| Which
armour? |
The
selection of armour is defined by the operational
needs of the user. A method of evaluating armour before
contract will determine what is appropriate. The application
of an international standard such as the National
Institute of Justice [NIJ] or the British Home Office
[HOSDB] are normal. Application of standards specifies
all aspects of the evaluation procedure, by adopting
the procedure pre and post contract tests can be repeated,
more importantly competing armours can be accurately
compared and the most appropriate selected thereby
saving costs and weight. |
| What
is blunt trauma? |
Blunt
trauma is the measurement of the impact of a bullet
on the body when the bullet or projectile has been
successfully stopped in either SAP [Soft Armour Protection]
or HAP [Hard Armour Protection] The landed bullet
will 'push' the armour into the body, the 'depth of
the indent' the bullet creates is measured, 'blunt
trauma' is this measurement. The NIJ standard has
determined an acceptable level of blunt trauma as
44mm. The construction and caliber of ammunition other
than those defined in NIJ will create different levels
of trauma. Certain ultra lightweight SAPs require
the addition of lightweight 'trauma pads' that further
reduces the effect. Our armours provide a range of
trauma impact protection and do not require additional
pads. |
|
What
is a V-50 rating? |
| The
V-50 is a theoretical velocity at which a given projectile
[bullet] is going to penetrate the ballistic material
50% of the time and be defeated by the armour material
50% of the time. In tests for ballistic resistant
soft body armor, the projectiles must be stopped with
certainty. This means that the vest must be designed
so as to have a velocity resistance substantially
higher than the ballistic rated limit. For any ballistic
resistant material, the higher the V-50 rating, the
higher the ballistic protection within a specific
level. |
Is
Ballistic SA [Soft Armour] also Anti-Stab? |
The
compilation of ballistic soft armour is "close
stitch" in order to trap a deformed bullet in
it's fabric web. The point impact from a knife thrust
has a higher kinetic energy and will therefore penetrate
normal ballistic fabric. NIJ Level IIIA will afford
limited protection only and stop such threats as Stanley
Knife slash attacks or blunt instrument thrusts. Anti-Stab/Spike
armour is very closely stitched to protect against
knife and spike penetrations. The British Home Office
approved standard soft armour offers two levels of
knife resistancy [KR] the selection of which level
would depend on the operational needs of the user.
KR1 offers protection against a medium knife for low
risk patrolling with KR2 offering protection against
a medium knife for general duties. Detailed
information on levels of knife and stab protection. |
Are
there restrictions on the sale of these products?
|
Yes,
is the simple answer? AQUITY Special Forces Kit
is a UK company that observes the export licence
demands of Her Majesty's Government. To ship ballistic
armour abroad requires an export licence application
that requires specific paperwork from the end user
that corroborates the identity and intended use
of the user of the purchaser. Obtaining an export
licence can take time, we understands these procedures
and will provide specific documentation requests
in order to process the application as quickly as
possible.
|
| Can
SAP and HAP be used again after an attack? |
Any
attack against SAP or HAP armour will reduce the 100%
effectiveness of the armour, the damaged panel should
be replaced at the earliest opportunity. During operations
this may not be practical and there are many reported
instances of armour continuing to be effective after
a serious attack. |
How
many attacks can HAP [Hard Armour Plate] sustain? |
The
NIJ evaluation procedure is a basis for evaluating
performance. For example, a NIJ level 3 HAP must stop
six 7.62 x 51 NATO Ball shots at no less than 5cms
from each shot and no less than 7.6cms from the edge
of the HAP. A target pattern permits this test to
be conducted accurately. A level 4 NIJ HAP must stop
one shot of 30.06 AP [armour piercing] ammunition.
It is acknowledged that ballistic tests ' in laboratory'
conditions differ entirely from operational demands,
the buyer has the choice of changing the test procedure,
by doing so the construction of the armour could change
resulting in increased costs and weight. |
