DRDO develops lightweight bullet-proof jacket for Army

DRDO develops lightweight bullet-proof jacket for Army

The government-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a lightweight bullet-proof jacket that weighs nine kg and meets the qualitative requirements of the Indian Army, the defence ministry said. Kanpur-based Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), which is one of the laboratories of the DRDO, has developed this jacket, a ministry statement said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and its lab DMSRDE for developing the new jacket. “India needs more such innovative product design and development to realise the dream of #AtmaNirbharBharat,” he said on Twitter. The front hard armour panel technology used for this new jacket reduces the weight of medium sized bullet proof jacket from 10.4 kg to nine kg, the ministry’s statement said. Very specific materials and processing technologies have been developed in the laboratories for the purpose. The Army for over a decade has faced a huge shortage of modern BPJs, which can provide 360-degree protection to soldiers in combat and counter-insurgency operations, including from latest hard steel core bullets. The DRDO Chairman, Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the DMSRDE team for the development.