Plate Inserts for US Body Armor
Posted on January 20, 2009 - Filed Under Body Armor Plate |
When reading about modern body armor one often hears about small arms protective inserts (SAPI) or Enhanced SAPI (ESAPI) Body Armor Plate inserts. While these inserts are more fragile than past generations of inserts, they offer a significant improvement over its 1990s predecessors in terms of both weight and protection. After episodic issues with production ramp-up and quality control, this gear is widely fielded with the US Army and several allied militaries. The US Marines replaced it with the MTV. The Army itself has introduced the Improved OTV. Even privately developed body armor like Blackwater Gear use them, as all rely on a “vest and plates” approach that uses a similar set of inserts to give the vests most of their bullet-stopping power.
This DID spotlight article covers the USA’s acquisition efforts in this area. The lastest news involves the postponed X-SAPI tests – which will not, in fact, feature any flexible body armor designs…
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