The military plans to start mass-producing a bullet-resistant panel next year that it developed to withstand steel core bullets, the Armaments Bureau said yesterday.
The public began to question whether the panel in the bulletproof vests used by the military can protect soldiers effectively, after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) New Taipei City councilor Lin Ping-yu (林秉宥) and some military enthusiasts last year produced a video in which they said they tested the panel.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said the Ministry of National Defense followed standard procedure when inspecting the bullet-resistant panels it procured.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“However, just because the panels have passed the tests does not mean that they are fit for use. The specifications the military used to inspect them are outdated. In simulations, the bullets they presumed to be used by the People’s Liberation Army are no longer in use,” Wang said.
The Armaments Bureau in a written report to the Legislative Yuan said that it budgeted NT$16 million (US$500,657) to design new bullet-resistant panels, which were modified based on the stature and weight of Taiwanese, mobility and other factors.
Each panel weighs 2.2kg and is designed to withstand three 5.56mm TC74 or M855 steel core bullets, the bureau said.
The panels were tested at 70°C and minus-10°C for six hours, the bureau said.
The panels were also dropped twice from a height of 122cm, and were tested for one hour of circular vibration at a frequency of 5 Hertz, during which time their structural integrity and elasticity had to be maintained, the bureau said.
To develop the panels, researchers collected panels from home and abroad, and conducted live ammunition verification and configuration material analyses, it said.
The bureau said its Manufacturing Center Factory No. 205 completed the evaluation and inspection of the panels on Dec. 31 last year and is scheduled to finish military verification and mass production preparations this year.
Mass production is expected to begin next year, and production capacity would increase year-on-year to meet the military’s needs, it said.
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