2009 has been the most deadly year for ISAF in Afghanistan since operations there started, due to the insurgents’ increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The IED is already the main cause of coallition casualties, and as the Taliban become more organized and professional, as stated by NATO officials, the threats posed from IEDs will only get more pronounced.
It is a fact that many of those how have been killed or injured by IEDs were cases in which bomb fragments pierced body amour through gaps between the heavy SAPI plates, or in areas not covered by the vest at all. Those fragments which hit the plates themselves would not have perforated.
A test done in the US which were shown on the National Geographic channel earlier this year paid testement to the velocity of shrapnel thrown up by an IED: at a range of between 5m and 20m, shrapnel will reach a velocity of 850m/s; at a range of less than 5m, the shrapnels velocity is up to 1,300m/s. Considering that a standard soft vest with NIJ IIIA level has a V-50 value of up to 600m/s according to NATO stanag 2920, it is obvious to see why allied forces are so vulnerable to an IED strike.
CPE’s standard Tac IED (Basic) has a V-50 of 1070m/s, on top of that it also reduce the pressure/impact in the body, subsequently saving lives. The basic vest can also stop 7,62×39 FMJ rounds from 5 meters, and can easily be upgraded to stop AK-47 MSC and SS109.
Tests done shows that CPE’s Tac IED vest is as comfortable as a standard soft vest with plates, but increases the area of protection by 80% at no extra weight cost. Our vests are already used by many allied ground troops in Afghanistan, where they continue to save lives almost every day.
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