There is no doubt that the flak jacket https://uarmprotection.com/shop/armored-clothing/glock is one of the most reliable and effective personal protective equipment available. It primarily protects the body against bullets from pistols and machine guns, but it also copes well with grenade fragments in explosions. The great abundance of bullet proof waistcoats can make it very difficult to choose the product that will suit your needs, taste and price. It is advisable to pay attention to the basic characteristics of the personal protective equipment when choosing one.
The only way to choose a bulletproof vest is by one parameter – protection class. It indirectly includes all other parameters. Therefore, the higher the class, the lower the continuous wear time and the larger the body protection area.
Body armour protection classes
Just remember that the class 1 waistcoat is the lightest (1.5-3 kg) and consists of fabric layers. The fabric itself is heat-resistant and water-resistant, the same fabric is used for higher classes, but there are special armor plates. The fabric consists of reinforced fibres and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which is highly buoyant and resistant. Body armour of protection class 1 protects well only against pistols such as PM, Nagan or revolver.
Class 2 body armour is heavier (3-5kg), with metal plates in the fabric base at the most vulnerable points. Such a device can protect from bullets of 9mm caliber of TT pistol. The first and second classes are represented mainly by concealed carry waistcoats, which makes them easy to wear every day under casual clothes.
Type 3 body armour is characterised by an increased number of fabric layers, the use of metal plates over a larger area and the presence of a cushioning layer. On the one hand, this considerably slows down the combatant’s movements, while on the other it increases his chances of survival. Average weight of such protection is 9 to 11 kg.
From Type 4 onwards the bulletproof vests provide good protection not only against machine guns but also against AK type assault rifles. Particularly the army and police forces use them. Metal plates, represented by light and strong aluminium or titanium alloys, can increase protection to the back and chest.
The optimum protection class is still the 5th degree of protection. Such body armour can cope well with 7.62×39 mm bullets with a mass of up to 8 g fired from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. For the rare armour-piercing bullets type 5a armour waistcoats are specially allocated.
The most popular waistcoats today are those of protection class 6. The flak jackets are able to protect from any automatic rifle bullets, shots from SVD sniper rifles or PK/PKM machine guns. They are often used by special forces in high-risk military operations. Most of the flak jackets of this group are modular and are equipped with reinforced ceramic plates that can withstand several direct hits while remaining intact.
The last and most powerful type of waistcoat is 6a. It is mainly those waistcoats of the 6th class reinforced with ceramic plates to resist armor-piercing bullets 7,62×54 mm and with the mass of 10,4 g. Such waistcoats are capable of withstanding fire from sniper rifles at a distance of 10 metres. The disadvantage of the latter two groups is their considerable weight, which debilitates the wearer and impedes his basic movements. As a consequence, they are used for short-term assault operations.