#LevelIV

Armored Republic, formerly known as AR500 Armor, announced the release of their new C3 multi-curve multi-hit Level IV armor plates. The Armored Republic C3 plates are ceramic plates with FragLock coating and Cordura cover. Let’s take a look at the specs and features of these new armor plates.

World-renowned body armor maker Hesco introduced three new ceramic plates at SHOT this year. The draw? They’re unbelievably light and thin.

Adept Armor has just released their new modular Storm System body armor that allows users to adapt their armor to the needs of why it’s being worn. The Storm System body armor starts with a Level III Foundation plate, that can then be up-armored with one of two options, the Storm Titanium, plate for speedy projectiles like 5.56 or 5.45, or the Storm Disruptor, which is a ceramic-based add-on plate to bump the Storm System to a Level IV. The Foundation and Titanium plates can both be worn as standalone options, whereas the Disruptor is only designed as a combination to the Foundation.

If you’ve ever trained for (or actually been on) a two-way shooting range, you well understand the value of good body armor. Military and law enforcement work certainly require this lifesaving equipment, but many private citizens also choose to purchase plates in case of emergency. There are many different styles, manufacturers, materials available on the armor market, in widely varying levels of protectiveness and quality. Many shooters prefer NIJ level IV ceramic plates, and Spartan Armor Systems’ new Ares model fits this bill.

With Level IV armor rising in availability, calls for “overmatch”, and the increased presence of urban warfare, will designers be able to meet the requirements for future small arms? Forumgoer Poliorcetes raised this question in a discussion at the Military Guns & Ammunition forum:

The US Army’s latest improvement to the soldier’s gear has finished its final round of field testing. The testing was conducted in mid-October by soldiers with the 71st Ordnance Group and the 10th Chemical Hazardous Response Company, at Fort Carson, Colorado. From an article at the Army News Service:

In the coming decades, it is likely that one of the biggest challenges facing small arms ammunition designers will be solving the problem of how to deal with advanced body armors. The problem is already percolating to the surface, as Level IV body armor – which is immune to virtually all general issue rounds below .50 caliber – becomes more available and less expensive. Already, an individual can equip themselves with a full set of Level IV plates and a carrier for less than $1,000. As armor improves, it will only get lighter, cheaper, and more resistant to fire.

In an era of increasingly resilient body armor, new small arms ammunition solutions are required to even the odds between the shooter and shootee. The company Stiletto Systems, based out of the UK, is advertising its new bullet as a possible solution for this problem. The round, a relatively conventional 7.62mm tungsten cored armor piercing projectile superficially similar to Nammo’s M993 round, is advertised as having considerable penetrative power: 20.5 mm of rolled homogeneous armor at 100 meters, 100% of the time.

During Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley spoke before the Senate and answered questions about the Army’s readiness and future modernization efforts. One of the concerns raised by the hearing’s members was that of the inability of current US Army small arms ammunition to penetrate current Level IV-type hard ceramic plates, such as the Army’s own E-SAPI plates. A transcript of a conversation between General Milley and Senator Angus King is given below:

Rifle plates – especially NIJ 0101.06 certified Level IV ones – can be heavy and cumbersome. It makes sense considering a Level IV plate is supposed to stop a .30-06 M2AP round with less than 44 mm of back face deformation. Making a plate that provides this level of protection almost certainly means it will be quite heavy when compared to armor designed for lower threat levels.

In one of his characteristic bonkers yet highly informative videos, Demolition Ranch tackles the question most never thought to ask: “Can you turn Level III body armory into Level IV using your own ceramic tiles?” Its a clever premise that can only be proven through time-tested redneck engineering.