Bullet-proof jackets could not have saved top cops: experts

Jackets manufactured in the country and in use by the Armed Forces and various police departments across the world are designed to provide different levels of protection but most are effective against gunfire from a distance of at least 10 metre. The jackets are graded as per specifications drawn up by US-based National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

Bullet-proof jackets available with most police departments are of the grading 3 A — designed to withstand small arms fire from handguns and carbines at a range of 5 metre. These jackets, the experts say, are useless against machine gun fire or AK 47 bullets. Even handgun shots from a range closer than 5 metre can be fatal despite the jacket.

These jackets, which allow greater mobility as they are lighter, are available for less than Rs 15,000 and are used by police forces as they usually encounter fire from small handguns and pistols used by criminals.

For greater protection, heavier jackets graded 3 by the NIJ, which compromise mobility for protection, are used. These are generally issued to the Army involved in counter-insurgency operations and elite units like the NSG. Most of them are available for over Rs 30,000 and are effective against heavy fire from a range of 10 metre.

Experts say it is imperative to carefully choose a bullet-proof jacket that suits the needs of the particular force. “There is no jacket that can protect you from al kinds of fire at all ranges. The protection offered by the jacket is proportionate to its weight. A heavier jacket sacrifices mobility,” small arms expert Col (retd) Mohan Kaktikar says.

However, when it comes to AK 47 bullets — like the ones used by terrorists in the Mumbai attack — a different challenge is thrown up. Experts consider AK 47 rounds the most lethal due to a special component of the bullet — a hard metal ‘sabot’ that slices through light armour.

The sabot — a small hardened piece of metal of a diameter of 2-3 mm — goes right through, leaving behind the rest of the bullet in the jacket. The specially designed sabot, which spins as it enters the body, can cause extensive damage to organs.

Even the best of bullet-proof jackets issued to elite units in the country are not capable of stopping AK 47 rounds at short ranges simply because the weight of such jackets is so much that it would inhibit the movement of a soldier. Heavy ceramic jackets that can be imported are effective against such fire but are very expensive and too heavy to wear into combat as they restrict movement.

The trick, the experts say, is to ensure that the protection offered by a jacket is supplemented by quick movement and reactions by the one who wears it. “Survival is a total package and the bullet-proof jacket is just a part of it. Mobility, quick reactions and combat skills provide the best chance of survival. A bullet-proof jacket alone is not enough to save you in a fire-fight,” Col Kaktikar says.