The Ministry of Defense is purchasing modular bulletproof vests in an expanded configuration for the first time
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is for the first time purchasing modular body armor in expanded configuration 1–11. This configuration provides for an increase in the protection area due to additional modular elements, which was a response to the changing nature of combat injuries on the front – more than 90% of them are caused by fragments and shrapnel.
In July 2025, the Central Directorate for the Development of Material Support approved three new protective elements for the modular body armor: for the forearm, lower leg, and tailbone. This allows not only to increase the overall level of protection, but also to make the equipment more flexible for different types of combat situations.
The additional elements have a high class of ballistic protection – they are able to stop pistol bullets and fragments weighing up to 1.1 grams, flying at a speed of up to 600 meters per second. The forearm and shin protection simultaneously functions as knee and elbow pads, which adds comfort and increases safety when performing tasks on the front line.
The full set of body armor includes eight main elements: the front and back parts with soft and hard armor elements, groin and neck protection, elements for the shoulders and hips, a cummerbund, as well as a unloading belt with soft ballistic filling. The extended equipment 1–11 is supplemented with newly approved elements, which significantly increases the area of body coverage.
This improvement of body armor is designed to provide more reliable protection for personnel and allows for effective adaptation to various combat conditions. The products are manufactured in the MM-14 camouflage color (“pixel”) and are equipped with hard armor elements of the second type made of ceramic composite materials.
