It’s been a few days. I took a little time to find out more about the latest in marine corps, army tactical vests and soft body armor news.

I found some interesting information on the latest from the US Army.

Fox News is reporting that the Army plans to make a purchase of 120,000 advanced bullet-blocking plates in 2009. The plates are called XSAPI. The plates I mentioned in an earlier post are called ESAPI. The new XSAPI will be stocked in Kuwaitt.

All this XSAPI an ESAPI jargon kinda drives me crazy.

Anyhow, even though the ESAPI only saved lives, and never injured anyone, the desktop warriors who didn’t get to sign the papers are pulling them from the field. ESAPI is made by Armor Works of Chandler, AZ and a company named Ceradyne of Phoenix. I have written specifically about Ready2Protect soft body armor and hard body armor, but for the moment, I have no specific info on Armor Works and ESAPI.

Like most hard body armor, it is simply a soft body armor with plates added to it for to help protect the upper body from armor piercing rounds. One specially made ceramic plate is placed in the front of the vest and one in the back of the vest. The XSAPI plate is about 6 1/2 pounds, so full protection adds twelve pounds to the weight of the vest. This means the total weight of the vest is around 20 lbs or more with full protection.

The new XSAPI is made by Ceradyne and The Protective Group of Miami Lakes, Fl. The Army may purchase up to 1 million XSAPI plates.

The Ready2Protect soft body armor can be made as a hard body armor. The armor plates for the Ready2Protect vest weigh 6 lbs and the vest by Ready2Protect weighs 6.7 lbs. So double plate protection using the Ready2Protect hard armor or tactical vest would weigh only slightly over 18 lbs. There is no vest anywhere that achieves the high Level IV rating that the Ready2Protect vest does, at such a very light weight.

Well, that’s’ the latest for soft body armor and Marine Corps and Army tactical vests for today.

I’ll have more soon. Be sure to come back.

Please, leave your comments below. We would love to hear from you.

- Daniel Gonzalez
- Wayne Sharer

Click here for tests video of Ready2Protect Soft Body Armor

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