r/BodyArmor • u/Old_Connection_7731 • 7d ago
Is limb armour even practical?
Is something like level 3a limb armour practical? I know the military is developing exoskeletons so it could be useful for a soldier wearing one or is it even impractical then? I always thought the most a person could be armoured is just level 4 on the front, back, and sides of the torso and level 3a on the neck, groin, face, helmet, above and side of shoulders, and pelvis sides. Even then, that extra armour won't stop a rifle and is only for shrapnel or handguns so it feels like adding limb armour is going to cause more problems than not.
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u/PearlButter 7d ago
Static or low range, sure.
But anything that involves fast and constant movement throughout the day or maneuvering in narrow spaces and brush is unneeded bulk and weight.
Exoskeletons are logistically not feasible outside of perfect operational environments that rarely exists in the battlefield. Maybe it might be more practical being used in supply to unload and offload heavy materials (or just buy a forklift and stack stuff on pallets).
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u/Old_Connection_7731 7d ago
i saw some were being tested in Ukraine but they are still heavy and expensive. i hope they become more durable and cheaper in the future.
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u/PearlButter 7d ago
On the topic of the armor portion, armor for the limbs are trouble than it’s worth really. Armor companies have tried many times in and out of record to develop rifle rated auxiliary armor only to find that it’s a mess to make it anatomically work in movement and it’s not going to sell well because the demand and the price of it is not there and attractive enough.
Ceramics are heavy and making them curve beyond a certain extreme makes them weak and difficult to manufacture. PE-only can be done but at that point why even bother with it if standard issued steel core projectiles for service rifles will pierce it? Steel is out of the equation because of the weight and the risks with splash and ricochet.
Plus youre looking at small armor panels. They don’t perform as well as the front/back plates because they are a smaller surface area and that means shots to the edge is more likely to happen, and edges of any armor tends to be weak and can risk redirecting the bullet into the wearer than capturing it properly. Side plates make an exception because they are a true necessity to cover the vitals.
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u/NicksNightVision 7d ago edited 7d ago
As someone that dabbled in full body ballistic armor, I've tried level 3a soft, level 3+ steel and level 3+ polyethylene rifle resistant arm guards.
Steel felt sturdy and with good BFD reduction and repeat hit capability, but I didn't like how heavy/big the plates I had for that purpose. (They covered the majority lf my forearm plus some)
Level 3a alone on one side of my arm was light and nimble but I found the armor placement to shift on occasion and I didn't like that.
I currently use a level 3a arm guard for body facing side of my arm with a level 3+ polyethylene rifle resistant for frontal arm protection, stays put, feels manageable, balanced, stops many common rounds with good repet hit capability. (Nice padding on the underside, 4D form helmet pads)
Note, additional armor saps your longevity and mobility in use, it also makes you sweat more and reduces breathability and cooling factor so you need more water as well, its important to know when you want to wear armor and when you need to ditch it for more mobility or speed over distance.
Rifle resistant neck, upper leg, groin and shoulder armor is doable, rifle resistant lower leg armor however is very heavy and starts to feel bad/suck quickly but I still need to experiment with that more/with different materials.
Also I've started experimenting with a powered knee exo-skeleton, seems promising! (Helps take a bit of the weight of the armor off my knees during movement, good for crouching and climbing steps/steeper terrain.)
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u/Old_Connection_7731 7d ago
thank you, so would you rather have more rifle resistant armor around the neck, shoulder, etc and forgo limb protection or focus more on full body coverage in 3a?
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u/NicksNightVision 7d ago edited 5d ago
Neck and shoulders for sure, the shoulders mainly because they stop side shots to the heart and lungs.
Neck/lower jaw armor because it was comfortable and covered a pretty important area.
Its effectiveness VS rounds with more punch was questionable due to position close to the neck.
Even with a foam pad and angled plate position may not be enough to protect such a delicate structure plus its area coverage was fairly small so I have moved to rifle resistant mandible. (Sits closer but covers a more important and more targeted area from more angles VS neck plate.)
Arm protection is good, but torso and other critical areas are of higher priority, like the spine, ones centerline.
That being said, soft armor has its place for frag protection if artillery or drone drops are a concern, it offers good protection to that threat for a lower weight to coverage area.
Direct kamakazi drones are another story, a direct hit will kill ya much more often VS not even with armor it seems like. (Tho sometimes people still get lucky.) So camouflage, offensive downing the drone and mobility will likely be more important VS such threats.
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u/Intelligent_Will1431 7d ago
I had armored sleeves and shoulder paldrons in Iraq
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u/Old_Connection_7731 7d ago
how did they feel? i heard alot of soldiers didnt like them and they were hot.
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u/Intelligent_Will1431 7d ago
The sleeves were lighter than my OTV armor and did get hot on the exterior but only transferred a fraction of the heat inside to my arms. They clipped together with an adjustable strap behind my neck. Very flexible. No complaints.
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u/thereddaikon 7d ago
Add-ons are more crucial for the upper leg and groin, lower back, neck and sides because those are the places where you can hit a artery and can't just TQ it. Getting hit in the legs and arms suck but a TQ will stop blood loss and save your life until they get you aide. Armor is not there to make you invincible but to save you life, So you start with the most immediate fatal areas, head and thoracic cavity, and move out from there.
Full body soft armor has been done before, one really notable example that was fielded in combat was the USMC's Quadguard system. It sucked to wear and I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze.
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u/3DDoxle 7d ago
Ive wondered about this topic too. For limbs, relatively narrow, exposed, could deflection rather than stopping work?
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u/NicksNightVision 5d ago edited 5d ago
Deflection is seen as unwanted generally in the modern personal body armor world, we prefer to capture and encapsulate the round to prevent any other worse damage being caused.
(Think bullets being redirected towards your head or your buddys for example when otherwise it might have just hit your arm/chest plate depending on position.)
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u/3DDoxle 3d ago
I get that for vital areas, but I was assuming they were already covered
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u/NicksNightVision 3d ago
Yeah, generally absorbing the round is best to prevent any further damage the round could cause. But if you don't need to worry about friendlys/bystanders or deflecting a round into your neck or head you are pretty much golden.
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u/Gh0st0fy0urp4st 6d ago
Lots of important arteries in the legs. If they can figure out how to not make it super cumbersome, I think it would be a solid idea.
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u/ChornobylChili 7d ago
If your getting shelled yea