Article Posted on : - Apr 27, 2015

NEW DELHI (PTI): An air conditioner vest has been developed for soldiers posted in the desert by premier defence research laboratory DRDO and its performance evaluation has been completed under lab conditions.

The prototype of portable Man Mounted Air Conditioning System (MMACS) for desert operations, has been developed by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, a DRDO laboratory, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

He said the User Model Mark-IV has been fabricated and performance evaluation has been done under lab conditions.

Other products developed by the DRDO to improve operational readiness of troops in extreme environmental conditions include, electrically heated gloves, customised yoga package to combat high altitude stress among others.

Defence sources said the US military uses such cooling vests in Afghanistan.