The US Army’s latest improvement to the soldier’s gear has finished its final round of field testing. The testing was conducted in mid-October by soldiers with the 71st Ordnance Group and the 10th Chemical Hazardous Response Company, at Fort Carson, [Read More…]
Dfndr Armor has been making armor under their parent company for the military. Their composite armor is lightweight and they offer various protection levels. The armor below is for use in a backpack and it only weighs 3.2lbs. This one is rated for .308 win, just not AP [Read More…]
At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting (AUSA 2017), US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) presented a concept for the US Army’s future soldier of the 2030 timeframe, which promised everything from powered [Read More…]
In the coming decades, it is likely that one of the biggest challenges facing small arms ammunition designers will be solving the problem of how to deal with advanced body armors. The problem is already percolating to the surface, as Level IV body armor – which is [Read More…]
The US Army’s new centralized procurement organization has been named: In his address at the Eisenhower Luncheon at the 2017 Association of the United States Army, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley announced the creation of a Futures and Modernization [Read More…]
US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley has released a letter outlining a major reform and restructuring effort for US Army weapons development, testing, and procurement. In the letter, CSA General Milley spoke of the need for a new procurement command structure: [Read More…]
Rheinmetall has introduced a new take on the ability to check ceramic or metal plates used in plate carriers and vests by Military/LE/Security forces across the world. The idea is to have an extremely lightweight system of electrical wires hooked up to a users plates. [Read More…]
John S. is a guest writer who is concentrating on the subject of body armor. This is his second article on TFB, his first one being For simplicity sake, I’m not going to go too in depth as it can be rather confusing. This also isn’t a blanket guide, different [Read More…]
John S. is a guest writer who is concentrating on the subject of body armor. This is his first article on TFB. We get it, body armor is a complicated subject. There are many kinds of materials, with their own distinct advantages, disadvantages, and properties. Then [Read More…]
It’s currently in fashion to disregard steel armor. To be sure, there are some significant differences between steel and ceramic composite armor, but there are a few things that steel can indeed do better than ceramic composite. It tends to be thinner and it [Read More…]
In yesterday’s article, we took a look at examples of two different methods of design, which I called “preference-driven” and “process-driven”. For these examples, I supposed two engineers from two different cultures – called [Read More…]
If you were designing the next small arms round, how would you do it? What methods would you use to determine its physical characteristics and performance attributes? How would you know what was too large or too small, too powerful or too weak? Perhaps more critically, [Read More…]
In the comments section of my recent article Are We Gearing Up to Lose the Next War? Overmatch, Part 2: Bullets & Backbreakers, two of TFB’s readers shared documents that help us describe the problem of the modern soldier and Marine’s load. The first, [Read More…]
The Republic of Georgia’s state owned “State Military Scientific-Technical Center “Delta” has recently unveiled an entire line of body armor that was first fielded in 2016 by the Georgian Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and then later in the [Read More…]
In an era of increasingly resilient body armor, new small arms ammunition solutions are required to even the odds between the shooter and shootee. The company Stiletto Systems, based out of the UK, is advertising its new bullet as a possible solution for this problem. [Read More…]
OK, who would win in a race: A soldier, a firefighter, or a knight? What, you’ve never asked yourself that? Well, for those of you who did, you finally have your answer thanks to a video released by Daniel Jaquet of the Centre d’Études Supérieures de la [Read More…]
Aside from huge rifles like .50 BMG and the like, that is. NIJ 0101.06 Level IV specifies that the plate must be able to stop .30-06 M2AP at 2,880 fps. I’m case you’re not familiar with M2AP, it is a copper jacketed projectile with a hardened steel core. It [Read More…]
During Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley spoke before the Senate and answered questions about the Army’s readiness and future modernization efforts. One of the concerns raised by the [Read More…]
The US Military is looking into lighter weight armor for the infantry. Both the Army and the Marine Corps are looking into reducing the weight of the personal protective equipment (PPE, read “helmet and body armor”) carried by the infantrymen of both [Read More…]
Expanding from his myriad capabilities as a trickshooter, 22Plinkster has been evaluating what the .22LR can really do. He’s had a great series of videos looking at the formal penetration of the 22 through drywall (which is surprisingly dangerous, using drywall as [Read More…]
When it comes to body armor, two features always seem to be at odds: protection and weight. In general, the higher degree of protection, the greater the weight of the armor. Safariland announced a new line of soft body armor that the company claims provides the [Read More…]
The wards over in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught the military some major valuable lessons on the strategic front including how to deal with insurgency, dismounted operations on a large scale across rugged terrain, and a myriad of other lessons. To each of those is a [Read More…]
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, AR500 is recalling its Level III body armor. This recall involves AR500 Armor Level III body armor, including chest plates, side plates and ABS panels. The black, steel-core body armor is rated for protection [Read More…]
Here is a not so scientific test, shooting a car door with a shotgun. I can’t quite tell what type of 12Ga round it is, but based on the lack of penetration to the door, I suspect it is bird shot. I am curious what Line-X will do against standard caliber rounds [Read More…]
Body armor is a topic that comes up on a fairly regular basis, and for good reason. Although some see wearing body armor as something strictly in the realm of military and law enforcement, the truth is that owning good body armor isn’t just for fun, it’s a [Read More…]
The Chopping Block has been experimenting with home made body armor. Here is his first attempt. Test of field expedient “body armor.” Three PEI grade V porcelain floor tiles with a coat of Herculiner on the front and between tiles and a thick coat (about a [Read More…]
Training and security company Covered 6 makes a portable armor shield called the Savior PDS (personal defense shield.) The Savior folds to resemble a briefcase or tote bag. When folded it can even be used to carry your pistol or other item(s). When unfolded, the Savior [Read More…]
AR500 armor has quickly grown an excellent reputation for being able to stop most threats, but its primary detraction has been its creation of spall compared to currently ceramic plates. They have been working on it for some time, using commercial truck-bed liners to [Read More…]
R&D Magazine (a nerd favorite of mine) has covered some development testing of graphene. Materials scientist Edwin “Ned” Thomas or Rice University has looked at the material as a future component to body armor. Its high strength and lightweight make it [Read More…]
Eric Blandford of Iraqveteran8888 fame on Youtube has done another test, this time of the Spartan Armor Systems ATC AR500 Plate. Spartan’s ATC is specially milled to shape to the wearer’s body without using “crease bends.” Many other companies utilize crease bends, but the process can create [Read More…]