Military

US Military Develops Flexible Body Armor 50% Lighter Than Current Gear

Traditional armor plates are typically constructed from solid steel or ceramic weighing more than 10 pounds per square foot and that are unable to resist impact beyond a single ammunition round, the release noted.

“Our flexible body armor is 50 percent lighter than current models and much thinner and…can conform to both male and female body types, be dropped and still used, and protects against multiple hits,” 1st Lt. Jason Goins of the Air Force materials-manufacturing directorate said in the release.

The new armor plating uses a ceramic-ball matrix encapsulated in foam, which is then backed with multiple layers of polyethylene sheets, the release explained.