<P> The OTV design was considered insufficient and lacking in certain areas, which led to the IOTV's development and fielding . The IOTV is currently produced by Point Blank Body Armor, BAE Systems, KDH Defense Systems, Protective Products Enterprises, UNICOR and Creative Apparel Associates . The IOTV first saw action in combat with U.S. Army ground combat units in from mid-2007 onward and currently remains the standard body armor type used by regular U.S. Army ground combat units overseas . </P> <P> While the Interceptor body armor and the Outer Tactical Vest were considered fairly effective, questions were raised over whether or not they were the best possible armor solution for soldiers of the United States Military . This debate was heightened by controversy over Dragon Skin, produced by the now defunct Pinnacle Armor . Various claims surfaced that Dragon Skin was more effective at protecting soldiers than the then standard issue Interceptor body armor system, with independent studies and reports seeming to back these claims, eventually leading to multiple congressional members asking for further evaluation . In response, the military made public testing that showed widespread failures in the testing of the Dragon Skin armor . Ultimately, Dragon Skin never saw widespread adoption, and many of the perceived shortfalls of the Outer Tactical Vest such as standard of protection or modularity were addressed in the new Improved Outer Tactical Vest and E-SAPI plates . </P> <P> A size Medium IOTV weighs 33.6 pounds (15.2 kg), less than a Medium OTV vest, while providing more coverage . However, a fully equipped IOTV, complete with all its components (soft armor panel inserts, four ballistic plate inserts (front and back plates and two side plates), collar, and groin protectors) still weighs 30 pounds (14 kg), with a Large IOTV weighing about 35 pounds (16 kg). The functionality of the enhanced side ballistic inserts, which provide coverage under the arms and down the sides of the torso, is built into the IOTV . </P> <P> The IOTV provides the ability to don the vest in two ways . The first is to simply place the vest over the head and pull down, and the second is to remove fasteners on the wearer's left shoulder, sliding into the vest to the right . To complete the procedure for both methods the wearer then lifts up the front panel of the vest and fastens the waistband, which takes the weight of the vest off the shoulders somewhat, and then fastens the side protection modules . </P>

Where do the plates go in an iotv