Knowledgebase

Armor Levels A Comprehensive Table of Current Ballistic Standards for Body Armor and Helmets: Like the glossary, this page “Armor Levels” is wholly derived from our book Body Armor Materials and Systems, where it is included in that book as an appendix.  The aim here is to clearly lay out the different test protocols for […]

Ballistic Armor Glossary Common Terms, Threats, and Materials. This page is wholly derived from our book Body Armor Materials and Systems, and is included in that book as an appendix. The aim here is to clarify terms and jargon that one might encounter when reading about armor materials in technical and scientific literature, in ballistic […]

Bulletproof Helmets Are ballistic helmets bulletproof?   Notes on the protective properties of combat helmets. Summary:  20th century steel helmets have very poor resistance to small arms threats; the PASGT, ACH, and most “IIIA”-rated helmets will stop virtually all pistol caliber threats, but will not stop rifle rounds; the ECH and IHPS will stop some rifle threats, […]

Titanium Armor in Detail Background and Development of the Mantis Titanium Armor Plate. The first titanium alloys — including the famous Ti6Al4V, which now accounts for more than 50% of total titanium production — were developed in the USA in the late 40s. Shortly after their development, a military assessment noted that these new alloys […]

Body Armor Statistics and Plate Selection Part 1 – Military: It should go without saying that military body armor must be designed to prevent military injury.  Patterns of wounding are not static — they’re situational and evolve in response to the arms, armor, and doctrine employed — so this is an ongoing effort.  Fortunately, the […]

Modern body armor is an insert, made of a strong material, that fits inside a garment such as a vest or plate carrier. Body armor comes in two varieties: “Hard” and “soft.” Hard armor generally consists of rigid panels which are built to offer protection from common rifle rounds.