The question of personal safety was, is and will remain topical not only during wars, but also in situations of mass disorders, in cash-in-transit, security or peacekeeping activities. That is why it was important for soldiers of special units and ordinary people to protect themselves with clothing or safety weapons capable of minimizing vulnerability against weapons.
Our contemporaries, and not only professionals, are increasingly using ballistic protection for personal protection. They can protect not only from bullets and fragments of mines and shells, but also from stabbing and cutting weapons, and at the same time allow to keep the person
- high maneuverability and speed of movement;
- normal functional state;
- efficiency.
The best means of individual armor protection
The nomenclature of means of individual ballistic protection (IBP) is quite extensive. They include clothes, shoes, masks, hats, shields, blankets, collars, overlays, and more. However, it is the bulletproof vest that is the last protective barrier between the human body and the means of destruction. Moreover, it is the most effective PPE, which can be used by military specialists, journalists, collectors, security guards and ordinary civilians.
Today the market offers a variety of models. For example, in specialized stores you can buy body armor:
- For concealed carry;
- tactical and assault;
- special with specified buoyancy properties.
They protect against defeat in different ways and are designed for different ballistic factors:
- Caliber and type of striking element,
- impact force,
- velocity
- angle of impact, etc.
But all of them in fact represent a textile cover with fixed elements, allowing to give the vest the form, convenient for a man, and reinforcing (armor) part. It is the latter that determines the degree of armor protection, as well as the weight and cost of the product, and is designed to protect the body and especially the vital organs (heart, liver, kidneys, spleen) and the thoracic spine.
Special pads or specialized models are used to protect the neck area; affect the dynamics of movement and overall maneuverability of the person. As a reinforcing element, which should detain the bullet or shrapnel, can be used:
- ceramic,
- steel,
- carbide materials,
- Kevlar
- Other ballistic fabrics of aramid and other synthetic fibers.
Models based on composite materials are almost invisible under clothing and have different classes of ballistic protection, but because of the high cost are available for professional special forces and security agencies.
Features and requirements
Based on the principle of modeling, body armor can protect against a variety of common assault factors and resist criminal encroachment in different life situations. In terms of their protective properties, they can be both universal and designed to protect against shrapnel, small arms or cold weapons.