The weight of the dead Indian soldiers is also on the missing body armour. the army needs them now

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ISince the advent of modern warfare, strategy – the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield – has been shaped by the functional components of ‘firepower’, ‘protection’ and ‘mobility’, Which, in turn, remained in a constant state of competition with each other. The development of modern strategy suggests that technological advances in any of these tasks have complemented advances in others to neutralize the advantage.

It is surprising that despite all the empirical knowledge, the issue of security of soldiers in terms of providing ‘body armor’ and helmets remained neglected, even more so, when the casualties of personnel may decide the outcome of the battle and the soldiers requires physically defending and capturing strategic ground. Also, a casualty in a war costs the state twice as much as a living soldier, besides suffering the families and the public at large. At the start of World War I, which was horrific in terms of casualties, it was concluded that up to 75 percent of all battlefield casualties could have occurred. stopped With the help of effective body armor and helmets.

For the past 50 years, body armor has been an essential part of a soldier’s equipment. I analyze the latest trends in modern body armor and link it to the Indian Army experience.

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Trends in Body Armor – Weight vs. Safety

Body armor and helmets have been around since the advent of muskets in the 16th century. Over time, the use of body armor and helmets declined as their weight hindered mobility. In the 20th century, two world wars were fought without any armor. However, since 20 percent of all war injuries were HeadVery effective helmets were developed at the end of World War I.

The rifle’s caliber decreased from 7.62 mm to 5.56 mm by 1980 due to the lack of body armor. With the advent of modern body armor in the last five decades, the 7.62 mm caliber bullet with a steel core has also made a comeback.

it was the development of Kevlar, a synthetic fiber, by Stephanie Kovalek in 1965 that revolutionized military security systems. Commercially available since 1971, it has become a mainstay of personal protective equipmentTea (PPE), in which all modern body armor and helmets are made of synthetic fibers such as Kevlar, combined with metal or ceramic plates called trauma plates. Synthetic fiber blocks/prevents bullet/shrapnel penetration and metal/ceramic plates absorb impact/shock.

With the focus on minimizing casualties by maximizing safety and the return of the 7.62 mm steel core bullet, body armor and helmets became heavier. The weight of a bullet-proof jacket worn by US Army soldiers has doubled since the mid-1980s, when it was only four Kilogram. The protection of other important parts such as the waist, knees, elbows and face further added to the weight. Today the US soldier’s PPE weighs 13-14 kg. This load severely restricts the mobility and efficiency of soldiers. In 2017, Senate Standing Committee on Defense The matter was specifically investigated.

Notwithstanding the downside of the increased weight of PPE, it has proved to be a life saver in all struggles. Based on World War I studies cited above, modern PPE reduces casualties by two-thirds.

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The Quest for Lighter Body Armor

With the weight exceeding safety for nearly two decades, not only was the soldier’s mobility and efficiency hampered, but musculoskeletal injury There was also a 10-fold increase from 2003 to 2009. All modern armies are now seized with the challenge of reducing the weight of PPE.

The first step was to design modular PPE for different roles based on the varying needs of the war. In close combat, the loss of mobility may result in more casualties. Therefore, lighter versions of ceramic/steel impact/trauma plates may be used and some add-on protective equipment discarded.

The search for lighter material has also started. The development of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which derives its strength from longer molecules, has offered a lightweight alternative to prevent the penetration of tablets and pellets. The strength of this material can be up to 15 times greater than that of steel. However, it does not protect against impact/trauma for which ceramic/steel plates are used.

New materials such as boron carbide are being developed to make lightweight ceramic plates. The use of nanotechnology, in which materials are manipulated on a molecular/supra-molecular scale, can help produce lightweight body armor, like clothing. Another approach is to use the emerging lightweight material to integrate other items of equipment carried by soldiers into body armor.

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Indian Army Experience

The Indian Army was a late start in regards to the adoption of PPE for soldiers. We continued to use World War II helmets until 1974 when fiberglass helmets were gradually introduced. These proved ineffective in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir. “One hurried A low-cost solution, the ‘Bulletproof Patka’ helmet was designed by Major General VK Dutta in the early 1990s, and is still standard issue in counter-insurgency operations.”

Disadvantages are 2.5 kg weight, limited protection above and no facilities for add-on equipment. In 2018 alone, 1,58,000 Kevlar-based modern helmets worth Rs 170 crore were procured from Kanpur-based defense company, MKU. However, these too proved ineffective against AK-47 steel core bullets used by terrorists. To improve effectiveness, a ceramic plate was purchased from another firm and used as an add-on. This process started last year 1,00,000 Modern Helmets AK-47’s steel core bullets can be stopped at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

The story of bullet proof jackets is no different. These were introduced in small numbers in the late 1990s, but proved to be heavy and low on safety. Even these were in short supply and could meet only 30-40 per cent of the requirement by the mid-2000s. Soldiers were reluctant to wear them because of the weight. As an army commander in 2007-2008, whenever I was with soldiers I had to set an example by wearing one of these jackets that despite the heavy weight, the jacket was a lifesaver. Over the past decade, vigorous efforts have been made to make up the shortfall, but modern body armor is only just getting started.

the silver lining is that D R d o And this private industry Now able to develop and produce state-of-the-art PPE. The Indian Armed Forces have the added advantage of the unprecedented research done by modern armies to strike a balance between security and weight/mobility. The challenge is to refine our qualitative requirements and meet the budget.

As per my estimates, the cost of complete state-of-the-art mass production of PPE can be around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh per soldier. Ideally, all personnel should be equipped with PPE, but for frontline soldiers (around 50-60 per cent of the total personnel strength), this is unavoidable. The Indian Armed Forces will require 0.8 to 1.4 million sets costing Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore. It itself dictates progressive introduction. Even the cost of equipping only combat weapons – 50 per cent of the Indian Army – would be Rs 9,000 crore.

Modern-day PPE sets can reduce our battle casualties by two-thirds. from Jammu and Kashmir, 1990 To 2021Around 5,500 security personnel have been killed in the action. A state-of-the-art PPE could have saved 70 percent of these personnel. No one can describe the urgency of mass production of PPE better than this.

Lt Gen HS Panag PVSM, AVSM (R), served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. After retirement, he was a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal. He tweets @rwac48. Thoughts are personal.

(edited by Prashant)

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