Bourque Industries Makes Body Armor History with Exceptional NIJ Testing Results

Business Wire ^ | 2 November 2011 | Bourque Industries

[MasterGunner01]

Whoa. If you're going to tell me that this body armor can stop .50 caliber M2 AP, I definitely want to see that.

I can just about guarantee any so-called body armor that can stop .50 AP will be heavy, bulky, and severely affect the wearer's ability to move quickly and shoot — unless this armor is part of some exotic, powered exoskeleton from the sci-fi genre.

The .50 AP projectile has a bullet of 706 grains moving at 2,810 fps from a .45-inch barrel. That is a lot of kinetic energy that this “super armor” has to somehow transfer or absorb. Assuming such armor works as advertised, getting hit with a .50 M2 AP round (or even the M2 or M33 Ball round) would NOT be a pleasant experience.

[TXnMA]

No matter how it stops and dissipates a .50BMG impact, the probable positive effect is that it might save the guy behind you....

The guy with the armor never even gets to say, "Ow!"... '-)

~~~~~~~~~

Nonetheless, this is very impressive performance. (Wonder if they ever tried cushioning the backface with "Sorbothane"...?)

BTW, is these plates' composition something like "AlSiC"?

[TXnMA]

"Assuming such armor works as advertised, getting hit with a .50 M2 AP round (or even the M2 or M33 Ball round) would NOT be a pleasant experience."

See , #22, below......

[null and void]

Bah! It would be no worse than stopping a truck with your chest.

[Suz in AZ]

Here is a 13 sec. video of it catching a .50 cal in slow-mo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwH5JsuiwGE

[Suz in AZ]

I heard they are continually improving it, so the backface might be something they are working on.

I don’t know much about the alloy except that it is an aluminum and carbon nanotubes and other stuff and has really crazy properties.

They’re talking about up-armoring vehicles for a fraction of the up-armoring weight and much better protection. They are working with SRATS right now. It definitely would be a good use for stopping .50 cal rounds. As for saving the guy behind you, that’s a good point. My thought was that if it stopped the big one, it’s probably going to stop all of the small stuff, even if you don’t get hit with the monster bullet.

[Sarajevo]

Website says the Fat Boy (one tested above) says a 5x9 plate weighs 3.5 lbs and can defeat .50 armor piercing rounds at 50 feet.

That may be good for vehicle armor, but I would hate to be the person that caught a 50cal. round on a chestplate. A 50cal. round would literally shove the plate through the chest cavity.

A 5x9 plate is awful small. That would cover one side of my chest. Plates are normally 10x12, which means extra weight to hump.

[Suz in AZ]

They have 10x12’s, but I could only find the weight for the 5x9’s. Maybe you can figure out the weight for the 10x12.

Like I said before. If it stops a .50, then it probably will stop anything else. Not that anyone will be hit with a .50.

Do you prefer less protection?

[TheOldLady]

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[TXnMA]

Amazing "catch" of the bullet! It's interesting how the bullet nose pokes through the armor, whacks the white plate, and then is"pulled" back inside the armor.

What is the white plate? Pine board?

Note how, as the bullet disappears back inside the armor, a clump of white spalls off the back side of the white plate hit the wall behind the target, and then "dance around" in the space between the target and wall. Now envision those as rib fragments caroming around inside your chest cavity...

(FWIW, I wonder what sort of "dent" the bullet nose left in the front surface of the white p[ate...)

As I said, outstanding protection -- for the guy behind the guy in front... '-)

[Suz in AZ]

Yeah... probably better off with nothing at all. Fight in your skivvies. It’s all good.

[TXnMA]

10” X 12” = 9.33 lbs...

[Suz in AZ]

Is that the fat boy or one of the thinner plates?

[TXnMA]

"Yeah... probably better off with nothing at all. Fight in your skivvies."

Those comments were for .50BMG. For more typical threats, the armor should be spectacularly good.

Re "Sorbothane": a colleague brought a 7/16" sheet into my lab, put his hand on the workbench, covered it with the Sorbothane, grabbed the largest adjustable wrench from the toolbox -- and proceeded to whack the daylights out of his hand! I tried it -- hitting so hard that objects on the workbench bounced -- and the most unpleasant sensation was that of my palm being pressed down on the bench. Amazing stuff!

I've often thought that Sorbothane should be a great way to dissipate BFT -- as long as the bullet doesn't punch through like that .50BMG did.

Again, I see potential for great survivability against ordinary battle weapons...

[TXnMA]

Downside: Sorbothane is a superb thermal insulator... :-(

[Sarajevo]

If it stops a .50, then it probably will stop anything else. Not that anyone will be hit with a .50.

Do you prefer less protection?

I'd prefer not to be hit with a 50cal. The point is that the impact will kill a human, body armor or not.

BTW- Yes, I prefer less protection. It slows me down while running.

[MasterGunner01]

“The .50 AP projectile has a bullet of 706 grains moving at 2,810 fps from a .45-inch barrel. That is a lot of kinetic energy that this “super armor” has to somehow transfer or absorb. Assuming such armor works as advertised, getting hit with a .50 M2 AP round (or even the M2 or M33 Ball round) would NOT be a pleasant experience.”

As I said stopping a .50 caliber slug with personal body armor would NOT be a pleasant experience. You would experience maximized blunt force trauma that might stop your heart, rupture vital organs, or break the sternum and/or break ribs — if the slug doesn't penetrate. I would not want to be wearing this vest and be the live test specimen.

[Sarajevo]

You would experience maximized blunt force trauma that might stop your heart, rupture vital organs, or break the sternum and/or break ribs — if the slug doesn't penetrate.

There is no "might" to it. The blunt force trauma from such a strike would render the wearing of such body armor moot. OTOH, as an upgrade for thin skinned vehicles, this armor would be good.