#Body #armour is a critical piece of safety equipment that has saved thousands of people’s lives. Threat level, heat accumulation, comfort, mobility concealability, and affordability are the key variables to consider while determining which solution will best fit ones needs. When it comes to #bodyarmour, the threat level or protection level is usually the most important factor to consider, as well as the most difficult to comprehend.
The #NationalInstituteofJustice (#NIJ) in the U.S. has established and updated minimum performance standards for body armour to guarantee that users understand what their body armour will protect them from. There are 5 threat levels for which body armours are categorized under NIJ: #Level #IIA, #Level #II, #Level #IIIA, #Level #III and #Level #IV.
#Soft #body #armour is generally made up of layers of high-strength fibres.
#Aramid #fibres like #Kevlar, #Twaron, and #Goldflex are common examples, as are #polyethylene fibers like #Sinty #Spectra and #Dyneema.
New and unworn Type IIA armour must be designed and tested to stop:
9 mm Full FMJ RN bullets with a specified mass of 8.0 g and a velocity of 373 m/s ± 9.1 m/s
.40 S&W FMJ bullet with a weight of 11.7 g and a velocity of 352 m/s ± 9.1 m/s
A Conditioned Type IIA armour must be tested using:
9 mm FMJ RN bullets with a specified load of 8.0 g and a velocity of 355 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
.40 S&W FMJ bullets with a weight of 11.7 g and a velocity of 325 m/s ± 9.1 m/s
Level IIA is most commonly seen in soft body armour vests and is generally the lightest, most flexible, highly comfortable, and easiest to conceal.
NIJ LEVEL II
LEVEL II OR TYPE II BODY ARMOUR IS A STEP UP FROM LEVEL IIA AND IS MOST OFTEN A SOFT BODY ARMOUR.
New and unworn Type II armour are designed and tested to stop:
9 mm FMJ RN rounds with a mass of 8.0 g and a velocity of 398 m/s 9.1 m/s
.357 Magnum Jacketed Soft Point rounds with a stated mass of 10.2 g and a velocity of 436 m/s 9.1 m/s.
TYPE II ARMOUR THAT HAS BEEN CONDITIONED MUST BE TESTED WITH:
9 mm FMJ RN rounds with a weight of 8.0 g and at a velocity of 379 m/s 9.1 m/s
357 Magnum JSP rounds with a stated mass of 10.2 g and a velocity of 408 m/s 9.1 m/s
NIJ LEVEL IIIA
The new NIJ Level IIIA body armour protects against the following:
.357 SIG FMJ Flat Nose (FN) rounds with a mass of 8.1 g at a velocity of 448 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
.44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point (SJHP) rounds with a stated mass of 15.6 g at a velocity of 436 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
Conditioned armours are designed and tested against:
.357 SIG FMJ FN rounds weighing 8.1 g and travelling at a velocity of 430 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
6 g (240 gr) .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point (SJHP) bullets at a velocity of .44 Magnum SJHP rounds with a mass of 15.6 g and a velocity of 408 m/s ± 9.1 m/s
NIJ LEVEL III
Level III marks the shift from soft body armour vests to ballistic plate.
Type III hard armour or plate inserts must be tested with 7.62 mm FMJ steel jacketed bullets (US Military designation M80) with a specific mass of 9.6 g and a velocity of 847 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
Type III flexible armor is tested in both the “as new” state and the conditioned forms using 7.62 mm FMJ, steel jacketed rounds (U.S. Military designation M80) with a mass of 9.6 g and at a velocity of 847 m/s ± 9.1 m/s.
NIJ LEVEL IV
Under NIJ 101.06 standards, Level IV ballistic plates are the highest rated hard armour plates. These hard armour plates were made to withstand a single hit from an armour-piercing rifle. These rifle plates have been tested to stop 7.62MM armour-piercing (AP) rounds moving at 2880 ft/s.
Since level IV #ballistic #plates are only tested to stop one shot, but a level III hard armour plate is tested to stop 6 bullets, a #level IV #hard #armour #plate is not necessarily better than a level III #hardarmourplate.
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