India Develops New Game-Changer Bulletproof Jacket
Militants operate from rugged terrain in Kashmir, which is full of deep gorges, high mountains, and jungles spread over hundreds of kilometers in addition to using sophisticated weaponry against Indian soldiers, Major General Sanjay Soi (Retd) told Sputnik India.
In contrast, Indian troops have to move around these areas and face their bullets from an elevated position and or from hidden locations in dense forests, he highlighted.
"That's why it is the need of the hour to have a lightweight bulletproof jacket because everything the soldiers carry on their shoulders adds to the weight they carry, reducing their mobility, flexibility, and agility," Soi stressed.
"The ABHED jackets are capable of providing protection from steel core bullets, especially the upper body parts, groin, and neck areas. It can prevent the SLR, AK-47, and other mild steel core bullets from piercing the bodies of Indian soldiers as and when they are fired at them by the terrorists," he underlined.
In a nutshell, the development of ABHED bulletproof jackets could make Indian soldiers much more secure from the adversary, especially at a time when terrorists are deploying hidden-terrorism tactics in the Jammu region, where they launch a surprise attack on a convoy before vanishing in the thick maze of trees in the mountains, he reckoned.
Bulletproof jackets are essential for the protection of Indian soldiers, both in counter-terror operations and in a battlefield scenario where the bullets are sprayed all around them by the enemy operating from advantageous positions in the hills, former DRDO scientist Ravi Gupta echoed in a conversation with Sputnik India.
Giving their protection the utmost priority, DRDO has been working with various stakeholders, like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, in the case of ABHED bulletproof jackets, to safeguard them from specific caliber bullets fired at them by the country's foes, he noted.
"Over time, DRDO's labs have developed a very high degree of expertise in this domain, and have successfully delivered a bulletproof jacket made with materials like polymers and indigenous boron carbide ceramic, that offers well-rounded protection in challenging situations like a terrorist attack," Gupta stated.
DRDO has worked on a bulletproof jackets previously, however, stemming from a need for lightweight protective gear, the advanced version was developed, Gupta said.
