Defence & Space

NP Aerospace Expands Civilian Armoured Vehicles Support

British-based NP Aerospace launches their proven through-life support services package into the Civilian Armoured Vehicles market

2025-07-21 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

The Koreans are testing a 130mm gun for the next-generation K3 tank

According to reports, the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has tested a prototype of a domestically developed 130mm smoothbore gun designed for the…

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Blackout in Spain – A Discussion on Power Security with Experts from Forum Energii

The recent blackout in Spain has brought Poland’s energy security back into the media headlines and public conversation. Given the current…

2025-07-16 | Tadeusz Jakliński | 25 minutes

SIPRI: Nuclear risks grow as new arms race looms

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published a report entitled SIPRI Yearbook 2025, which, among other things, discusses the issue of…

2025-06-16 | Redakcja | 10 minutes

The Koreans are testing a 130mm gun for the next-generation K3 tank

According to reports, the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has tested a prototype of a domestically developed 130mm smoothbore gun designed for the…

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Russian Patent for an Assault Tank with a 152mm Howitzer

The Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov has presented a patent for an assault tank armed with a short-barreled 152mm howitzer.

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Orion: The Force Multiplier that led the IDF to unmatched ground superiority

Orion, developed by Asio Technologies in collaboration with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) technology division and in full operational deployment by the IDF, has…

2025-07-09 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

SKW Cryptographic Security Certificate for Polish Comp@n Radio Set from the WB Group

The WB Group announced that the Comp@n system radio set, developed by its subsidiary Radmor, along with the Cryptographic Document Management…

2025-06-14 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Wescom Defence to Unveil ATMIS Multispectral Camouflage at DSEI 2025

Wescom Defence, a trusted provider of pyrotechnics, energetics and a wide range of reliable products and systems to global defence forces, will officially…

2025-07-14 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

2nd S.E.A.L Conference under Our media patronage

We are pleased to announce that MILMAG Military Magazine has become the media patron of the second edition of the SE.A.L Conference,…

2025-07-11 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

NP Aerospace Expands Civilian Armoured Vehicles Support

British-based NP Aerospace launches their proven through-life support services package into the Civilian Armoured Vehicles market

2025-07-21 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

The Koreans are testing a 130mm gun for the next-generation K3 tank

According to reports, the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has tested a prototype of a domestically developed 130mm smoothbore gun designed for the…

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Illegal migration to Europe in the first five months of 2025

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has published statistics on attempted illegal crossings of the EU’s external borders in the…

2025-07-08 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

LOT Polish Airlines Selected for Air Transport and MEDEVAC under the EU’s rescEU Program

LOT Polish Airlines has signed an agreement to provide air transport and MEDEVAC services. As part of the EU’s rescEU instrument under…

2025-07-07 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

The Koreans are testing a 130mm gun for the next-generation K3 tank

According to reports, the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem has tested a prototype of a domestically developed 130mm smoothbore gun designed for the…

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Russian Patent for an Assault Tank with a 152mm Howitzer

The Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov has presented a patent for an assault tank armed with a short-barreled 152mm howitzer.

2025-07-16 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Poland and Armenia strengthen defense and economic cooperation

Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of National Defence, Paweł Bejda, met with the Deputy Minister of Defence of the…

2025-07-15 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Illegal migration to Europe in the first five months of 2025

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has published statistics on attempted illegal crossings of the EU’s external borders in the…

2025-07-08 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

ICEYE unveils machine learning-powered Flood Rapid Impact Product to revolutionize response

The Polish-Finnish company ICEYE, a specialist in satellite-powered disaster management solutions, has announced the launch of Flood Rapid Impact (FRI).

2025-07-15 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

LYOFOOD Pierogi Become First Polish Dish Eaten in Space

Yesterday, during a live broadcast from the International Space Station, our astronaut Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, together with Axiom-4 mission commander Peggy…

2025-07-07 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes
Shooting

Galvion’s Caiman Helmets from Gdańsk

Two weeks have passed since the memorable Monday, June 23, of this year. The emotions have settled, and the long…

2025-07-10 | Dariusz Borkowski | 10 minutes

CZ Shooting Team athletes take home 13 medals from the CZ Extreme Euro Open

Sport shooters representing Ceska zbrojovka brought back six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals from Hodonice, along with four…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Upgraded Z8i Scope from SWAROVSKI OPTIK

Swarovski Optik, the Austrian optics manufacturer with nearly 80 years of tradition, has unveiled an upgraded version of its Z8i…

2025-07-03 | Mariusz Piwowar | 3 minutes

Streamlight introduces the SL-SideSaddle

Streamlight, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting tools, announces the SL-SideSaddle series, a new hands-free lighting solution built for outdoor adventure…

2025-07-01 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Galvion’s Caiman Helmets from Gdańsk

Two weeks have passed since the memorable Monday, June 23, of this year. The emotions have settled, and the long…

2025-07-10 | Dariusz Borkowski | 10 minutes

Helikon-Tex presents: tailor-made kits for shooters

As the shooting season gains momentum, Helikon-Tex has decided to help shooters choose the essential gear and accessories tailored to the specific type…

2025-07-01 | Mariusz Piwowar | 4 minutes

Galvion’s Caiman Helmets from Gdańsk

Two weeks have passed since the memorable Monday, June 23, of this year. The emotions have settled, and the long…

2025-07-10 | Dariusz Borkowski | 10 minutes

CZ Shooting Team athletes take home 13 medals from the CZ Extreme Euro Open

Sport shooters representing Ceska zbrojovka brought back six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals from Hodonice, along with four…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

CZ Introduces the New CZ P-10 C PORTED Model

CZ P-10 C PORTED – a compact pistol with tamed recoil thanks to an integrated compensator.

2025-07-02 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Meprolight MMX3 and MMX4 – Lightweight Magnifiers with Quality Optics

The Mepro MMX3 and MMX4, a new line of compact magnifiers from the Israeli manufacturer. How do they perform in practice and how…

2025-06-27 | Krzysztof Ptak | 8 minutes

Paris Air Show 2025: Bayraktar TB3 Debuts

The 55th edition of the International Paris Air and Space Show, held in the French capital, provided an opportunity for Baykar…

2025-06-19 | Radosław Niesobski | 3 minutes

Setting Up a Shooting Belt: An Example with Clawgear

To assist with shooting training and beyond, various belts and gear configurations have been developed and customized to suit individual needs. It’s…

2024-11-28 | Łukasz Kołodziejski | 14 minutes

Over 100% increase in gun permits in Poland in 2024

The Polish Police have released statistical data on firearm permits issued in 2024. An increasing number of Poles now hold a permit, with…

2025-02-20 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

Firearms In Poland 2023: Number of permits continues to grow

The National Police Headquarters has released statistics regarding the number of firearm permits and firearms themselves in the hands of Poles.…

2024-02-17 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

5 Best Value ATN Rifle Scopes Under €1500

ATN is a leading manufacturer of daytime optics, smart night vision, and thermal vision technology. The innovative features and ergonomic designs…

2022-11-11 | Redakcja | 9 minutes

MILMAG Visits Grand Power

Grand Power is a Slovak manufacturer of the acknowledged good quality firearms. Take part in our guided tour with English subtitles.

2022-05-23 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

Meprolight MMX3 and MMX4 – Lightweight Magnifiers with Quality Optics

The Mepro MMX3 and MMX4, a new line of compact magnifiers from the Israeli manufacturer. How do they perform in practice and how…

2025-06-27 | Krzysztof Ptak | 8 minutes

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X – a Bayonet of Light for Your Weapon

The devil’s not so scary once you shine a light on him—and he’s certainly easier to neutralize in the spotlight. A weapon-mounted flashlight is practically…

2025-06-09 | Anna Mielczarek | 6 minutes

EOTECH Holographic Sight – History, Technology, Practice

The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world. A favorite sight of many…

2024-09-02 | Michał Gaweł | 12 minutes

Direct Action Spitfire Plate Carrier – Part 1: Testing the Carrier

Nowadays, the market offers a wide range of options in the gear and load-bearing equipment category. One of the most basic — and arguably essential — elements of our kit is a ballistic plate carrier, several models of which are available in the Direct Action catalog. I’ve been using the Spitfire model, equipped with a full set of modular accessories, for a year now, and it’s high time I shared my impressions from using it.

A Wide Selection – Both a Convenience and a Challenge

In recent years, we’ve witnessed remarkable growth in the shooting community—and with it, the entire industry. From clothing and uniforms to gear and firearms, the market has expanded rapidly. Finding equipment is no longer a problem; the real challenge is finding gear that matches the user’s needs at a reasonable price. You can rely on the reputation of overseas companies, where proven quality comes with a solid price tag. On the other hand, browsing offers from smaller or lesser-known brands can be overwhelming—and most importantly, there’s often a lack of user reviews to help guide your decision.

Plate carrier from Direct Action

One of the companies with extensive experience in manufacturing tactical gear—gaining increasing recognition on the Polish market—is Direct Action. All DA products are designed by former special forces soldiers. This not only means they’re creating gear tailored to their own operational needs, but they also have the ability to continuously consult on and modify the equipment, which is further tested by a new generation of soldiers. The brand’s catalog includes several ballistic plate carriers—commonly referred to more broadly as tactical vests. One of them is the Spitfire, described as a highly modular platform that can be easily adapted to suit the user’s individual needs and the mission at hand. But how does that hold up in practice?

Photos: Michał Gaweł, Mateusz Zydroń; MILMAG

A handful of basic facts

Weight623 g for M size
MaterialLaser-cut 500D Cordura, laminate, softshell
Modularity

- Interchangeable front panels, attachable directly or via buckles;

- removable side cummerbund (included with PALS cells, compatible with side plate mounting);

- zipper for mounting interchangeable back panels.

Additions

- Low-profile, reinforced drag handle,

- attachment points for communication cables.

Spitfire up close

Low weight without sacrificing functionality?

The first thing that stands out is the size and weight of the vest. It’s very lightweight—only 623 g in size M—yet the entire surface is covered with the PALS system, giving you plenty of space to work with. In most lightweight plate carriers, the reduced weight is achieved by cutting away excess material, leaving only the essential front and back sections for mounting gear. Naturally, this results in limited space for accessories. Direct Action, however, reduced the weight by using carefully selected materials and a specialized construction, maintaining full functionality across every part of the plate carrier.

The entire front of the carrier is usable space — two laser-cut PALS panels with hook-and-loop sections, plus a zippered pocket. On the sides, there are buckles for attaching an interchangeable pouch panel.
The entire back panel features PALS webbing, with an additional hook-and-loop strap and side zippers for attaching pre-configured gear organizers.

Inside the Spitfire

The interior side is made of softshell material, which keeps the thickness of the vest to a minimum. Naturally, this also helps reduce weight. The slightly stretchable fabric is a great choice, as ballistic plates can vary slightly in size depending on the manufacturer. Here, you don’t have to worry if your new plates turn out to be slightly larger or thicker. The material itself is soft, which significantly improves comfort during long hours of wear. In contrast, interiors made of Cordura with thick seams can press uncomfortably against the body — that’s not an issue here.

Additionally, soft hook-and-loop strips have been sewn in to allow the attachment of comfort pads, which improve airflow and increase comfort when wearing a heavy vest. For the past few months, however, I’ve been using the Spitfire without pads, which caused the plates to sit closer to the body — and as a result, I didn’t feel like I was wrapped up like a Ninja Turtle. Throughout this time, I had no complaints about comfort.

The interior side is made of lightweight and stretchable softshell fabric, featuring two straps for attaching soft spacer pads.

Material Stiffness

The 500D Cordura fabric used here is very thin (you can see the tight weave), yet it maintains enough stiffness to prevent looser components from folding or bunching up. The sewn-on hook-and-loop panels add just the right amount of rigidity to the front and back panels. Opening and closing the front panel during donning doesn’t give the impression that the fabric is stretching out. That kind of stretching can be not only irritating but also negatively impact how comfortably and quickly the vest can be put on or taken off. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any of that with the Spitfire.

A Few Words About the Shoulder Straps

Minimalist shoulder straps.

The shoulder straps are wide, flat, and significantly streamlined. Of course, you can add extra padding if needed, but I found the default configuration to work best. They sit close to the body, move smoothly on the shoulders, and the flat, widened section near the front panel doesn’t lift away from the chest. Their width ensures good weight distribution, so even with a heavily loaded vest, they don’t dig into the shoulders. On the inner side, about half a centimeter of overlapping material has been added to cover the sharp edge — a simple yet effective solution that protects the user’s neck from chafing.

Overlapping material sewn on the inner side of the shoulder straps to protect the neck from chafing.

Modularity and scalability

Interchangeable panels that allow you to switch gear configurations in an instant.

Looking at the individual features, the designers’ intent is immediately clear — compatibility and the ability to quickly swap out accessories depending on the mission. With extra panels and pouches on hand, you can completely reconfigure the vest in 30 seconds, without having to rethread anything through the PALS system. I personally used three pre-configured panels: one with AR-15 magazine pouches, one with AR-15 pouches plus shotgun shell holders, and another for submachine gun magazines (in my case, for the Scorpion Evo). A fourth blank panel can be customized by adding separately purchased pouches, allowing you to build a personalized setup. Just unclip the buckles, and you’ve got a brand-new chest loadout.

Front of the vest with the Skeletonized Shotgun Shell Flap panel and the Underpouch Light mounted below.

The same applies to the rear panel on the back. The experts at Direct Action have developed several versions to suit a wide range of users. They’ve also designed a backpack that, just like the panels, can be attached using the rear zipper system.

The Spitfire Assault Panel attached via the rear zippers.

In my opinion, this solution is absolutely outstanding. I think anyone who’s ever had to work in a plate carrier knows the frustration of needing to carry extra gear in a backpack. The additional backpack straps layered over the carrier’s shoulder straps, both often thickly padded for comfort 😉, either ended up bunched up around your ears or sitting side by side, which in turn crushed the backpack’s structure. Not to mention that most backpack frames are designed to rest directly on your back, not on top of a vest. Now, finally, we have the option to configure a plate carrier in a way that allows us to carry a serious amount of gear. And when the mission requires a different loadout, all it takes is a quick panel swap and you’re ready to go.

Swapping the rear panel—for example, with a backpack—takes just a matter of seconds.

In case someone finds other types of pouches absolutely essential, they can be attached to the blank panel using the well-known PALS system.

Spitfire in action

Interaction with the body

As I mentioned earlier, I used the Direct Action Spitfire at the range and during training sessions for nearly a year. During that time, I regularly changed gear configurations, though that’s a topic for the second part of the review, so here I’ll focus solely on the plate carrier itself.

The first thing any user will notice when putting on the vest is its comfort. Or more accurately, not whether it’s comfortable, but whether anything clearly gets in the way. When you’re carrying well over a dozen kilograms of gear, even the smallest detail can become a serious problem after several hours of hard work.

As mentioned before, I used the Spitfire without padding, so I could feel the hard plate against my body, yet it didn’t bother me. That was partly thanks to the soft inner material, which doesn’t cause chafing, and partly due to the cummerbund, which includes an elastic section for added flexibility.

Simple attachment of interchangeable side cummerbunds underneath the rear panel of the vest.

The vest fit closely to my body and didn’t shift from side to side, while the straps stretched just enough during movement to prevent the plates from digging in. Being able to use it without pads reduces bulk, making it much more comfortable, for example, when getting in and out of a vehicle with gear on.

Full comfort when aiming the weapon

Finally, the vest featured wide and flat shoulder straps—broad enough not to dig into the body, yet minimalist enough not to stick out. And that brings a whole list of advantages:

  • When you need to wear a backpack over the vest, the backpack straps sit much better on the shoulders.
  • Thanks to this design, they don’t get in the way when aiming a weapon. The stock rests naturally against the body instead of shifting around on overly bulky shoulder straps, as is often the case.
  • When changing positions and the vest moves up and down with your body, thick straps tend to ride up toward your ears—there’s no such issue here.

For a vest to provide proper protection, it must ensure correct placement of the plates on the body. Large, rigid vests designed to carry both hard and soft armor behave like body armor—they sit the same way every time. With simpler plate carriers, the front plate often sags while the rear plate rises due to the uneven weight distribution from the type and amount of gear being carried. Wide, and therefore stiff, side straps don’t fully solve the issue. An attachable rear panel acts as a counterweight, keeping the front plate at the correct height—where it protects the heart, not where it drops down toward the waist.

A properly secured vest keeps the ballistic plate at the correct height, protecting vital organs.

Spitfire under fire

While shooting, I came to truly appreciate the design of the Spitfire. After all, a vest isn’t just meant to protect—it’s also for carrying gear, and most importantly, it must allow for effective combat performance.

The shoulder strap design makes them barely noticeable when firing. The flat straps sit close to the body, allowing you to shoulder the stock with ease, without losing stability or weapon feel. While at the range—under ideal conditions and shooting from a single position (usually standing)—most people can find a way to make it work. But in real scenarios, where shooting positions change and time pressure is added, even the smallest element that interferes with consistent target acquisition becomes noticeable.

The prone position is usually problematic due to the size of the armor. With the Spitfire, I was able to lie flat and stable enough that after a few attempts, I found a repeatable shooting posture. The front panel, with only the thickness of the plate and a single row of magazines, combined with the consistent positioning of the front and rear plates (thanks to the snug side strap adjustment), has provided the highest level of comfort I’ve experienced so far.

The build quality is excellent, and after a year of use, the only visible wear is some slight fraying on the edges of the laser-cut webbing. Wear is also noticeable on components like pouches made with elastic inserts, mainly due to friction from magazine edges during repeated draws and reinsertions. However, so far this wear is purely cosmetic and hasn’t affected functionality. Just like with a car, consumable parts need to be replaced from time to time—and in this case, I expect it’ll still be quite a while before that’s necessary.

Conclusions

The Direct Action Spitfire is not just a well-crafted plate carrier — it’s a thoughtfully designed load-bearing system with accessories that allow for quick adaptation of panels and pouches to suit specific tasks. Despite its compact size, it enables efficient packing of a large amount of gear while still providing the freedom of movement needed for running, changing shooting positions, and, most importantly, aiming the weapon with ease. In my opinion, to fully appreciate everything the Spitfire has to offer, you need to invest in an expanded set of accessories. In return, you get a perfectly integrated system built to withstand the demands of hard use for years to come.

Part 2, where I’ll cover the full range of Spitfire accessories in detail, is coming soon.

We would like to thank Direct Action for providing the Spitfire Plate Carrier and a full set of modules and accessories in MultiCam camouflage for testing.

Sponsored collaboration. Product testing is conducted independently, and all opinions reflect the author’s personal assessment. The sponsor has no influence over the content of the review.

X