Body armour construction

Waistcoats are divided into classes according to the level of protection: from the first to the sixth. First to third class waistcoats are designed for concealed wear, while the fourth to sixth class are worn over clothing. Weight is an important characteristic.

The Level 4 body armor weighs about 10kg and has an armor thickness of 5.8mm. It is able to protect the wearer against pistol bullets, grenade fragments, and machine gun fire. The Class 4 waistcoat is about twice as light as a Class 5 or even Class 6 rifle. Such a waistcoat can be worn for a much longer period of time, which is important for long journeys. Modern bullet-proof waistcoats protect your torso from serious damage. Large-caliber bullets flying at high speed can leave bruises and abrasions on the body of the wearer of the waistcoat and cause contusions and fractures, but one can usually save his life.

According to the nature of the impact of weapons and ammunition hitting a person wearing an armoured waistcoat, they can be divided into penetrating and dynamic ones. Penetrating injuries are caused by bullets penetrating the body. Dynamic ones are caused by the impact on the body due to the sudden stopping of the bullet by the waistcoat's shield.

The reliability of body armour is mainly determined by two criteria: the ability to prevent or reduce to a safe level penetrating and dynamic injuries, as they can be traumatic and lethal.

Bear in mind that the classification differs slightly from country to country and when purchasing a particular product, you should check the characteristics of the waistcoat in question.

Body armour construction

• outer jacket with fastening and fitting system;
• the main body armour elements;
• cushioning pad;
• armour material in the cushioning pad and cover.

The outer jacket forms the poncho-like appearance of the body armour and consists of breast and back parts, which are interconnected by shoulder and belt straps allowing for fitting the body armour to the user. This design facilitates access to the body in case of injury and reduces the number of necessary sizes, although it also reduces wearing comfort and side protection. Recently, zips, buttons or Velcro have been increasingly used in place of adjustment straps in waistcoats. The pouch material has a heat-resistant and waterproof fabric backing to accommodate ballistic panels. It can be fitted with pockets similar to those used in the off-duty waistcoat, and the articles placed in its pockets can provide additional protection in some instances.

The interior of the waistcoat is equipped with a shock-absorbing cushioning (damper) with special channels to improve ventilation and provide additional comfort to the wearer. In addition, this structure of the damper reduces the armouring effect of bullets and shrapnel on the human body.