One of the biggest downsides to wearing rigid body armor is that it severely limits your mobility. Premier Body Armor has just released their aptly named AGILE Level IIIA Soft body armor inserts. Premier Body Armor claims that their new AGILE inserts are special threat tested against 12 gauge buckshot and slugs as well as Liberty Civil Defense 9mm and 5.7x28mm.

The newest addition to Safariland’s customizable armor systems is here with the release of the third generation SHIFT 360 scalable plate rack system. The SHIFT 360 features a lightweight and durable internal lining system and adjustability to accommodate plates of almost any size.

Safariland has unveiled a phone-based program designed to make sizing body armor and uniforms quicker and with less hassle, rather than having others take the measurements.  Safariland’s sizing technology is called XpertFit, and is said to take only two minutes for the user to find out which armor or uniform sizes will be recommended for them. I don’t know if social distancing was a prime motivator for Safariland when they created XpertFit, but that may be one of the benefits for agencies or distributors that want to limit contact.  Safariland describes XpertFit below:

If you want to look like the superhero Captain America from Marvel Comics and carry a plate carrier at the same time, here’s your chance!  Shellback Tactical (Cayce, SC) are taking preorders for a limited edition plate carrier in “the most majestic color combination known to man – RED, WHITE AND BLUE“.

Austin Thomas Jones is an Aerospace Engineer with a less than favorable view of Federal Firearms regulations. It is this attitude that caused Austin to depart from the aerospace industry and enter the firearms industry with the goal of resurrecting armor-piercing ammunition in order to provide equality under the law with regards to armor-piercing ammunition. Austin and Atlas Arms have worked hard to produce what he calls the Dagny Dagger – an unrestricted Armor Piercing ammunition that skirts around the ATF regulations to give “the common” access to reliable AP ammunition.

Grey Man Tactical has been making great tactical gear accessories since 2012. Their ethos is to produce quality organizational accessories for stowing your gear in an efficient and logical manner using the traditional MOLLE grid. Today, Grey Man Tactical has just introduced its Plate Carrier & Helmet rack for stowing your protective gear while on the move.

RMA Defense has recently announced their new level III+ rifle armor specifically cut for women, which they plan on making available next month.  Women in the military, law enforcement, security, and civilians that just want some extra protection against rifle calibers have had some difficulties using plate armor designed for men.  RMA Defense have developed four different sizes to accommodate various body shapes, which range from small to extra large. The details of RMA Defense’s rifle armor for women can be read below:

Welcome one and all, to the Father’s Day Weekend edition of the one, the only, Deals of the Week. I’m your host Benjamin F, coming to you from my secluded bunker downtown writing studio. Bringing you nothing but the best deals I can find, even in the middle of a panic buying session that’s lasted for months. With no further ado, let’s get into it.

To lighten the load and increase mobility were the main targets as the USMC Systems Command went looking for the next generation of body armor. Of course not at the expense of decreased ballistic protection. In 2018 the US Marine Corps awarded Vertical Protective Apparel (New Jersey) a $62+ million contract to produce and deliver the Generation III Plate Carriers, and the first samples are now being field-tested.

Welcome back everyone to Featured Deals of the Week: Quarantine Edition Part II. We’ll be focusing on all of those hard to find products that other people are panic buying so that you can panic buy them instead! Or normal buy them if that’s your thing.

Photos by Defense Mechanisms

The PPSS Group is a United Kingdom based company that has been providing protective vests and clothing since 2009.  PPSS has focused their energy on ballistic protection as well against edged weapon threats, including a demonstration from the company’s CEO, Robert Kaiser, that was voluntarily shot while wearing one of PPSS’ bullet resistant vests.  Their latest product, however, is said to be of a completely new material, which reduces the thickness and weight, while protecting against shanks and edged weapons.

Thanks to an anonymous source for sending this cringeworthy content. On September 4, 2019, the 11 RGK (11th Special Forces Regiment) of Malaysia held a demonstration. This Malaysian body armor demonstration failure resulted in the death of a Major on his way to the hospital.

Dongrun Safety is a Chinese company that presented an armored dress-vest that could be ordered in various ballistic ratings up to the Chinese GA141-2010 Level 3, or roughly equivalent to an NIJ IIIA. Incorporating Kevlar ballistic material into dress attire has existed for some time now, albeit it hasn’t taken off too much within the VIP protection circuit that it is designed for. One company in the US has even tried to turn a line of everyday clothing into armor as well, in addition to another one even offering a two-piece suit armor combination. The reasons for both might appear to be that having a very basic set of a standard (Point Blank or Velocity Systems) soft armor vest allows for a much more versatile clothing option for a client or security detail because one isn’t stuck with a single outer layer. Users can also ‘armor-up’ by simply putting on a steel or ceramic plate over their soft option, thus gaining more protection by incorporating their soft armor into a system.

This is Snigel Design‘s first appearance here at TFB ( well almost).

In this episode of TFBTV’s continuing coverage of SHOT Show 2019, Brannon LeBouef deviates from the normal product highlights and speaks with Officer Tyler Finch of the Anderson PD out of California who has first hand experience with US Armor’s concealable body armor. We hear about his ordeal that day and how he prevailed quite spectacularly with the help of US Armor’s vest. Tyler said he did not even realize he had been hit while in the fight and suffered no bruising, broken bones, or other injury from the hits.

The Spanish Navy has been experimenting with a graphene based bulletproof vest. Researchers have been developing the technology over the past four years and recently completed some live fire tests. A spokesperson from the Spanish Navy described the testing results as ‘very positive and promising’.

You might not have heard of Bulletproof Everyone yet, but you should have heard of AFA, LLC. They are the producers of the world’s 1st automated speedloader that we discussed in September 2017. Bulletproof Everyone is another project of AFA, LLC’s that is seeking to make bulletproof jackets that are affordable for everyone. So far they are succeeding in that endeavor.

Buy it at Ventura Munitions:
https://www.venturamunitions.com/precision-gun-works-12-gauge-flechette-ammo-5-rounds/

We shoot multiple rounds of LAX 10mm 180gr FMJ ammunition from an EAA Witness with a 4.5″ barrel into a Shot Stop NIJ level IIIA backpack panel.

We abuse this 2.9lb Shot Stop Duritium PA Level III+ Body Armor (Model Number D1652SSB) with multiple rounds of 7.62x51mm NATO, .223, and 5.56mm, including M855A1 to assess its ability to protect beyond its rating.

After a brief hiatus, the infamous Mahama Tactical training team is back in the spotlight again. The group’s former leader, Uzbek national Abu Rofiq was killed a while back and since then the team appears to have lost some key leadership. Since then, a Twitter account under the handle of Salman Belarus started posting older media of the group on April 19th and has continued to grow to include much newer material, in addition to posting about the group coming back into the picture.

Australian Defence Magazine reports that Australian Army awarded three contracts with a total value of about $2.2 million to two domestic arms and equipment manufacturing companies. Here is how the publication describes the process of submission and selection of these projects:

Applied Fiber Concepts, Inc. and Propper International have been awarded a contract to manufacture the new Naval Security Forces Vest (NSFV) for the United States Navy.

The Army looks set to turn the page on ceramic and Kevlar based armor systems of the past with a revolutionary new armour system. The US Army has signaled its decision to move away from its standard Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) body armour and adopt a new more cost-effective carbon-based system. Relying on carbon and cellulose the new armour is at the cutting edge of ballistic technology.

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A Ukrainian company called  UARM is specialized in body armor manufacturing. They have recently published quite a controversial video where they demonstrate the performance of their armor in the most unsafe manner one can imagine. The director of the company wears a plate carrier with one of their armor plates inside it and another employee shoots him with an AK-47.

Today, we often talk about body armour in both military and civilian contexts. Advanced modern body armour is now capable of stopping powerful rounds but the use of armour in warfare dates back centuries. Overmatch is no new concept. This week I came across a great slow motion video showing just how effective plate armour could be.

Rickey Red posted up two videos on social media. He believes that the textbooks our kids carry everyday could possibly save their lives. He tests some “government issued textbooks” to see if they can stop bullets.