NEW DELHI: A new lightweight bulletproof jacket (BPJ), which weighs 9 kg, has been developed by the DRDO to meet the qualitative requirements of the strong 13 lakh army.
Developed by the Defense Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment, the “front hard armor panel jacket” met the relevant BIS standards during testing at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh.
“Every gram of weight reduction in a BPJ is crucial to improving the comfort of the soldier while ensuring his survival. Very specific materials and processing technologies have been developed for this purpose. This technology reduces the weight of a medium-sized LBM from 10.4 kg to 9 kg, ”said a DRDO official.
The Army for more than a decade has faced a severe shortage of modern BPJs, which can provide 360-degree protection to soldiers in combat and counterinsurgency operations, including the latest hard-core bullets.
In April 2018, a contract of Rs 639 crore for the acquisition of 1.86,138 BPJ was signed with a national private company, SMPP Pvt Ltd, under which more than one lakh has been forcibly delivered so far.
The Army, of course, wants more because it is loaded with bulky old BPJs that demonstrate poor protection. Lightweight BPJs must adequately protect the soldiers’ head, neck, chest, groin and sides, as well as allow them to move with greater agility during counter-insurgency operations in “hostile terrain,” an official said.
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