Protection against various types of ballistic threats must be a priority when it comes to service in the army. That's exactly why body armor is an indispensable thing on the battlefield. However, today the market is overflowing with various options of gear, so choosing the best one is not an easy task.

To buy quality body armor, you first of all need to understand what kind of product it is, what it consists of and what it can protect against. That's what we're explaining.

What body armor is and what it consists of

Body armor is an element of personal protection that can withstand injury from fragments and, depending on the class, from bladed weapons and bullets of various calibers. And conventionally, the construction of body armor can be divided into several elements:

• The cover

In fact, this is a plate carrier that has pockets for ballistic packages and, optionally, for plates. On its own it does not protect, but it is the cover that determines the user's comfort while wearing body armor: whether the weight is distributed evenly, whether the straps chafe, whether the size is adjustable, and so on. 

• Soft Armor Panels

These are flexible and light packages made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene or Kevlar (we make ours precisely from UHMWPE), which are placed in the cover's pockets and protect the covered areas from injuries. Soft armor mostly has Level 1 or 2, so its main purpose is protection against fragments. 

• Ballistic Plates 

In fact, they are not part of the body armor, but it is precisely thanks to the plates that its protection class can be increased. 

If necessary, you can significantly increase your protected area by adding anti-fragmentation modules to your body armor, if its construction allows for it. Our body armor "Burevii" and "Ruta Liuta" is modular, so you can build a full armor suit on its basis. 

Body armor classes

The protection class of body armor is an indicator of the product's ability to withstand certain types of ballistic injuries, such as hits from fragments or bullets of a certain caliber. In different countries, classification is carried out according to different standards.

In Ukraine, the protection class is determined in accordance with DSTU 8782:2018. According to this classification there are 6 levels, where Level 1 has the lowest indicators and Level 6, accordingly, the highest. All our body armor has Level 2 and is able to withstand hits from 7.62×25 mm (TT) and 9×19 mm (Luger/Parabellum) bullets. In addition, it has anti-fragmentation resistance at V50 603.6 m/s per STANAG 2920 and can withstand fragments from grenades, mines, artillery shells and other explosive devices.

However, you can additionally equip military body armor with plates to strengthen protection. We manufacture three variants of such armor:

• Level 3. These are plates made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Their main advantage is their light weight. Able to withstand 7.62×39 or 5.45×39 caliber bullets, they weigh only 1 to 2 kg depending on the size. 

• Level 4. We make them from a ceramic composite — silicon carbide — and also apply additional layers of UHMWPE. It is precisely thanks to the polyethylene that there is no ricochet in these plates. Such armor withstands LPS (57-N-323) bullets. 

• Level 6. Plates of aluminum oxide and UHMWPE, which performs the same function as in Level 4. This is the strongest armor, able to protect against hits from 7.62×54 mm armor-piercing incendiary bullets (B-32).

At the same time, you must take into account that, in proportion to the increase in the level of protection, the weight of the gear will also grow. And therefore the load on the back and legs will increase as well. So in searching for gear, it's worth choosing options where there is a balance between protective properties and the product's weight.

For example, if you need enhanced protection and want to buy additional plates for your body armor, give preference to ceramic plates. Having analogous ballistic properties, they are 20–30% lighter than steel analogues.

Which class to choose?

Helping our clients choose gear, we always repeat one phrase — be guided by your own tasks and needs. When it comes to buying body armor, the principle of choice should be the same.

If you need body armor for work in, say, security structures or in volunteer or humanitarian missions in front-line zones, then Level 2 will be quite enough to obtain proper protection in these conditions. If you want to be sure that the armor definitely won't let you down if the situation escalates, you can additionally equip it with light Level 3 plates. At the same time, for direct participation in combat, you should choose protection no lower than Level 4.

Remember that along with the protective properties of the armor, its weight will also grow. So you need to look for a balanced solution in accordance with your working conditions.

You can buy body armor both online and in our network of offline stores in Kyiv, Dnipro, Bila Tserkva, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Our specialists are always ready to advise on any questions and help you choose gear for your tasks.