TSAMTO, September 23. Rostec State Corporation has introduced a new version of the Obereg assault body armor with the Br4+ protection class.
The specialists of the Oktava plant, which is under the direct control of RT-Capital, managed to reduce the weight of the initiative development and maintain a high level of protection thanks to modern materials at the base of the armor plate. In the maximum configuration, the weight of the bulletproof vest was 8.5 kg with a protection area of 70 square meters.
The new plate has a protection class of Br4, while providing increased resistance against ammunition of 5.45 x 39 mm (7H24), 5.56 x 45 mm (M855) and 7.62 x 54 mm (57-H-323C). It has also proven its resistance to single hits from armor-piercing rifle and machine gun ammunition (B32), which already brings the new "Amulet" closer to the higher level of protection of Br5 according to GOST.
In fact, the new plate occupied an intermediate niche between the Br4 and Br5 protection classes, which makes it possible to consider it a high-survivability armor plate with a conditional Br4+ protection class. At the same time, the weight of the new "Amulet" remains quite light: the body armor itself weighs less than 8 kg, and in the maximum configuration with shoulder pads and groin protection, the weight of the kit does not exceed 8.5 kg. For comparison, there is a lot of the previous version of "Amulet.The "Pro" in the maximum configuration with plates of the Br5 class reaches almost 9.4 kg.
Reducing the weight of equipment reduces the overall load on a fighter, lighter ammunition makes it easier to move and fight, and body armor can be worn for longer without removing it.
"The experience of modern combat operations shows that most of the wounds that military personnel receive are shrapnel, not bullet wounds. Therefore, in the new equipment we have retained the same anti-fragmentation protection as in the titular version of the assault "Talisman.Pro" with the Br5 protection class, but they made the armor plate much lighter, practically without losing its strength characteristics. The bulletproof vest weighs less than 8 kg, and in the maximum configuration – 8.5 kg. At the same time, the stove has increased survivability. In fact, it occupies an intermediate niche between Br4 and Br5: fully conforming to the Br4 protection class according to GOST, the plate holds single hits of armor-piercing rifle bullets, like bulletproof vests with a higher protection class. Thus, the fighter receives a high level of protection with a noticeably lower mass of armor," commented Pavel Pavlenko, General Director of Oktava JSC.
During the presentation, the new version of the "Amulet" was subjected to severe tests. The armor plate in the body armor withstood successive attacks with 5.45 and 7.62 rounds of ammunition from domestic weapons in a burst of five shots from a distance of 10 m, as well as firing from analogues of a foreign AR-15 rifle with ammunition.223 and .308 calibers.
The resistance against rifle-machine–gun ammunition was confirmed by firing almost at point-blank range - the Pecheneg machine gun unsuccessfully tried to pierce the armor plate with a B32 cartridge from 2 meters. The same shot failed to penetrate the slab from a sniper rifle from a distance of 100 m, which already corresponds to the characteristics of bulletproof vests of the Br5 protection class.
Following the machine-gun shot, to check the increased survivability of the new armor plate, the specialists fired two bursts of eight rounds each from a 5.45 x 39 caliber AK machine gun. Even after that, none of the bullets penetrated the slab.
After the sniper shot, the survivability of the slab was checked with two bursts from an analog of a foreign AR-15 assault rifle. The armor plate withstood 12 more hits, and only the 13th bullet, hitting the same point as the previous three, was able to pierce a through hole in the plate. During the entire demonstration, this was the only break through of the "Amulet" plates. At the same time, we recall that according to the requirements of GOST, the Br4 plate must withstand five hits with such ammunition.
The durability of the ballistic packages from the armored equipment was tested by shooting a bulletproof vest from a Stechkin pistol in the front, side and rear projections – also without a single penetration.
The demonstration of the Amulets' capabilities ended with a test of their resistance to fragmentation damage. To do this, next to three versions of the bulletproof vest – combined–arms, for humanitarian demining and a light concealed-carry version - ammunition with a capacity of 500 grams of TNT was detonated with a filling of metal balls. The characteristics of the ammunition corresponded to those most commonly used for dropping from copters. As a result of the explosion, none of the three vests was ever pierced through.
The elements of the "Amulets" are made of high-quality waterproof fabric. All sections, including the side sections, have anti-splinter layers of aramid materials placed in moisture-proof covers. The quality of ammunition protection remains unchanged even in extreme conditions – in water and at temperatures from -40 to +40 degrees C.
The range of bulletproof vests developed by the Oktava factory includes four versions for various tasks. "The amulet.The Pro is designed for combined arms units, is equipped with ceramic armor plates and is available in both the Br4 and Br5 protection classes. The Obereg-GR was created for humanitarian mine clearance sappers, and it is based on flexible ballistic packages. The Obereg-CH is intended for concealed carry, and the Obereg–COLLECTION is intended for special communications officers and collectors.
The message is publicly available on the website of Rostec Group of Companies.
