SAPI and ESAPI armor plates
What are SAPI and ESAPI in the U.S. Individual Protection Systems, Bulletproof Vests?
When people look for information about U.S. Army bulletproof vests and armor plates, they often encounter terms like "hard armor element OTV," "armor plate IOTV," or "USA ballistic panel." These terms refer to concepts like SAPI and ESAPI. SAPI stands for "Small Arms Protective Inserts - inserts for protection against common rounds, such as the 7.62x51mm NATO M80 bullet." ESAPI (Enhanced SAPI) refers to "enhanced inserts for protection against armor-piercing ammunition."
Contents
- What is a Bulletproof Vest?
- Types of Armor Plates
- SAPI
- ESAPI
- XSAPI
- How to Choose the Best Armor Plates?
What is a Bulletproof Vest?
A bulletproof vest is a piece of individual protective equipment used to minimize damage from bullets, fragments, and other combat threats. They come in various forms and configurations, including soft ballistic protection for body parts and rigid armor elements, depending on the threats they are designed to protect against.
Types of Armor Plates and Their Sizes
Bulletproof vests can be upgraded with armor plates made of metal (e.g., titanium or steel), polyethylene, or ceramics with composite backing. In the U.S., armor plates made of a ceramic base and backing from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are used.
Armor plates SAPI, ESAPI come in five main sizes:
- Extra Small: 184×292 mm
- Small: 222×298 mm
- Medium: 241×318 mm
- Large: 260×337 mm
- Extra Large: 280×356 mm
SAPI
SAPI has been issued since 2000. They consist of a ceramic material with a strong outer composite coating and are standard protection equipment for the U.S. military. A total of 2-2.5 million have been made, with replacement by the improved ESAPI starting in 2005.
ESAPI
ESAPI is an enhanced version of SAPI, made of boron carbide, 10 mm thick, with UHMWPE backing. Unlike predecessors, they provide protection against armor-piercing bullets.
XSAPI
XSAPI is a new generation of armor plates that provide an even higher level of protection. This technology is a response to increasing threats in the modern world.
Choose Safety: How to Select Quality Armor Plates
Selecting armor plates should be based on understanding your specific needs and potential threats. In Ukraine, steel-based armor elements are mass-produced due to their relative ease of manufacture and low cost. Additionally, Chinese ceramic armor plates with a reduced ceramic base area are exported. To choose effective protection, buyers must require documents from sellers confirming quality and establishing responsibility. Excessive demand due to war and imperfect Ukrainian legislation have greatly complicated the selection of quality armor elements. Therefore, when purchasing individual protection equipment, we recommend first studying the level of responsibility that the manufacturer or seller assumes and the documents they provide to confirm warranty obligations.
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