by just releasing the vest with a single and split second action (ballistic vests normally cannot be torn of or cut through and in all cases need to be divested completely before a soldier can be treated).

The difference between Instavest and some other quick release vests would be the use of this system not only in emergency situation but in normal situations because of the ease of reassembling and putting it back on. It is believed that soldiers normally avoid using the quick release function in vests except in emergency situations because of the cumbersome and difficult process of reassembly.
The quick release feature is not the only claim to fame of the Instavest from MKU – It features and is compatible with the most advanced new age combat requirements. This is the first vest which uses no metal parts in the system to avoid injuries due to secondary fragments and offers absolutely the latest and best solutions in ballistic protection. The vest has been anthropometrically designed to provide unobtrusive movement in different positions common for a soldier to take a stance in, during and in combat situations, it is compatibility with NBC gear and host of other equipment and devices. It features a new advance load distribution and a rifle butt rest system for added comfort.