Editing Bulletproof vest (section)

==History==
===Early modern era===
In 1538, [[Francesco Maria I della Rovere|Duke Francesco Maria della Rovere]], a [[condottiero]], commissioned [[Filippo Negroli]] to create a bulletproof vest. In 1561, [[Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor]] is recorded as testing his armour against gun-fire. Similarly, in 1590 [[Henry Lee of Ditchley]] expected his [[Greenwich armour]] to be "pistol proof". Its actual effectiveness was controversial at the time.<ref name="Williams2003">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Allan |year=2003 |title=The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period |location=[[Boston]] |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=978-90-04-12498-1}}</ref>

During the [[English Civil War]], [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s [[Ironside (cavalry)|Ironside cavalry]] were equipped with [[lobster-tailed pot helmet]] and musket-proof [[cuirass]]es which consisted of two layers of armour plating. The outer layer was designed to absorb the bullet's energy and the thicker inner layer stopped further penetration. The armour would be left badly dented but still serviceable.<ref name=":0">Ricketts, H, Firearms p. 5</ref>

===Industrial era===
One of the first examples of commercially sold bulletproof armour was produced by a tailor in [[Dublin]] in the 1840s. ''[[The Cork Examiner]]'' reported on his line of business in December 1847.<ref name="Thelandlord1847">{{cite news |title=The Landlord's Protective Garment |date=December 6, 1847 |work=[[The Cork Examiner]]}}</ref>

[[File:Ned kelly armour library.JPG|thumb|upright|Australian [[bushranger]] and outlaw [[Ned Kelly]]'s [[Armour of the Kelly gang|bulletproof armour]], fashioned from [[plough#Parts|plough mouldboards]] in 1880]]
Another soft ballistic vest, [[Myeonje baegab]], was invented in [[Joseon|Joseon Korea]] in the 1860s shortly after the punitive 1866 [[French expedition to Korea]]. The [[Heungseon Daewongun|regent of Joseon]] ordered the development of bulletproof armour because of increasing threats from Western armies. Kim Gidu and Gang Yun found that cotton could protect against bullets if 10 layers of cotton fabric were used. The vests were used in battle during the [[United States expedition to Korea]], when the US Navy attacked [[Ganghwa Island]] in 1871. The US Navy captured one of the vests and took it to the US, where it was stored at the Smithsonian Museum until 2007. The vest has since been sent back to Korea and is currently on display to the public.

Simple ballistic armor was sometimes constructed by criminals. In 1880, a gang of Australian [[bushranger]]s led by [[Ned Kelly]] devised their own [[Armour of the Kelly gang|suits of bulletproof armour]]. The suits had a mass of around {{convert|44|kg}} and were fashioned from stolen [[plough#Parts|plough mouldboards]], most likely in a crude bush forge and possibly with the assistance of blacksmiths. With a cylindrical helmet and apron, the armour protected the wearer's head, torso, upper arms, and upper legs. In June 1880, the four outlaws wore the suits in a gunfight with the police, during which Kelly survived at least 18 bullets striking his armour.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cormick|first=Craig|author-link=Craig Cormick|year=2014|title=Ned Kelly: Under the Microscope|publisher=CSIRO Publishing|isbn=978-1-4863-0178-2}}</ref>

In the 1890s, American outlaw and [[gunfighter]] [[Jim Miller (outlaw)|Jim Miller]] was infamous for wearing a steel breastplate under his [[frock coat]] as a form of body armor.<ref>O'Neal, Bill (1979). ''Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters''. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 230–233. {{ISBN|0-8061-1508-4}}</ref> This plate saved Miller on two occasions, and it proved to be highly resistant to pistol bullets and shotguns. One example can be seen in his gun battle with a sheriff named George A. "Bud" Frazer, where the plate managed to deflect all bullets from the lawman's revolver.<ref>Metz, Leon Claire (2003). ''The Encyclopedia of Lawmen, Outlaws, and Gunfighters''. Checkmark Books. pp. 172–173. {{ISBN|0-8160-4543-7}}.</ref>

[[File:Bulletproof vest by Jan Szczepanik (1901)c.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Test of a 1901 vest designed by [[Jan Szczepanik]], in which a 7 mm revolver is fired at a person wearing the vest]]
In 1881, the [[Tombstone, Arizona]] physician [[George E. Goodfellow]] noticed that [[Charlie Storms]], who was shot twice by [[faro (banking game)|faro]] dealer [[Luke Short]], had one bullet stopped by a [[silk]] handkerchief in his breast pocket that prevented that bullet from penetrating.<ref name=drwin>{{cite book|last=Erwin|first=Richard E.|title=The Truth about Wyatt Earp|year=1993|publisher=O.K. Press|location=Carpinteria, CA|isbn=9780963393029|edition=2nd|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/truthaboutwyatte00rich}}</ref><ref name=prescott>{{cite news |first=Josh |last=Edwards |title=George Goodfellow's Medical Treatment of Stomach Wounds Became Legendary |newspaper=The Prescott Courier |date=May 2, 1980|pages=3–5 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19800502&id=jH8vAAAAIBAJ&pg=4536,249915}}</ref> In 1887, he wrote an article titled "Impenetrability of Silk to Bullets" for the ''Southern California Practitioner'' documenting the first known instance of bulletproof fabric.<ref name=oldwest>{{cite web|title=Dr. George Goodfellow |url=http://societyoftheoldwest.ning.com/forum/topics/dr-george-goodfellow |access-date=8 March 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220090137/http://societyoftheoldwest.ning.com/forum/topics/dr-george-goodfellow |archive-date=20 December 2014 }}</ref> He experimented with silk vests resembling [[gambeson]]s that used 18 to 30 layers of silk to protect the wearers from penetration.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hollington|first=Kris|title=Staying Alive|url=http://www.assassinology.org/id20.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503151128/http://www.assassinology.org/id20.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 May 2007|access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref>

[[Kazimierz Żegleń]] used Goodfellow's findings to develop a silk bulletproof vest at the end of the 19th century, which could stop the relatively slow rounds from [[gunpowder|black powder]] handguns.<ref name="Culture.Pl">{{cite web |last1=Oleksiak |first1=Wojciech |title=The Monk who Stopped Bullets with Silk: Inventing the Bulletproof Vest |url=https://culture.pl/en/article/the-monk-who-stopped-bullets-with-silk-inventing-the-bulletproof-vest |website=Culture.Pl |access-date=9 December 2018}}</ref> The vests cost US$800 each in 1914, {{Inflation|US|800|1914|fmt=eq|r=-3}}.<ref name="Culture.Pl"/>

A similar vest made by Polish inventor [[Jan Szczepanik]] in 1901 saved the life of [[Alfonso XIII of Spain]] when he was shot by an attacker. By 1900, US gangsters were wearing $800 silk vests to protect themselves.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hollington|first=Kris|title=Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History|year=2008|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=9781429986809|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8LHU4f_hkQC&pg=PA108}}</ref>

===First World War===
[[File:THE GERMAN ARMY ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 Q88002.jpg|thumb|upright|World War I German Infanterie-Panzer, 1917]]
The combatants of [[World War I]] started the war without any attempt at providing the soldiers with body armor. Various private companies advertised body protection suits such as the Birmingham Chemico Body Shield, although these products were generally far too expensive for an average soldier.

The first official attempts at commissioning body armor were made in 1915 by the British Army Design Committee, Trench Warfare Section in particular a 'Bomber's Shield';<ref>Sheffield, G (2007) ''War on the Western Front in the Trenches of World War I'' Osprey Publishing p228</ref> "bomber" being the term for those who threw grenades rather than [[grenadier]]. The Experimental Ordnance Board also reviewed potential materials for bullet and fragment proof armor, such as steel plate. A 'necklet' was successfully issued on a small scale (due to cost considerations), which protected the neck and shoulders from bullets traveling at {{convert|600|ft/s|abbr=on}} with interwoven layers of silk and cotton stiffened with [[resin]]. The Dayfield body shield entered service in 1916 and a hardened [[breastplate]] was introduced the following year.<ref name="Bull2002">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sXCn3WrINjwC|title=World War I Trench Warfare (2): 1916–18|author=Stephen Bull|year=2002|publisher=Osprey Publishing|page=12|isbn=978-1-84176-198-5}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The British army medical services calculated towards the end of the War that three quarters of all battle injuries could have been prevented if an effective armor had been issued.

The French experimented with steel visors attached to the [[Adrian helmet]] and 'abdominal armor' designed by General Adrian, in addition to shoulder "epaulets" to protect from falling debris and darts. These failed to be practical, because they severely impeded the soldier's mobility. The Germans officially issued body armor in the form of nickel and silicon steel armor plates that was called ''Sappenpanzer'' (nicknamed 'Lobster armor') from late 1916.<ref name="Bull2002"/> These were similarly too heavy to be practical for the rank-and-file, but were used by static units, such as sentries and occasionally [[machine-gun]]ners. An improved version, the Infanterie-Panzer, was introduced in 1918, with hooks for equipment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/73-weapons-equipment-uniforms/879-body-armour.html|title=Body Armour For The Western Front In The Great War|author=David Payne|access-date=2013-11-17|archive-date=2010-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323074030/http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/73-weapons-equipment-uniforms/879-body-armour.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The United States developed several types of body armor, including the chrome nickel steel [[Brewster Body Shield]], which consisted of a breastplate and a headpiece and could withstand [[Lewis Gun]] bullets at {{convert|2700|ft/s|abbr=on}}, but was clumsy and heavy at {{convert|40|lb|abbr=on}}. A scaled [[waistcoat]] of overlapping steel scales fixed to a leather lining was also designed; this armor weighed {{convert|11|lb|abbr=on}}, fit close to the body, and was considered more comfortable.<ref>{{cite web|title=Body Armour For The Western Front In The Great War|url=http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/73-weapons-equipment-uniforms/879-body-armour.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323074030/http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/73-weapons-equipment-uniforms/879-body-armour.html|archive-date=March 23, 2010|website=www.westernfrontassociation.com}}</ref>

===Interwar period===
[[File:Testing bulletproof vest 1923.jpg|right|thumb|Testing a bulletproof vest in Washington, D.C., September 1923]]
During the late 1920s through the early 1930s, gunmen from criminal gangs in the United States began wearing less-expensive vests made from thick layers of cotton padding and cloth. These early vests could absorb the impact of handgun rounds such as [[.22 Long Rifle]], [[.25 ACP]], [[.32 S&W Long]], [[.32 S&W]], [[.380 ACP]], [[.38 Special]] and [[.45 ACP]] traveling at speeds of up to {{convert|300|m/s|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2052684A/en | title=Armor }}</ref> To overcome these vests, law enforcement agents began using the newer and more powerful [[.38 Super]], and later the [[.357 Magnum]] cartridge.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Meanwhile, the Dunrite Bulletproof Vest, produced by Detective Publishing Company Chicago, was used by some members of law enforcement. The vest itself was made of wool, but it's protection came from 15 pounds of metal.

Vests of that sort were often stolen or obtained in other ways by gangsters (Such as originals or copies being sold directly to them in secret). One Dunrite Bullet Bullerproof Vest was found in the back of Bonnie and Clyde’s car.<ref name=":0" />

===Second World War===
{{see also|Stalnoi Nagrudnik}}
[[File:Japanese World War II bulletproof vest.jpg|right|thumb|A Japanese vest, which used overlapping armour plates]]
In 1940, the [[Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)|Medical Research Council]] in Britain proposed the use of a lightweight suit of armour for general use by infantry, and a heavier suit for troops in more dangerous positions, such as [[anti-aircraft]] and naval gun crews. By February 1941, trials had begun on body armour made of [[mangalloy]] plates. Two plates covered the front area and one plate on the lower back protected the kidneys and other vital organs. Five thousand sets were made and evaluated to almost unanimous approval – as well as providing adequate protection, the armour didn't severely impede the mobility of the soldier and were reasonably comfortable to wear. The armor was introduced in 1942 although the demand for it was later scaled down.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} In northwestern Europe, The [[2nd Canadian Division during World War II]] also adopted this armour for medical personnel.

The British company [[Wilkinson Sword]] began to produce [[flak jacket]]s for bomber crews in 1943 under contract with the [[Royal Air Force]]. The majority of pilot deaths in the air were due to low-velocity fragments rather than bullets. The [[Surgeon General of the United States Air Force]], Colonel M. C. Grow, who was stationed in Britain, thought that many wounds he was treating could have been prevented by some kind of light armor. Two types of armor were issued for different specifications. These jackets were made of [[nylon]]<ref>Stephan, Restle (1997). Ballistische Schutzwesten und Stichschutzoptionen. Bischofszell: Kabinett Verlag, p.61.</ref> and capable of stopping [[8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37/41|flak]] and fragmentation, but were not designed to stop bullets. Although they were considered too bulky for pilots using the [[Avro Lancaster]], they were adopted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]].

In the early stages of [[World War II]], the United States also designed body armor for [[infantry]]men, but most models were too heavy and mobility-restricting to be useful in the field and incompatible with existing required equipment. Near the middle of 1944, development of infantry body armor in the United States restarted. Several vests were produced for the US military, including but not limited to the T34, the T39, the T62E1, and the M12. The United States developed a vest using [[doron plate]], a [[fiberglass]]-based [[fibre-reinforced plastic]]. These vests were first used in the [[Battle of Okinawa]] in 1945.<ref name="King1953">{{cite journal |url=http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/lightweight_body_armor.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000126161617/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/lightweight_body_armor.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 January 2000 |title=Lightweight Body Armor |first=Ludlow |last=King |journal=Ordnance |date=January–February 1953 |access-date=2008-11-12}}</ref>

[[File:Flak jacket 1942.jpg|left|thumb|Sn-42 Body Armor, {{c.|1942}}]]
The [[Soviet Armed Forces]] used several types of body armour, including the SN-42 (from ''[[Stalnoi Nagrudnik]]'', Russian for "steel breastplate" and the number denotes the design year). All were tested, but only the SN-42 was put in production. It consisted of two pressed steel plates that protected the front torso and groin. The plates were 2&nbsp;mm thick and weighed 3.5&nbsp;kg (7.7&nbsp;lb). This armour was generally supplied to assault engineers (SHISBr) and [[tank desant|''tank desantniki'']]. The SN armour protected wearers from [[9×19mm Parabellum|9×19mm]] bullets fired by an [[MP 40]] submachine gun at around {{Convert|100|m|yd|abbr=on}}, and sometimes it was able to deflect [[7.92×57mm Mauser|7.92 Mauser]] rifle bullets (and bayonet blades), but only at very low angle. This made it useful in urban battles such as the [[Battle of Stalingrad]]. However, the SN's weight made it impractical for infantry in the open. Some apocryphal accounts note point blank deflection of 9mm bullets,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Russian army body armor — Encyclopedia of safety|url=https://survincity.com/2013/08/the-russian-army-body-armor/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=survincity.com|date=8 August 2013 }}</ref> and testing of similar armour supports this theory.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McCollum|first=Ian|date=2015-06-25|title=Testing Reproduction WWI German Trench Armor|url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/testing-reproduction-wwi-german-trench-armor/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Forgotten Weapons|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Postwar===
During the [[Korean War]] several new vests were produced for the United States military, including the M-1951, which made use of [[fibre-reinforced plastic]] or [[aluminium]] segments woven into a [[nylon]] vest.  These vests represented "a vast improvement on weight, but the armor failed to stop bullets and fragments very successfully," {{citation needed|date=March 2014}} although officially they were claimed to be able to stop [[7.62×25mm Tokarev]] pistol rounds at the muzzle. Such vests equipped with Doron Plate have, in informal testing, defeated .45 ACP handgun ammunition. Developed by Natick Laboratories (now the [[Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center]]) and introduced in 1967, T65-2 plate carriers were the first vests designed to hold hard [[ceramic plate]]s, making them capable of stopping [[7 mm caliber#7.8 mm (.308 in) rifle cartridges (commonly known as .308, 30 caliber, 7.62 mm)|7 mm rifle]] rounds.

These "Chicken Plates" were made of either [[boron carbide]], [[silicon carbide]], or [[aluminium oxide]]. They were issued to the crew of low-flying aircraft, such as the [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|UH-1]] and [[Fairchild C-123 Provider|UC-123]], during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Barron1969">{{cite web |publisher=[[United States Army Soldier Systems Center|U.S. Army Natick Laboratories]] |first1=Edward R. |last1=Barron |first2=Alice F |last2=Park |first3=Anthony L |last3=Alesi |title=Body Armor for Aircrewman |access-date=2008-11-12 |date=January 1969 |url=http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/AD688122 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523192911/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/AD688122 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2012 |format=PDF }}</ref><ref name="Whoare2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.vietnamgear.com/Article.aspx?Art=91 |title=Who are you calling Chicken? |date=2006-07-03 |publisher=VietnamGear.com |access-date=2008-11-12}}</ref>

Conscious of US developments during the Korean War, the Soviet Union also began the development of body armour for its troops, resulting in the adoption of the [[6B1 ballistic vest|6b1 vest]] in 1957. This marked a shift away from previous systems like the SN-42, which relied on large, monolithic plates that were inflexible and substantially affected a soldier's balance. The 6b1, and all subsequent Soviet body armour, would rely upon ballistic-fabric wrapped plates, initially steel and later titanium and boron carbide. Between 1957 and 1958, anywhere between 1500 and 5000 6b1 vests were produced, but they were subsequently put in storage and not issued until the early years of the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], where they were used in limited quantities, and were able to resist shrapnel and Tokarev rounds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Besedovskyy |first=Vlad |date=2023-02-19 |title=The coolest and the rarest- 6b1 body armor vest |url=https://www.safar-publishing.com/post/6b1-body-armor-vest |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Safar Publishing |language=en}}</ref>

In 1969, American Body Armor was founded and began to produce a patented combination of quilted nylon faced with multiple steel plates. This armor configuration was marketed to American law enforcement agencies by [[Smith & Wesson]] under the [[trade name]] "Barrier Vest." The Barrier Vest was the first police vest to gain wide use during high-threat police operations.

In 1971, research chemist [[Stephanie Kwolek]] discovered a liquid crystalline polymer solution. Its exceptional strength and stiffness led to the invention of [[Kevlar]], a synthetic fibre, woven into a fabric and layered, that, by weight, has five times the tensile strength of steel.<ref name="Kwolek">{{cite web|title=Stephanie L. Kwolek|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/stephanie-l-kwolek|website=Science History Institute|access-date=20 March 2018|date=June 2016}}</ref> In the mid-1970s, [[DuPont]], the company which employed Kwolek, introduced Kevlar. Immediately Kevlar was incorporated into a [[National Institute of Justice]] (NIJ) evaluation program to provide lightweight, able body armour to a test pool of American law enforcement officers to ascertain if everyday able wearing was possible. [[Lester Shubin]], a program manager at the NIJ, managed this law enforcement feasibility study within a few selected large police agencies and quickly determined that Kevlar body armor could be comfortably worn by police daily, and would save lives.

In 1975 Richard A. Armellino, the founder of American Body Armor, marketed an all Kevlar vest called the K-15, consisting of 15 layers of Kevlar that also included a 5" × 8" ballistic steel "Shok Plate" positioned vertically over the heart and was issued US Patent #3,971,072 for this innovation.<ref name="Patent1976">{{cite web |url=http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/3971072.html |title=US Patent 3971072 – Lightweight armor and method of fabrication |date=1976-07-27 |publisher=PatentStorm LLC |access-date=2008-11-12 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612221418/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/3971072.html |archive-date=2011-06-12 }}</ref> Similarly sized and positioned "trauma plates" are still used today on most vests, reducing blunt trauma and increasing ballistic protection in the center-mass heart/sternum area.

In 1976, Richard Davis, founder of [[Second Chance (body armor)|Second Chance Body Armor]], designed the company's first all-Kevlar vest, the Model Y. The lightweight, able vest industry was launched and a new form of daily protection for the modern police officer was quickly adopted.  By the mid-to-late 1980s, an estimated 1/3 to 1/2 of police patrol officers{{Where|date=August 2011}} wore able vests daily.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} By 2006, more than 2,000 documented police vest "saves" were recorded, validating the success and efficiency of lightweight able body armor as a standard piece of everyday police equipment.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

===Recent years===
[[File:Modular Tactical Vest Okinawa.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|US Marines being issued the [[Modular Tactical Vest|MTV]] at [[Camp Foster]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan]]
During the 1980s, the US military issued the [[PASGT]] kevlar vest, tested privately at NIJ level IIA by several sources, able to stop pistol rounds (including 9&nbsp;mm FMJ), but intended and approved only for fragmentation.  [[West Germany]] issued a similar rated vest called the Splitterschutzweste.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}

During the early 1980s, body armor vests began to see widespread use by several countries in addition to more prolific users like the US and UK. Following the 1982 Israeli intervention during the [[Lebanese Civil War]], body armor was widely issued to Israeli troops as well as European peacekeepers and to a lesser degree, by Syrian troops. During the Soviet-Afghan war the obsolete 6b1 was rapidly replaced by the 6b2, which was issued from 1980 onward and by 1983 was issued to the vast majority of the 40th army.

Kevlar soft armor had its shortcomings because if "large fragments or high velocity bullets hit the vest, the energy could cause life-threatening, blunt trauma injuries" <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onlinesafetydepot.com/kevlar-and-behind-armor-blunt-trama-babt/|title=Kevlar and Behind Armor Blunt Trauma (BABT)|date=11 January 2023 }}</ref> in selected, vital areas. [[Ranger Body Armor]] was developed for the American military in 1991. Although it was the second modern US body armor that was able to stop rifle caliber rounds and still be light enough to be worn by infantry soldiers in the field, (first being the ISAPO, or Interim Small Arms Protective Overvest,) it still had its flaws: "it was still heavier than the concurrently issued PASGT (Personal Armor System for Ground Troops) anti-fragmentation armor worn by regular infantry and ... did not have the same degree of ballistic protection around the neck and shoulders." {{Citation needed|date=March 2014}} The format of Ranger Body Armor (and more recent body armor issued to US special operations units) highlights the trade-offs between force protection and mobility that modern body armor forces organizations to address.

[[File:BelgianMalinoisasK9unit.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bulletproof vest with [[Belgian Malinois]] as [[Police dog|K-9 unit]]]]
Newer armor issued by the [[United States armed forces]] to large numbers of troops includes the [[United States Army]]'s [[Improved Outer Tactical Vest]] and the [[United States Marine Corps]] [[Modular Tactical Vest]]. All of these systems are designed with the vest intended to provide protection from fragments and pistol rounds. Hard ceramic plates, such as the [[Small Arms Protective Insert]], as used with Interceptor Body Armor, are worn to protect the vital organs from higher level threats. These threats mostly take the form of high velocity and armor-piercing rifle rounds. Similar types of protective equipment have been adopted by modern armed forces over the world.

[[File:Indonesian BRIMOB police officers.jpg|thumb|upright|Indonesian Special Police "[[Mobile Brigade (Indonesia)|Brimob]]" personnel and an officer (left) with bulletproof vests in [[Jakarta]] during the [[2016 Jakarta attacks]]]]
Since the 1970s, several new fibers and construction methods for bulletproof fabric have been developed besides woven Kevlar, such as [[DSM (company)|DSM]]'s [[Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene|Dyneema]], [[Honeywell]]'s [[Gold Flex]] and [[Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene|Spectra]], [[Teijin Aramid|Teijin Aramid's]] [[Twaron]], Pinnacle Armor's [[Dragon Skin (body armor)|Dragon Skin]], and Toyobo's [[Zylon]]. The US military has developed body armor for the [[Dogs in warfare|working dog]]s who aid soldiers in battle.<ref name=DoD20050225>{{cite news|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25801|title=Canine Units in Afghanistan Issued New Protective Vests|agency=[[American Forces Press Service]]|work=DefenseLINK|first=Cheryl|last=Ransford|date=2005-02-25|access-date=2008-01-25|quote=Army Sgt. 1st Class Erika Gordon, kennel master for the 25th Military Police Company, uses a building for cover while her military working dog, Hanna, clears a doorway at the military-operations-in-urban-terrain training site at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan recently. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113185834/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25801|archive-date=13 January 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>