BALLISTIC PROTECTION: CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE OF BODY ARMOR
Types of Body Armor
When selecting the appropriate type of body armor for your mission, our industry experts can help track down the best solution based on:
- Certifications
- Armor Types
- Body Armor Ratings
- Threat Level
CERTIFICATION: MIL-SPEC vs. NIJ Body Armor
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certified body armor relates to ballistic threats faced in domestic situations, including:
- Federal, State and Local Agencies
- DoD CONUS: Army, Navy, USAF, and USMC
Mil-spec certified body armor refers to proprietary and classified in-theater military threats, including:
- DoD OCONUS: Army, Navy, USAF, USMC, and SOCOM
- Hard armor, such as SAPI, ESAPI, ESBI, or SPEAR rifle plates. These are certified in conjunction with soft armor packages
BODY ARMOR RATINGS, TYPES, & THREAT LEVEL
Certification: NIJ Body Armor
Armor Type: Soft
Body Armor Ratings: Level IIA, Level II, and Level IIIA
Threat Level: Shrapnel and lower velocity projectile ballistic protection, such as handguns or submachine gun ammunition
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certification: NIJ Body Armor
Armor Type: Hard
Body Armor Ratings: Level III and Level IV
Threat Level: Rifle protection—Level III is certified for a single hit while Level IV combination plates protect against multiple hits
Elements of Body Armor Protection
STEEL PLATES
- Thin, heavy exceptionally durable and typically constructed of MARS armored plate.
- Recommended for concealment applications Available up to NIJ Level.
POLYETHYLENE PLATES
- Thick, light.
- High impact resistance and moderately durable compared to steel plates.
- Recommended for maritime applications: Neutral or positive buoyancy
- Poor performance against steel core rifle ammunition (standard U.S. issue 5.56mm M855)
CERAMIC PLATES
- Weight and thickness vary greatly (highly configurable to specific needs)
- Lower durability compared to steel or polyethylene Recommended for most situations: Industry standard and only material rated to stop NIJ Level IV threats
- Available in NIJ level III and IV
Threat Level Protection Based on Body Armor Ratings
REQUEST A QUOTE
24/7 SUPPORT
All customers have access to their rep during business hours, or an emergency line at 866.845.3012 any other time. We are here when you need us.
24-HOUR RESPONSE TIME
Emails, phone calls and texts will be returned within one business day.
WE’VE BEEN THERE
Over a quarter of our employees are Veterans. We have first-hand knowledge of the challenges you face and how important it is to be available and responsive when you need us.
IT’S PERSONAL
Not only is ADS headquartered in a military town, but most of our staff have a military family. Because of that, customer satisfaction feels personal. That’s why we are committed to doing what we say we’re going to do.
YOU HAVE OPTIONS
We understand you have a choice when deciding where to buy what you need. Our goal is to provide service that is second-to-none—so you don’t think twice about calling us first.
WE COMMIT WITH CONFIDENCE
We will only commit when we are 100% confident we can follow through. This means, we'll provide a quote only if we know we can meet your time constraints.
ON-TIME, ON-TARGET DELIVERY
We commit to meeting or exceeding our customers’ delivery requirements.