These jackets can not only stop a 7.62 mm AK-47 round but also heavier bullets fired from a 7.62mm Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and the famed Dragunov sniper rifle

The light-weight bullet proof jackets made by TAS can stop six rounds each fired from the front and back, according to a company representative

Hyderabad: The light-weight bulletproof jackets manufactured by Tata Advanced Systems Limited are not only in demand from the army and central para-military forces but also from police forces in various States.

The company has already supplied similar jackets to the elite counter-terrorism wing – Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS). Greyhounds, an anti-Maoists unit, also got the jackets from the same Bangalore-based company which has set up a stall at the ongoing Wings India 2020 international exhibition and conference on civil aviation at the Begumpet Airport here.

“We worked closely with the Indian army and leveraged our extensive experience in the field of composites to develop lightweight jackets,” a company representative said.

These jackets can not only stop a 7.62 mm AK-47 round but also heavier bullets fired from a 7.62mm Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and the famed Dragunov sniper rifle. This highly successful development and production programme resulted in the supply of more than three lakh jackets to the Indian defence and the State police forces.

These jackets can stop six rounds each fired from the front and back, he said. Each jacket is made up of composite material containing boron carbide and high performance polyethylene. The cost of the jacket would depend upon protection from the type of ammunition. A jacket that would stop bullets from AK-47, hard steel and mild steel core bullets, INSAS rifle and SLR would cost around Rs 40,000.

“We have supplied jackets to the police in Telangana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu,” he said.

The company has also developed another jacket to protect security personnel from sniper rounds along with ballistic spectacles and headgear. Each headgear can withstand 9 mm bullets fired from pistol, carbine and MP-5 submachine gun.

The representative said the company is only charging for the metal and other components used for making protective equipment and added that it has the capacity of manufacturing 10,000 jackets per month.