Be it a soldier heading for a combat zone or an officer from a law enforcement agency responding to an emergency call, they never give a second thought to their own safety when there is a call of duty. These soldiers perpetually face fatal threats, and returning home is always a looming question for them. However, the looming question can be answered more positively and with more certainty if the soldiers, in the line of fire, are equipped with the right body armour.

Body armor in form of ballistic vests and ballistic headgear has proved to be a life preserver for thousands of soldiers and law enforcement officers across the globe.

Studies have shown that soldiers and law enforcers who wear body armour have a three times higher chance of surviving a gunshot as opposed to those who don’t. However, despite acknowledging the benefits, defence and police personnel avoid wearing body armour for the following reasons.

* The heavyweight of the body armour depends on the mission type, which varies from patrol, and reconnaissance to combat, global security a soldier on average carries 36-40 kg of weight on him. of this, around 25 kg comprises ammunition, food and other survival supplies, while 17-20 kg load is of body armour, helmet and other combat wearables. Body armour is probably the heaviest single gear that a soldier carries.

* Wearing body armour restricts arm movements generally, bulky and cumbersome body armour places restrictions on free arm movement interfering with soldiers’ firing positions/stances, thus rendering body armour restrictive and uncomfortable for the wearer and impacting his combat effectiveness.

Some of the benefits of ultra-lightweight body armour are:

* Speed: Lighter body armour reduces overall combat load helping in reducing soldier’s fatigue, thus increasing his energy reserves for faster and more rapid action

* Manoeuvrability: Allows soldiers free movement of arms and legs to carry out tasks such as shooting, climbing, parachuting, running, lying in a prone position etc. with more ease and comfort

* Agility: Quick reflexes and swift reactions are key to a soldier's combat zone survivability. Body Armour is a staple component of a soldier's ensemble, constituting up to approximately 31% of a soldier's combat load. Globally, stress is on reducing the Body Armour weight without compromising on protection level. Lighter armour ensures reduced combat fatigue and a higher degree of agility and awareness. For every 4.5 kg load carried, a soldier’s agility at assault gets degraded by 6.5% per hour*

* Endurance: With lighter body armour, a soldier can carry more ammunition, ration, or other mission-critical equipment, if required, thus increasing his battlefield endurance and effectiveness

MKU’s range of 6th Generation ultra-lightweight body armour has been designed keeping in mind all the problems that heavy body armour presents. 6th Generation armour solutions, namely, AMMOFLEX 6 and POLY SHIELD 6 serve as perfect solutions for this challenge that soldiers face, as they are up to 40% lighter and almost 30% thinner and 40% more flexible than similar standard solutions.

*Terrain, climatic conditions and other such factors are not considered, Image source