The Main Directorate for the Development of Material Support of the Ministry of Defense has approved a lightweight bulletproof vest.

The press service of the Defense Ministry reported on this.

The new bulletproof vest is designed to protect certain vital organs of the body during combat operations by servicemen of the Armed Forces and the State Special Transport Service.

“We have made another important step towards improving the provision of modern personal protective equipment to our military. The lightweight body armor provides high protection and comfort during combat missions, particularly for the Special Forces and Airborne Troops. Such body armor will be especially useful for servicemen in reconnaissance groups and units where it is important to combine lightness, mobility, and reliability of protection,” the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Dmytro Klimenkov, stated in a press release.

The lightweight body armor kit consists of basic and additional elements.

The main set consists of a frontal cover with soft and hard armor elements, a frontal cover with a soft ballistic element, a hard armor element, and shoulder pads.

The kit also includes a chamberband, side covers with a soft ballistic element, and a bowel protection cover in the form of a bag with a soft ballistic element.

In addition, the kit includes protection for the neck, shoulders, groin, tailbone, and hips, a load-bearing strap, a buoyancy element, and a structural element for servicewomen.

Additional elements of the delivery set are determined by the customer. All additional elements of the lightweight body armor have soft ballistic protection.

All soft armor elements of the lightweight body armor have protection class 1, and hard armor elements have protection class 6+.

The lightweight vest is available in four sizes – S, M, L, and XL. The weight of the vest ranges from 7.5 to 12 kg, depending on the size and configuration.

Approval of the Lightweight Body Armor standard will allow the procuring of new models of personal protective equipment and expanding the range of suppliers to meet the needs of the Armed Forces and the State Service of Ukraine for Special Operations.

The Ministry of Defense announced the testing of a new bulletproof vest model in July 2024.