Body Armour Development

Flexible Level III and IV

US Soldiers' armor troubles are in the headlines these days -- and Pinnacle Armor, Inc. is doing its part to help the armed forces on the individual level, with this innovative body armor that reduces rifle rounds to shrapnel.

The future of armor: Pinnacle Armor Inc. SOV-1000 Level III "scalar" body armor shot with multiple 7.62x51mm M80 ball steel-jacketed rounds at 2850-2900 fps, at a distance of 15ft (muzzle to body armor). The rounds were all successfully stopped with minimal backface deformation signature (BDS).

Looking for the future of armor? Our armed forces certainly are. Protection is the buzzword in the news these days, with everything from Humvees (HMMWVs) to individual body armor getting scrutinized. For those who want to get a taste of the next step in body armor's evolution, look no further than Pinnacle Armor Inc., out of Fresno, California, which is currently producing some of the most advanced hard and soft ballistic armor solutions in the world. What does the future hold? Flexible hard armor systems, with the weight of a soft armor vest but the stopping power of hard plate armor, thanks to a combination of highly advanced ballistic ceramic and titanium composites, and ballistic fiber technology.

The Pinnacle SOV-1000 titanium composite and SOV-2000 ceramic composite flexible hard armor system ballistic vests feature DRAGON SKINŽ, which is basically significantly enhanced multi-hit Level III and (pending) Level IV flexible "scalar" hard armor that's significantly superior, ballistically and durability-wise (more on this latter aspect, later), to the more inflexible, conventional NIJ Level III and NIJ Level IV ceramic hard armor multi-hit SAPI plates. These vests consist of silver dollar-sized (perhaps slightly larger) circular ballistic ceramic or titanium discs that are configured like scales (think fish or snake) over a given area.

SOV-1000 and SOV-2000 multi-hit Level III "+" and pending Level IV "+" flexible hard body armor/ballistic vests can be custom-configured in terms coverage area, all the way up to complete torso coverage. If someone needs complete front, rear, and side protection over the entire area of the vest, Pinnacle Armor Inc. can provide it. If the customer wants (Pinnacle's) multi-hit Level III or Level IV ballistic (a.k.a. anti-ballistic) protection (or a combination of the two) on the front and sides, with just Level IIIa and Mil-Std fragmentation protection on the back of the vest, they can do that, too. Or how about Level III or Level IV anti-ballistic/ballistic protection on the entire front and rear of the vest, with level IIIa/fragmentation ballistic protection on the shoulder straps and sides? Any combination/configuration is possible.

So, what kind of threats can the Level III SOV-1000 (titanium composite) and SOV-2000 (ceramic composite) flexible hard armor systems protect against? This is from the Pinnacle Armor Inc. website:

The MIL-STD SOV-1000 and 2000 Level III flexible body armor systems will defeat the following rifle rounds that normally fall into the Level IV category, and all lesser threats.

7.62 x 39 mm 125 GR, steel case mild steel core - 2300 - 2700 fps.

5.56 x 45 mm 65 GR, M855 (SS109 Green tip) - 3250 - 3900 fps.

To reiterate, this Level III body armor is not the same as other manufacturers' NIJ Level III body armor. Pinnacle likes to significantly exceed the NIJ standard at all protection levels, with all of its products.

The Core Technology

Pinnacle Armor's advanced ballistic ceramic discs/panels are extremely high-tech. They're not just ceramic or titanium -- they are actually composed of advanced ceramic or titanium composite matrixes and laminates that can incorporate other materials. There's even a metal lighter than titanium that Pinnacle Armor is now combining with ceramic that we cannot disclose, which offers a superior level of performance-to-weight ratio over titanium. SOV-1000 titanium composite discs/panels and SOV-2000 ceramic composite discs/panels are approximately 2" in diameter, and their anti-materiel discs, like their "atomic cookie" (discussed two paragraphs down) go up to approx. 3" in diameter.

Pinnacle Armor's most advanced ballistic hard armor, their Level IV "+" ceramic composite flexible body armor, can defeat multiple hits of 7.62x51mm AP rounds, like the Winchester/Olin .308 SLAP (Saboted Light Armour-Penetrating) round, which utilizes a tungsten sabot bullet. This particular level of ballistic protection will only be available to military end-users, although it's not available quite yet. However, it's expected to be ready for U.S. military use in the first quarter of 2006.

Understand, again, that we're talking about a unique and superior version of level IV body armor/ballistic protection, not your conventional, run-of-the-mill NIJ level IV SAPI protection. Pinnacle Armor's unique Level IV "+" flexible ceramic hard armor will successfully take many more hits than conventional/standard NIJ Level IV SAPI plates, and provides coverage over a much greater surface area. In other words, it provides for more complete torso coverage, all the way up to total coverage.

Both the SOV-1000 and SOV-2000 technologies will stop military V0 and V50 threats at military V0 and V50 muzzle velocities, which is higher than NIJ muzzle velocities in the civilian world. The SOV-1000 titanium composite armor was originally designed for ground vehicle, water vessel, and aircraft applications, and offers ballistic and fragmentation resistance comparable to steel at half the weight. The SOV-2000 vest was specifically designed and developed to stop sniper rounds, and can achieve classified capabilities.

We cannot disclose the nature or absolute capabilities of the SOV-1000 titanium composites or SOV-2000 ceramic composites, or what combination/matrix of ballistic fibers Pinnacle Armor Inc. is using in their vests. However, we will say that the versatility of the SOV-2000/Dragon Skin flexible hard armor system is now lending itself to stopping 12.7mm (.50 BMG) and Russian 14.5mm anti-tank ballistic threats for aircraft, watercraft, and ground vehicle applications. Of course, Pinnacle Armor's composite titanium and ceramic armor technologies are far more expensive than steel armor, so up-armoring military Humvees with the much superior SOV/Dragon Skin technology is perhaps still a tough sell, even though it would save even more lives than currently fielded up-armor technologies -- of course, up-armored Humvees are an incredibly hot topic right now in the media.

What's your suit size?: The configurations above are the Dragon Skin options available for the SOV concealable. Dimensions shown are based on a standard large concealable vest.

It should perhaps be noted that I've personally seen what Pinnacle Armor refers to as their "atomic cookie" composite disc/panel, which was designed and developed for vehicle, vessel, and aircraft applications. Specifically, it was developed to protect them against any ballistic threat up to high explosive 20mm cannon projectiles. That's all the author can really say about the "atomic cookie", otherwise Pinnacle Armor Inc. and ARL (U.S. Army Research Laboratory) would perform anti-materiel tests on me, your humble correspondent.

What's most amazing about Pinnacle's SOV/Dragon Skin technology is how thin and light it is for the level of protection it provides. As far as we are aware, no other body armor manufacturer in the world can match Pinnacle Armor's capabilities in this regard, and when you combine that with the armor's flexibility and area of coverage, no one else even comes close. Pinnacle's "scalar" hard armor ceramic disc configuration, which is what allows this hard armor system to be flex and move with the body, is ingenious.

The Test

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Pinnacle Armor's headquarters. While I was there, I got to handle some of Pinnacle's advanced ballistic ceramic composite discs. Needless to say, I was impressed. When I donned one of their SOV-2000 vests, I was even more impressed. The vest I wore offered virtually complete level III protection on the front, back, and sides of the vest. The only area that didn't have the Dragon Skin Level III protection was on the shoulder straps, which were Level IIIa and fragmentation resistant.

Ceramic Stopper: Section of SOV-1000/Dragon Skin disc/panel with 7.62x51mm (.308 Win.) M80 ball round stuck in it. M80 ball is a Level IV ballistic threat, and Pinnacle's SOV-1000 Level III "+" system has stopped it. Backface Deformation Signature is only 9mm (just over 5/16").

SOV-1000 titanium composite disc/panel(s) shot with 7.62x39mm (AK-47/AKM) armor-piercing round with mild-steel-core penetrator. Point of impact is .25 inches from the edge of the disc/panel.

The SOV-2000/Dragon Skin level III vest seemed somewhat heavy when I first picked it up. However, once I put it on, it didn't seem that heavy at all. That's because Pinnacle Armor SOV-2000 (and SOV-1000) vests distribute the weight extremely well, once they're on. The one I had on was brand new, so it was a little stiff, but it was still comfortable. Murray Neal, Pinnacle Armor's CEO, told me that the vest would become more flexible as it was worn. He also pointed out that the Pinnacle Armor SOV/Dragon Skin vests wear very differently than standard soft armor vests that utilize ballistic ceramic plates/inserts. The weight distribution on the SOV/Dragon Skin vests is superior, and the panels stay in tight to the body. With a Pinnacle Armor "scalar" flexible hard armor vest, the wearer stays cooler, even though the vest is still right up against the body. This is because the wearer doesn't have to work as hard to move around while wearing a flexible vest. Less work, less BTUs generated. This aspect, combined with the SOV/Dragon Skin's reduced backface deformation signature capability (more on this in a minute), according to Pinnacle Armor Inc., negates the need to stand the armor 2.5 to 3 inches off the body, and provide air channels for cooling, like body armor technologies being developed elsewhere.

I also had the opportunity to view and handle the remains of military rounds (including AP rounds) that had been fired into Pinnacle Armor's SOV-1000 and SOV-2000 Level III and Level IV "Dragon Skin" vests, and was just blown away. The Pinnacle Armor vests reduced these rounds to shrapnel. I've never seen anything like it. When you see tungsten and tungsten carbide-core rounds obliterated like these rounds were, you just have to shake your head and laugh.

Only it's not funny. It's actually incredibly important, because these Pinnacle Armor Inc. vests can really save lives. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of our troops most likely won't receive personal ballistic protection of this caliber, anytime soon. Pinnacle Armor Inc. body armor costs more money than the old tech, and when it comes to equipping our infantry soldiers and Marines, money is always an issue. It's also unfortunate that on the law enforcement front, most state and local police department and sheriffs' departments have (again, most likely) never even heard of Pinnacle Armor Inc., so their SWAT/SRT teams are still running around with old tech made by big-name body armor/ballistic vest manufacturers, like the standard NIJ Level IIIa hard armor, or Level IV hard armor ballistic ceramic panel inserts, which are thick, heavy, and brittle.

It should be noted that Pinnacle Armor Inc. is privately owned, so they don't have to kowtow to any investors. So, they don't have to compromise quality/performance for the sake of the bottom line. Pinnacle relies on being better, not on increasing/optimizing its stock price/dividends. They're lean and mean. And, here's the kicker: Pinnacle says that they're currently anywhere from 15 to 30 years ahead of the rest of the pack (body armor manufacturers), technologically (depending on the company). According to them, no one else even comes close to what Pinnacle is doing. Based on what I saw and handled (and wore) while I was there, I'm inclined to believe them. The future is here, folks.

So, what will the future cost you? Well, again, it ain't gonna be cheap. A Pinnacle Armor Inc. SOV-2000 Level III ballistic vest with a full torso wrap (that's full Level III torso coverage, including the shoulder straps) will run you about $4,600 US, as this article goes to print. That includes everything -- carrier, molle webbing, etc. The SOV-2000 Level III+ or "enhanced Level III" ballistic vest with full-torso wrap weighs 17.5 lbs, only 1.2 lbs more than the U.S. military's current USMC Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System Outer Tactical Vest (OTV).

Understand that the SOV-2000 Level III ballistic vest with full-torso wrap used to weigh 19.5 lbs, but Pinnacle was able to advance the technology again and reduce the weight of their individual hard armor Dragon Skin discs by 26%, translating into a full 2-pound weight reduction for this particular SOV-2000 version. That's pretty significant. Again, if you need a lighter-weight vest than 17.5 lbs, Pinnacle Armor Inc. can custom-configure the armor to your required specs. You just won't have quite as complete torso coverage. However, you'll still have much greater coverage than the industry-standard 10"x12" SAPI plates/inserts (ceramic hard armor plates/inserts) that pretty much everyone else is using.

The following are some "bullet points" for you to remember about the individual Pinnacle Armor SOV/Dragon Skin flexible hard ceramic and titanium composite discs. They offer:

1. Enhanced impact capability. As you can see in the pictures included with this article, the SOV/Dragon Skin discs can take hits at the edge without failing. They can also take a greater saturation of hits, i.e. more hits over a given area, than traditional ceramic or titanium hard armor plates/inserts (i.e. SAPI plates).
2. Enhanced muli-hit capability. SOV/Dragon Skin discs protect against "multiple repeat hits at muzzle" from 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x51mm, etc. We're talking muzzle-velocity hits, here, folks.
3. Increased V50 speeds on the projectiles.
4. Reduced trauma to the body, due to much less backface deformation signature (BDS). Pinnacle Armor's Level III system has stopped an NIJ Level IV round with only 9mm backface deformation signature. That's just over 5/16th's of an inch BDA. This means the wearer can take multiple hits on the vest and keep fighting effectively. This aspect, by itself, is incredibly important, especially in urban warfare and CQB (Close Quarters Battle) scenarios.
5. 5)Incredible durability (up to 500% greater durability than SAPI plates). While SAPI plates can easily crack or chip if dropped (that's why they say "Handle with Care" on them), you can drop, stomp on, and otherwise beat the proverbial hell out of Pinnacle Armor Inc. body armor. SOV-1000/Dragon Skin body armor can handle being run over by a military Humvee.

About the Author: David Crane is a military defense industry analyst and consultant, and the owner/editor-in-chief of DefenseReview.com. He can be contacted by phone at 305-389-1721.