New body armor designs are continuously being implemented,
redefining the industry, and giving soldiers and law enforcement
officers access to improved gear. Developed by Pinnacle Armor, Dragon
Skin® is a certain type of body armor that provides the wearer with
significant protection and upgrades against a host of ballistic weapons.
Dragon Skin® is incorporated in multiple products, including special knee armor and bullet proof vests. The knee pad version offers protection from armor-piercing ammo from handguns as well as high-velocity IED fragmentation. The chest armor looks a lot like an average bullet proof vest, with just the inside design unique. Small discs are connected and overlapped in an imbricated layout fashion, giving the appearance of what looks like dragon "scales." The ceramic and titanium blend material is highly flexible, bending and moving more than the human body is able to, while still offering the maximum protection.
Traditional ballistic armor that protects against armor piercing rifle rounds is usually really heavy and attaches to soft Kevlar® armor. After so many rounds the rigid ceramic plates tends to fracture and crack, leaving the soldier vulnerable to repetitive shot situations. Dragon Skin® has the capability of stopping multiple high-powered rifle rounds, while maintaining weightlessness and extreme flexibility. The layered design reduces trauma to the body by as much as 40 percent over standard hard armor, effectively dispersing the bullet's impact energy over a wider area than most other armors available.
In 2007 a test by Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey for the History Channel's program Mail Call trialed the vest with 150 9mm sub-machine gun rounds, and 20 AK-47 rounds. The latter test was undertaken with a mannequin from a distance of 20 feet, with none of the bullets actually piercing the vest. This test proved the manufacturer's claim that the vests will defeat substantial repetitive shots. Dragon Skin® was also showed in a 2007 episode of the Discovery Channel's Future Weapons: The Protectors. Another test of the armor featured multiple steel core, armor-piercing 556 mm and 762 mm rounds fired from an M-16 rifle at almost point blank range. As in the other television program, no bullets actually penetrated the vest.
Dragon Skin® has had its fair share of scrutiny as unreliable "body armor". These Bullet proof vests notably failed classified tests conducted by the U.S. Army in 2006. One test in particular showed that under extreme temperatures some of the disc had a tendency to dislodge. This made this brilliant vest ineffective against bullets. Also some rounds were also reported by Army officials as having penetrated the vest. Pinnacle Armor argued these claims and the Army took the most unusual step of releasing test results to the public in 2007. Despite the complete ban on Dragon Skin® purchases by the Army from March 2006 onward, it was reported by NBC News that elite forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, on VIP and General protection details, continued to wear these vests well after the ban was applied. This revelation, later confirmed by Army officials, added to the growing controversy and made arguments on both sides inconclusive. At the present, American-made Dragon Skin® armor is utilized primarily by soldiers in the U.S. Special Forces, approved foreign militaries, and police tactical teams. With costs significantly higher than that of Kevlar® and standard hard plate body armor, price may still be a significant factor in the overall limiting widespread military application of the Dragon Skin® product.
Dragon Skin® is incorporated in multiple products, including special knee armor and bullet proof vests. The knee pad version offers protection from armor-piercing ammo from handguns as well as high-velocity IED fragmentation. The chest armor looks a lot like an average bullet proof vest, with just the inside design unique. Small discs are connected and overlapped in an imbricated layout fashion, giving the appearance of what looks like dragon "scales." The ceramic and titanium blend material is highly flexible, bending and moving more than the human body is able to, while still offering the maximum protection.
Traditional ballistic armor that protects against armor piercing rifle rounds is usually really heavy and attaches to soft Kevlar® armor. After so many rounds the rigid ceramic plates tends to fracture and crack, leaving the soldier vulnerable to repetitive shot situations. Dragon Skin® has the capability of stopping multiple high-powered rifle rounds, while maintaining weightlessness and extreme flexibility. The layered design reduces trauma to the body by as much as 40 percent over standard hard armor, effectively dispersing the bullet's impact energy over a wider area than most other armors available.
In 2007 a test by Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey for the History Channel's program Mail Call trialed the vest with 150 9mm sub-machine gun rounds, and 20 AK-47 rounds. The latter test was undertaken with a mannequin from a distance of 20 feet, with none of the bullets actually piercing the vest. This test proved the manufacturer's claim that the vests will defeat substantial repetitive shots. Dragon Skin® was also showed in a 2007 episode of the Discovery Channel's Future Weapons: The Protectors. Another test of the armor featured multiple steel core, armor-piercing 556 mm and 762 mm rounds fired from an M-16 rifle at almost point blank range. As in the other television program, no bullets actually penetrated the vest.
Dragon Skin® has had its fair share of scrutiny as unreliable "body armor". These Bullet proof vests notably failed classified tests conducted by the U.S. Army in 2006. One test in particular showed that under extreme temperatures some of the disc had a tendency to dislodge. This made this brilliant vest ineffective against bullets. Also some rounds were also reported by Army officials as having penetrated the vest. Pinnacle Armor argued these claims and the Army took the most unusual step of releasing test results to the public in 2007. Despite the complete ban on Dragon Skin® purchases by the Army from March 2006 onward, it was reported by NBC News that elite forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, on VIP and General protection details, continued to wear these vests well after the ban was applied. This revelation, later confirmed by Army officials, added to the growing controversy and made arguments on both sides inconclusive. At the present, American-made Dragon Skin® armor is utilized primarily by soldiers in the U.S. Special Forces, approved foreign militaries, and police tactical teams. With costs significantly higher than that of Kevlar® and standard hard plate body armor, price may still be a significant factor in the overall limiting widespread military application of the Dragon Skin® product.
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