PARIS -- Revision Military, a popular ballistic eyewear maker, is expanding its Batlskin line to offer a new line of body armor. The company displayed their new rifle plates here at Eurosatory 12.
Following the launch of its Batlskin helmet, the company is now offering rifle plates that are lighter and more durable than the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, or ESAPI, Revision officials maintain.
David Puckett of Revision was quick to point out that the new plates are currently designed for German and Canadian military requirements, but "we do have variants of this plate that are appropriate for the U.S. market as well."
The non-oxide, ceramic plate is "about 12 percent lighter than the ESAPI" in its Level B configuration, which is designed to stop one round of armor-piercing ammo. The Level C plate is designed to take two hits of AP ammo but is slightly heavier, he said.
The strike face is covered with an energy-absorbing layer designed to reduce damage from impacts from falls or rock strikes. "A lot of the design work went into the durability of the plate," Puckett said. It goes through four impact drops, one on each corner onto a steel plate. Then it's placed flat and a five-pound steel speer is dropped onto the strike face three times from two and a half meters high. Then we shoot the impact location with an armor-piercing bullet."
This improved durability will reduce the likelihood of structural cracks which can create weak points in the protection level, he said.
"It's what we would consider to be an evolutionary improvement over the current state-of-the art," he said. "It's not a revolutionary plate, but it is more durable and lighter weight than what is on the market today. For revision, you can expect to see in the future a full soldier protection ensemble under Batlskin."
