Due to the protection offered by bulletproof vests on vital torso areas, soldiers under attack do not succumb immediately, providing opportunities for rescue and subsequent medical treatment.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been ongoing for several years, showcasing the cruelty and complexity of modern warfare. One detail consistently appearing in battlefield videos, easily overlooked by many, is the diverse array of bulletproof vests worn by soldiers on both sides. Whether regular army or militia, frontline infantry or rear artillery, once on the battlefield, soldiers don a layer of bulletproof armor. The standards, quality, and sources of these bulletproof vests vary, but they all share a common purpose: protecting the lives of soldiers.
Indeed, bulletproof vests have proven effective in increasing the survival rates of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, especially when facing gunfire, artillery fragments, landmines, and drone airstrikes. Due to the protection offered by bulletproof vests on vital torso areas, soldiers under attack do not succumb immediately, providing opportunities for rescue and subsequent medical treatment. Cases of recovering from injuries and returning to the frontline are also abundant.
So, in this battle of bulletproof vests, which country's products prevail? Recently, the Russian state-owned military-industrial group "Rostec" conducted comparative tests on bulletproof vests used on the Ukrainian battlefield. The test included products from Russia and the United States, as well as a low-cost bulletproof vest exported from China, humorously dubbed "Taobao Bulletproof Vest" by Rostec. According to Rostec, Russia's "Talisman" bulletproof vest is the strongest, the performance of the American bulletproof vest is the worst, while the test results for the Chinese-exported "Taobao Bulletproof Vest" are quite intriguing!
Firstly, let's look at the criteria for the tests. The selected vests were all at BR5 level, a standard implemented by Russia after 2017, ranging from BR1 to BR6. According to the BR5 standard, bulletproof vests must withstand continuous shots from a 7.62x54R full-power rifle bullet with a steel core and an armor-piercing incendiary bullet. The back deformation depth of the bulletproof plate after being hit should not exceed 16 millimeters.
This standard is extremely rigorous, as the 7.62x54R full-power rifle bullet is one of Russia's commonly used military bullets and has significant power. Additionally, the tests involved Kalashnikov series assault rifles and machine guns, as well as the 8.6mm Lapua-Magnum sniper rifle, firing at a distance of 15 meters. Such close-range, high-power shots pose a significant challenge to bulletproof vests, far exceeding the capabilities of ordinary bulletproof vests we see in crime movies, which often only withstand 9x19mm Parabellum pistol bullets.