{"id":25301,"date":"2020-11-03T19:09:45","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T19:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/03\/air-force-tests-g-force-suits-for-female-pilots\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:40:17","slug":"air-force-tests-g-force-suits-for-female-pilots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/11\/03\/air-force-tests-g-force-suits-for-female-pilots\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force tests G-force suits for female pilots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Women who fly fighter jets or other high-speed aircraft could have a better-fitting and safer G-force suit<\/a> on the way, thanks to testing that took place last week at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five female fighter pilots<\/a>, as well as a female aircrew member, tested a modified Advanced Technology Anti-Gravity Suit at Eglin from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30, the Air Force said in a Tuesday release. The suit, which has been in use since 2001, is meant to protect pilots from high G-forces and prevent them from losing consciousness during maneuvers in fighter aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the suit was designed primarily with male bodies in mind and is not very adjustable. As a result, pilots who are shorter, or have smaller or hard-to-fit body types, have had difficulty getting it to fit well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test represented the latest move in the Air Force\u2019s effort to try to improve the gear used by female pilots and other airmen as the service tries to become more equitable and improve its diversity<\/a>. Most flight equipment in the Air Force was designed based on body measurements and proportions taken in the 1960s, when only male airmen could fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poor-fitting equipment isn\u2019t just uncomfortable for female pilots or air crew. It\u2019s also dangerous and could lead to situations where pilots suffer hypoxia, lose consciousness, or suffer injuries when ejecting because it doesn\u2019t fit right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, former Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein launched a review of all equipment used by air crew \u2014 from boots to flight suits \u2014 to ensure that both men and women have access to equipment that adequately fits their frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs more women strap into fast jets to get the mission done, I think the Air Force is heading in the right direction,\u201d said Capt. Brittany Trimble, an F-16 instructor pilot and one of the pilots who tested the new suit, in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\t