Another Safariland armor plate has satisfied the hard armor plate requirements of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) new Voluntary Body Armor Compliance Testing Program under NIJ Standard-0101.06 (NIJ-06).
The Model Number 2220-1 is part of the PROTECH Tactical line of hard armor plates and has been tested to defeat one impact from a .30 Caliber M2-AP (Armor Piercing) round. Manufactured using a ceramic-aramid composite, the 2220-1 is a contoured, multi-curve plate design with a military-style shooter’s cut to offer greater range of motion in the arm and upper chest area while shouldering a long arm weapon. The addition of the 2220-1 rifle plate makes it the third hard armor plate certified under the new, robust NIJ-06 standard.
The NIJ introduced the Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06 to establish minimum performance requirements and test methods for the ballistic resistance of personal body armor in order to improve performance so that officers receive adequate protection against those threats likely faced over the next decade. According to the new NIJ-06 standard, hard armor must now be tested with uniformed thermal exposure, thermal cycling and mechanical durability testing. In addition, each hard armor plate must be submerged in water and tested wet.
The 2220-1 hard armor rifle plate is tested as stand-alone, which gives tactical officers the versatility to use the plate in conjunction with soft armor, or in a stand-alone configuration with a load carrying vest or plate rack. Dual usage of this plate makes it ideal for tactical and first responder officers.
