If modern assault rifles like the AK-74 and M16 can defeat level IIIa armor, and people are even trending towards 7.62x51mm again in certain cases like special forces uses the SCAR-H or the HK417, or Turkey's battle rifle, is there even a point to having body armor that is IIIa all over?
Why not just forgo the extra weight of armoring absolutely everything and just have in your ESAPI plates on the front, back and sides for protection?
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Shrapnel.
A lot more likely to take a piece of it than a bullet.
>IIIa
who still uses this lmao
There are things called IEDs, mortars, and grenades that produce frag.
Isn't that what an IOTV provides without plates in it?
I think you’re confusing Level 3A and level 3.
Level 3A is a a soft armor/soft insert aimed at only protecting against pistol caliber weapons
Level 3 is a hard armor either steel plates or some form of composite that is more commonly used by the military and more specialized police units.
>why wear 3A?
well if you’re a normal cop and all you’re likely going to deal with is some jungle bunny with a Raven Arms pos you’re probably pretty well off. Any armor is better than no armor at all. Plus it doesn’t way too much to the point that it overincumbers you.
Here is where I think you’re confused though.
>”why not just forgo the extra weight...sides for protection?”
Since you brought up plates it now makes it clear you’re referring to level 3 armor and not 3a. 3 is rated to stop 7.62 so why forgo wearing it? Also shrapnel still exists. Sand people love shooting RPG’s at infantry and throwing RGD-5’s into compounds. You’re right that armor weighs you down, but it also saves your life.
No you mong, level 3a is soft armor. The military typically issues a Level 3 ceramic insert.
>I think you’re confusing Level 3A and level 3
No, I'm not.
Aren't modern body armor systems soft Kevlar armor all over, providing IIIa level protection soft armor? Or is that just the old Interceptor and modern suits don't do that anymore?
Once you get the front, back and side hard plates, isn't the majority of your torso already covered in armor to begin with? Why put in the weight to make the fabric parts be soft armor when the plates cover most of the area on their own?
Yes you retard, obviously, I'm talking about the soft armor, why bother having soft armor when you can just make a plate carrier?
Also level IV plates are heavier than level III plates anyway aren't they? If I was talking about decking everyone out in level IV instead of level III to save weight that just wouldn't make any sense.
Plates don't cover as much as you think. There's a thing called high velocity fragmentation from IEDs etc which must also be defeated. Also, ESAPI plates that go in the IOTV are not standalone, they need a soft armor backer. Pic related: BALCS armor carrier
Shrapnel and glance shots. Often times however operators will forgo the soft armor for a simple plate carrier in favor of increased mobility.
In all seriousness, it depends k. what operation someone is doing. Standing around at checkpoint is less strenous than doing 10-20 mile foot patrols everyday.
Level 4 is heavier and provides protection up to AP 30-06 if I’m correct. Which is why I think the military simply provides Level 3 ceramic. I personally had an interceptor and we were issued ceramic plates so I’m unsure of where your idea of the soft armor is coming from. I can 100% with certainty tell you however the military doesn’t issue soft armor. The military has been issuing SAPI plates since like 90’s and in the 2000’s they switched to ESAPI. Hopefully this helps you.
>they need a soft armor backer
>so I’m unsure of where your idea of the soft armor is coming from
Well, for one, from your attached picture.
So, from my understanding, the IIIa backing is actually needed because it supplements the rifle plate's ability and allows the ceramic to actually reach true IV level protection?
Alright, that makes sense then.
And yes, you were issued soft armor, it wasn't soft armor inserts, the vest itself was soft armor that you put the rifle plates in.
>I can 100% with certainty tell you however the military doesn’t issue soft armor.
user...
en.wikipedia.org
>The IOTV provides, without the ballistic ceramic plates inserted, protection from small caliber rounds (i.e. 9mm) and fragmentation. The soft kevlar panels have been tested to stop 9 mm 124 grain full metal jacket bullets at 1,400 ft/s (426 m/s) with minimal deformation and has a V-50 of roughly 1,525 ft/s (465 m/s).
Also ricochets
I suppose so, maybe I never noticed because it was built into the issues carriers. I’m wondering what the soft armor adds that makes it necessary for defeating projectiles. I mean obviously the more armor the better, but why soft in contrast with ceramic. I guess it could be similar to Kevlars nylon fiber use in the sense that the fibers simply help to slow down the projectile while the plates act as a solid barrier and break it apart into smaller and more easy to stop pieces?
Ceramic will just break apart when struck without a proper backing holding it together, and also fragments can fly off of the ceramic when it's broken, so soft armor catches that.
Also if you have steel armor the bullet can fragment on impact and spread out across the surface of the steel plate, I would assume ceramic has the same problem, this effect is known as spalling, and soft armor catches that too, stops you from getting a chin full of shrapnel when you take a bullet to the plate
Like said earlier ITT, the soft armor namely works as the flak-jacket, protecting you from explosives' fragments, heat, pressure, small caliber rounds, blunt trauma... etc. They also improve the plates' protection, and cover areas between plates.
Also, modern soft armor is lightweight and flexible as fuck. You can get III-A soft armor that's mere 1kg, and can stop even the once feared 7.62x25 Tokarev shots.
>I’m wondering what the soft armor adds that makes it necessary for defeating projectiles.
Blunt trauma protection (= padding) and a few precious millimetres of extra cover on your skin.
>if you have steel armor the bullet can fragment on impact and spread out across the surface of the steel plate, I would assume ceramic has the same problem
Nope. The ceramics absorb the hits, pulverizing into fine dust in the progress. It's the same as shooting steel helmets vs kevlars.
What'd really be amazing is if someone made better knee and elbow protection. Most guards/protectors that have a hard shell usually fit really weird and you have don't have a great system to hold them in place because it's elastic and it really restricts your blood flow having to tighten it enough to stay in place compared to when you get in place where it's tight enough to start cutting off your circulation. If you don't do it tight enough they'll just constantly fall out of place and they're no good for what you need to do.
Seems like the only good solution that really actually works well is pocket inserts for foam pads.
Sucks that system is getting taken out of current uniforms. The things are kind of a pain in the ass if you just use it stock but it would be a lot better if you trim down the foam insert on 2 sides top and left, or bottom right, most people just don't use them because they're so difficult to get in there if you don't trim it like that.
I get why people obsesses over the cuirass/torso armor portion but the other guarded bits never seem to get as much priority.
when Level 3 ceramic has been invented?
L-Lewd