The need for body armor capable of defeating large caliber armor piercing rounds became a priority with the advent of “airmobile” combat as evidenced in Vietnam. Helicopter and recon aircraft crew members originally made due with body armor developed for ground forces, namely the Nylon M-1952 vest and the Nylon/Doron M-1955 vest. However, these vests were designed to stop fragments only and did a rather poor job of stopping high velocity and large caliber ammunition.
Armor capable of defeating armor piercing rounds became viable in 1962 with a new composite ceramic. The first armor for aircrewman was designed with small, flat plates of ballistic ceramic formed into the shape of a torso. This early armor was designed to rest on the pilots thighs or on a support attached to the seat between his legs. Still, this armor was not suitable for crew members whose jobs required them to move about the cabin (door gunners). This armor also had a lack of protection where the edges of the plates met.
Finally, a vest which could be comfortably worn by all crew members was designed. This vest is the “Armor, Small Arms-Fragmentation Protective”, “Body Armor, Aircrewman”, or, as known by macho pilots, and hereafter referred to as the “chicken plate”. This was a new design which used a monolithic ceramic (one piece) which was molded to match torso contours. The chicken plate was made in two versions; One with a front plate only for pilots and copilots, and a second version with front and back plates for crew members who did not sit in armored seats. The vests are capable of defeating 30 caliber armor piercing ammunition and are designed for use in aircraft without ejection seats.
The ceramic plates are faced with a layer of ballistic Nylon as a spall shield to reduce bullet fragments. The back of the plates are faced with a reinforced plastic. So, if you see one of these plates, you never actually see the ceramic. You only see the spall shield and the plastic. The chicken plate was made in 3 different ceramic compositions:
- Aluminum Oxide (heavy weight)
- Silicon Carbide (medium weight)
- Boron Carbide (light weight)
Reference: Technical Manual TM-10-8470-202-13
(follow instruction copied from item label.)
THIS ARMOR MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE
- IT WILL PROTECT VITAL AREAS AGAINST SMALL ARMS FIRE AND GRENADE FRAGMENTS.
- ARMOR CAN BE PUT ON WITH BOTH SHOULDER STRAPS ATTACHED, OR WITH ONE SHOULDER OPEN.
- WEAR OVER SHIRT. LAP WAIST BANDS OVER FRONT TO HOLD ARMOR FIRMLYIN PLACE. ADJUST SHOULDER WEBBING STRAPS, LIFTING THE ARMOR TO COVER LOWER NECK AREA.
- FOR OUICK RELEASE:
- GRASP LOOP AT END OF ELASTIC WEBBING ON RIGHTWAIST BAND AND PULL.
- PULL UP SNAP FASTENER TAB ON RIGHT OR LEFT SHOULDER ADJUSTMENT STRAP.
- OR EMERGENCY: PULL UPON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SNAP FASTENER TABS.
- KEEP TOUCH-AND-CLOSE FASTENERS FREE OF FOREIGN MATTER.
- DO NOT DROP THE ARMOR AND WEAR IT AT ALL TIMES IN COMBAT.
- DO NOT WEAR WITH PARACHUTES.
- DO NOT REMOVE PROTECTIVE ARMOR PLATE FROM CARRIER.
Stock Number Reference
Body Armor w/ Insert
Body Armor, Small Arms Protective
| Insert Type | Size | FSN | Assign Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| BORON CARBIDE | Short | 8470-935-3180 | 1968-01-31 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3181 | 1968-01-31 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3182 | 1968-01-31 | |
| ALUMINUM OXIDE | Short | 8470-935-3183 | 1968-02-02 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3184 | 1968-02-02 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3185 | 1968-02-02 | |
| SILICON CARBIDE | Short | 8470-935-3186 | 1968-02-14 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3187 | 1968-02-14 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3188 | 1968-02-14 |
| Insert Type | Size | FSN | Assign Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| BORON CARBIDE | Short | 8470-935-3189 | 1968-02-21 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3190 | 1968-02-21 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3191 | 1968-02-21 | |
| ALUMINUM OXIDE | Short | 8470-935-3192 | 1968-02-21 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3193 | 1968-02-21 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3194 | 1968-02-21 | |
| SILICON CARBIDE | Short | 8470-935-3195 | 1968-02-14 |
| Regular | 8470-935-3196 | 1968-02-14 | |
| Long | 8470-935-3197 | 1968-02-14 |
Vest Body
Vest, Small Arms Protective Body Armor
| Size | FSN | Assign Date |
|---|---|---|
| Short | 8470-999-1473 | 1966-04-18 |
| Regular | 8470-999-1474 | 1966-04-18 |
| Long | 8470-999-1475 | 1966-04-18 |
Insert
Insert, Small Arms Protective
| Insert Type | Size | Front / Back | FSN | Assign Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BORON CARBIDE | Short | Front | 8470-935-3165 | 1968-01-24 |
| Back | 8470-935-3162 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Regular | Front | 8470-935-3166 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3163 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Long | Front | 8470-935-3167 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3164 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| ALUMINUM OXIDE | Short | Front | 8470-935-3177 | 1968-01-24 |
| Back | 8470-935-3174 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Regular | Front | 8470-935-3178 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3175 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Long | Front | 8470-935-3179 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3176 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| SILICON CARBIDE | Short | Front | 8470-935-3171 | 1968-01-24 |
| Back | 8470-935-3168 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Regular | Front | 8470-935-3172 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3169 | 1968-01-24 | ||
| Long | Front | 8470-935-3173 | 1968-01-24 | |
| Back | 8470-935-3170 | 1968-01-24 |
