AEP-4780 soldier load-carrying equipment design principles

What it is

What AEP-4780 covers

AEP-4780 is a NATO Allied Engineering Publication (AEP), Edition B Version 1, published July 2020. It sets out engineering design principles for the individual load-carrying equipment (LCE) a combat soldier wears: the vests, packs, pouches, straps and belts used to carry ammunition, rations, water and other field items in addition to clothing and a weapon. Its stated purpose is to support interoperability and to assist the materiel acquisition community, those setting requirements for dismounted soldier system (DSS) equipment, and those doing research, development, testing and evaluation of it (clause 1.1).

The three load configurations

The document defines three standard load configurations, each built on the one before it. Assault/Fighting Order carries the essential weapons, ammunition, rations, batteries, water and personal protective equipment a soldier needs for a tactical activity of limited duration, kept as light as possible (clause 2.2). Patrol/Approach-March Order adds a daypack of extra ammunition, rations, water and clothing, built for up to 24 hours away from base with limited to no resupply (clause 2.3). Marching Order adds a further pack of rations, clothing and equipment for operations 24 to 72 hours in duration, letting a unit move and fight while only needing to resupply consumables such as ammunition, rations, batteries and water (clause 2.4).

The design principles

Chapter 3.1 lists the design criteria for the equipment itself, seventeen items in all. They cover versatility across the three load orders and across terrain and climate; a quick-release or "rapid doffing" mechanism to convert marching order into fighting order without removing the whole rig; freedom of movement; fast, unassisted access to the respirator, ammunition and CBRN protective items, with nations left to define what counts as "fast and easy"; a balanced load with minimal stress, strain and shearing forces; adjustability for changes in PPE or clothing bulk without upsetting the load's distribution; compatibility with ballistic protection, environmental and operational clothing, and any seating in combat vehicles, aircraft or vessels; a minimum number of separate items, with a footnote making clear that load carried in clothing pockets still counts toward the soldier's total load even where it reduces the item count in the equipment itself (clause 3.1, item h and its footnote); quick, easy assembly and donning and doffing, day or night; minimal snag hazards from shifting, swinging or flapping parts; accessible, glove-usable openings and closures that keep out water and sand; secure attachment within pouches with easily adjustable fit; a chest and front kept as clear as possible of load-carrying compartments so items such as magazines stay reachable; minimal straps across the chest or abdomen other than a belt; and a set of material properties covering weight, durability, water and rot resistance, self-extinguishing performance as nations define it, ventilation, colour-fastness, noise, field maintainability, and resistance to petrol, oil and lubricants.

A final camouflage requirement calls for matching the equipment's colour, pattern, gloss and luminance to the combat clothing and background it is used against, including infra-red and shortwave infra-red detection characteristics - largely "as defined by the nation" or the National Authority.

The document is explicit that these criteria are "NOT listed in any particular order of priority as they are mostly interdependent", and that some may have to be accepted as "sacrificed" to some degree where load-carrying equipment is worn over, or integrated into, a body armour system (Chapter 3).

How firm the recommendation is

AEP-4780 does not bind by itself. It is covered by STANREC 4780, a NATO Standardization Recommendation rather than a ratified STANAG, so no national ratification obligation attaches to it. The document's own words are that "It is recommended that nations apply the principles below when designing individual load-carrying equipment" - a recommendation to a nation's own design and acquisition authorities, not a requirement placed directly on a supplier. It reaches a supplier only where a nation, or a contract, chooses to write these principles into a requirement.

Getting the document

NATO publishes AEP-4780 free of charge through the NATO Standardization Document Database. We do not sell it or host a copy of it.