[TW 2013] Body armor and Trama plates

[Martti]

Originally Posted by Lundgren

while firing a 7.62N weapon or a 12 gauge shotgun. Being hit with one of those, and no penetration, would probably be like being hit with a fist (and we are not talking professional boxer here).

Sorry this is what I was trying to quote.

[Apache6]

- In US usage SAPI plates (Small Arms Protective Insert) were not 'general issue until spring 2003. The first general issue occurred for USMC units just before the 2003 "March to Baghdad. At that time almost every Marine infantrymen (but not most of the combat support Marines) were equipped with one SAPI plate (worn on the chest). It should have been two plates for every Marine, but the demand outstripped the ability to produce and deploy the plates, so they were prioritized for Infantry units and worn only on chest.

- This was one time Marines actually had better kit then the Army. Very few Army units (I believe mostly SOF and Rangers) had SAPI plates during that period.

- SAPI plates will stop small arms rounds usually resulting in nothing more then bruises. The rest of the vest is still frag resistant kevlar.

- Prior to that US body armor (commonly called a flak jacket) was primarily intended to provide protection against shell/grenade fragments, though it would stop some pistol rounds (.45 reliably, 9mm "usually" (the rounds would still often penetrate the vest at close range, but it would still have 'helped') and shotgun pellets (00 shot).

- In 2013 every Soldier or Marine going into a hostile situation should have 2 SAPIs.