India joins select group of nations to have its own standard of bulletproof jackets

In a first-ever for India, indigenous bulletproof jackets will be available for the Indian soldiers. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday showcased the jackets being made under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The jackets have been made on the standards set by the Bureau of India Standard (BIS) which was notified on December 2018. This standard has been formulated following the directions of Niti Aayog and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The standard is expected to fulfil the long pending demand of Indian Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces and State Police Forces and will assist them in streamlining their procurement process.

Addressing the media after showcasing the jackets, Paswan expressed happiness over the fact that India has now joined the selected league of nations such as the US, UK and Germany to have its own standard for bulletproof jackets. The Minister said that these jackets are lightweight weighing between 5-10 kg depending on the threat level and are of the best quality in the world. Talking about the prices of the jackets it was informed that these jackets range from Rs 70,000 to 80,000 which is considerably lesser than the price of the jackets which were being procured earlier.

Paswan said that these jackets are already being exported to other nations. He said that this will also lead to an increase in the employment generation across the nation. Paswan congratulated the BIS officials for this feat and said that their efforts and contribution for setting such standards should be recognised and appreciated.

A former Army personnel showcased the jacket and explained its salient features to the media. The jackets have a dynamic weight distribution system which makes it feel half its actual weight and also has an easy to open and release system to ensure that the jawans can easily wear and remove the jackets as per their requirement without much effort. These jackets also allow the jawans to use his weapon with ease while getting 360-degree protection from bullets. Maximum areal densities for Soft Armour Panel (SAP) and Hard Armour Panel (HAP) has been specified for these jackets.

As the critical performance requirements and their evaluation procedures have been clearly brought out in this standard, it will ensure the availability of quality bulletproof jackets at an economical price. Central Armed Police Forces like CRPF, BSF, SSB, CISF, NSG etc. have already initiated the process of procuring such jackets.