Defence Forces personnel will be able to avail of a new state-of-the-art body armour, with supplies due to arrive before the end of the year.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris said his department has ordered more than 6,000 units, at a cost of €16.5m, which will significantly enhance the force protection provided to Irish soldiers.
It was designed in-house by the Defence Forces Ordnance Corps and will be known as Individual Modular Body Armour System, or IMBAS.
In a statement, Mr Harris said: "The safety of our Defence Forces personnel is a key priority for me as Minister for Defence and this supply of body armour will mean that our troops have access to state-of-the-art protection during their missions.
"This week I had the opportunity to visit Defence Forces personnel deployed to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. While there, I saw first hand the challenging and volatile environment that our peacekeepers operate in - further illustrating the need to ensure we properly invest in force protection," he added.
The Tánaiste said the IMBAS technology will provide enhanced levels of ballistic and fragmentation protection for Defence Forces personnel, reflecting current proven developments in standards, materials and end user ergonomics.
This new system will be complemented by a new combat clothing system and combat helmet - both of which are the subject of ongoing tender competitions.
The contract to deliver the new body armour was given to Seyntex NV of Belgium following a competitive tender process.
6,105 body armour systems will have been delivered before the end of June next year, with an option to supply up to 2,000 more systems if required.
The existing General Service Body Armour has been in service since 2006.
The IMBAS system has five plates, which come in six sizes, and provides more comfort, protection and flexibility for the user.
