PLA's Body Armor

[Su-27 Pilot]

Im just wondering what kind of body armor/bullet proof vest etc....... does the PLA use ??
Can anyone post some pictures for enjoyment ??

Thank you.

[PiSigma]

i saw a pic of a PLA trooper wearing bullet proof vest before, it covers chest, groin, back of neck and shoulders. but the PLA is still relatively poor, and got a lot of man powre, so they can't equipment a lot of people with vests. in US, all swat and front line troops gets vests, but in china, most special police units (swats) and front line troops don't get any armor like that. but a lot of class-a troops does have flak jackets, they are not as good as vests, but it's better than no armor.

[Su-27 Pilot]

i saw a pic of a PLA trooper wearing bullet proof vest before, it covers chest, groin, back of neck and shoulders. but the PLA is still relatively poor, and got a lot of man powre, so they can't equipment a lot of people with vests. in US, all swat and front line troops gets vests, but in china, most special police units (swats) and front line troops don't get any armor like that. but a lot of class-a troops does have flak jackets, they are not as good as vests, but it's better than no armor.
Okay but correct me if im wrong. Isnt body armor a part of a soldier's uniform ??

[rommel]

Okay but correct me if im wrong. Isnt body armor a part of a soldier's uniform ??

depending in the country, for exemple in Canada, body armor is issued to front-line unit and in exercise, sometime we (reserve) got them. To be honest, the body armor is only a recent piece of gear is soldier's equipment, the first body armor was invented before WWI and nobody used them until the Viet-Nam were the US was the first to field an armor.

[PiSigma]

back in the day, ie ww1/2 , body armor is still just a piece of metal plate, kinda like medieval plate mail, except it only covers chest area. now it's a lot more complex with kevlar. most countries in the world can't afford body armor. even the US army can only give armor to front line troops, in fact when US troops went to iraq, some front line troops don't have armor, they had to buy their own. which is about 1000 dollars to buy in US. third world countries can't afford to give an extra 1000 dollars to their troops, when they have huge populations, and is cheaper to train a new one. for canada, because we don't spend any money on R&D, and don't buy much new heavy equipment, so we just spend it all on training and safety stuff for soldiers. so by percentage, we actually have more of our army in body armor than US does.

[Totoro]

can someone explain me the logic of US not being able to afford body armor for 200 000 troops which would cost some 200 million one time purchase but at the same time it's spending dozens upon dozens of billions on various high profile projects like comanche or crusader which end up being cancelled?

[Su-27 Pilot]

can someone explain me the logic of US not being able to afford body armor for 200 000 troops which would cost some 200 million one time purchase but at the same time it's spending dozens upon dozens of billions on various high profile projects like comanche or crusader which end up being cancelled?

Because those commanders in the US Armed Forces are too smart.

[stonewind]

Because those commanders in the US Armed Forces are too smart.

Has anyone seen the movie pentagon wars? :D

[MIGleader]

dont post in yellow. the pla probably does have ceramic body armor for its new rapid reaction troops and marines. b units will probably have bulletproof vests. reserves? lucky if they get a flak jaket.

[PiSigma]

because generals don't care what happens to the soldiers fighting the war, they just want cool toys to show off, they don't care if 18 or 19 year old kid gets killed in iraq, the generals are sitting in their comfy chairs in washington. did you know a lot of the american troops that was in iraq didn't have bullet proof vests, because the army ran out, so they had to get family members to dish out money to buy it in the US and send it to them. and only after weeks did the army give the soldier's family for the money they paid for the vests, since it is army policy to have all front line soldiers have vests.

[rommel]

back in the day, ie ww1/2 , body armor is still just a piece of metal plate, kinda like medieval plate mail, except it only covers chest area. now it's a lot more complex with kevlar. most countries in the world can't afford body armor. even the US army can only give armor to front line troops, in fact when US troops went to iraq, some front line troops don't have armor, they had to buy their own. which is about 1000 dollars to buy in US. third world countries can't afford to give an extra 1000 dollars to their troops, when they have huge populations, and is cheaper to train a new one. for canada, because we don't spend any money on R&D, and don't buy much new heavy equipment, so we just spend it all on training and safety stuff for soldiers. so by percentage, we actually have more of our army in body armor than US does.

wow, 1000$ ??? It's a little weird, it cost 540 CDN $ to buy a tactical level III CRISAT (kevlar + titanium) vest in canada on civilian market, why it would cost more for military that got better price than the civilian ?? (For exemple, the Beretta M9 cost 175 US to buy for the US Army and 350 to replace, but the civilian got to buy it at a minimun of 550 on legal market)

Well, the WWI vest was able to block a 7,92mm Mauser round, test prove that you can even put 250lb on the vest without causing respiratory problem to the soldier... The US have sufficient body armor, but that mean vest and flak jacket, some of the US unit are issued with flak jacket and the rest with vest, but we all know, flak jacket don't block bullets...

[rommel]

because generals don't care what happens to the soldiers fighting the war, they just want cool toys to show off, they don't care if 18 or 19 year old kid gets killed in iraq, the generals are sitting in their comfy chairs in washington. did you know a lot of the american troops that was in iraq didn't have bullet proof vests, because the army ran out, so they had to get family members to dish out money to buy it in the US and send it to them. and only after weeks did the army give the soldier's family for the money they paid for the vests, since it is army policy to have all front line soldiers have vests.

Well, depend what general you are talking about... the divisional and corps commander are always on the field with their soldiers, only the big staff general and general of army army will stay in Washington. Staff don't care about soldier, but field general, yes, they care, it's very rare to see a field general that don't care about the life of his men under his command directly...

BTW, I hope you guys all know differences between flak jacket and ballistic protection vest ???

[MIGleader]

i dont thinnk flak jakets are quite pratical anymore. they were only used by bombadeers and and paratroops in ww2 to protect agaisnt the 88 flak. now they just shoot a missle.

a ballistics vests is a bulllet stopper. the romans actually had the first, for there plates could block a shot from their own scorpions.

[PiSigma]

rommel, it's not the field generals and division commander that decide who gets vests, it's the staff sitting in their offices in washington that decides who gets what.

[FriedRiceNSpice]

i dont thinnk flak jakets are quite pratical anymore. they were only used by bombadeers and and paratroops in ww2 to protect agaisnt the 88 flak. now they just shoot a missle.

a ballistics vests is a bulllet stopper. the romans actually had the first, for there plates could block a shot from their own scorpions.

DAMN! If it could block a scropion shot, then it would easily block Chinese crossbow bolts. Was this armor equipped to all troops or only the most elite?

[lazzydigger]

The most famous Chinese body armor manufactuer is called "Guardian God" "护神". Their products are used by elite force in PLA rank.
http://cimg.163.com/catchpic/7/77/773E27EFA97D5314A73B563D71189513.jpg
http://cimg.163.com/catchpic/0/04/04E498F931D32D27CA2E9EBB23E04C03.jpg

It's biggest customers are Iseral, new iraq Government and strangely enough US/UK army. The product is relatively cheap and offers very good protection.

价格比其他国家便宜　以色列是最大买家　驻伊美英军队频购买　穿中国制造防弹衣　11名英士兵曾死里逃生â €”—

　　法制晚报消息：据报道，全世界只有3个国家能够从原料研发到制作一条龙生产防弹衣，分别是荷兰、美国和 中国。本报记者采访了生产防弹衣的中国公司，公司总经理告诉记者：“驻伊美英军队士兵所穿的防弹衣都是 ‘中国制造’。â€�




　　一条龙做防弹衣包括中国就三家

　　据报道，1997年中国人民解放军开始构想开发自己的防弹衣，并找到了当时中国化纤界的一位专家进行研 发。历经7年，投入几千万的研发资金，该专家成立的公司终于掌握防弹衣技术，并通过了国际通行的防弹衣检测 标准。

　　现在该公司生产的防弹衣已经过多次实战考验，在中国拥有知识产权保护，在国内基本上处于技术垄断地位。 这位专家现任该公司总经理，他自豪地对本报记者说：“防弹衣从原料研发到生产制作一条龙，全国只有我们 一家！全世界加上美国、荷兰也不过3家！â€�

　　以色列、伊新政府防弹衣最大买家

　　据记者了解，该公司最大的客户是以色列和伊拉克新政府。以色列自2002年至今已经订购了2万件防弹衣 ，而伊拉克新政府自成立至今也已订购了2万件防弹衣和1万顶头盔。

　　而在2002年，美国就通过互联网获知该中国公司，开始向其订购防弹板、防弹纤维布等原材料（防弹衣纤 维原料是高科技研发产品，该公司的产品质量处于世界先进水平，但市场价格比国际同类产品低），数量不大，主 要用于裁制驻伊美军的防弹衣装备。

　　与此同时，英国也向该公司订购了少量的防弹衣及陶瓷插板，作为驻伊英军的防弹装备。

　　中国防弹衣救下11英军士兵性命

　　据报道，去年9月份，英国驻伊拉克部队的12名士兵在伊遭到反美武装袭击，在以少敌多的情况下，英军士 兵以一人死亡的微小代价奇迹般地冲出了包围。死里逃生的英军士兵身上的防弹衣被密集的子弹打得像蜂窝，中弹 最多的一名士兵身上中了12枪，但没有一件防弹衣被子弹击穿，死亡的那名士兵是因为被流弹击中了无防护的脑 部。

　　“防弹衣救了我们的命！â€�消息传到英国，该中国公司的英国销售商欣喜若狂地打来了报喜电话，因 为当时英军士兵身上穿的防弹衣全部是该公司生产的。中国的防弹衣一举成名，从此国际订单不断，销售量飙升。 新闻链接中国制造防弹衣销往近30个国家

　　该中国公司于2000年生产出第一批防弹衣，现在每年生产防弹衣20万件，这与一支中型武装部队的装备 数量相等。

　　据了解，该公司的产品出口地以伊拉克、以色列、科威特等中东国家为主，另外还有美国、英国、意大利、韩 国、玻利维亚、尼日利亚、马来西亚、印度尼西亚等近30个国家。原料出口地也有五六个国家。

　　防弹衣材质上区分

　　软体防弹衣：采用纺纶及超高分子量聚乙烯纤维材料为主要材料制成

　　硬体防弹衣：需要时，在软体防弹衣上插入高等级复合陶瓷防弹板

　　用途上区分

　　通用步兵作战防弹衣

　　特种部队防弹衣

　　类型上区分

　　半身防弹衣

　　全身防弹衣

Hope there helps

[FriedRiceNSpice]

Are you saying that the US buys its body armor from China? TYTE!!!!!!!!!! :cool:

[BrotherofSnake]

Why would we buy Chinese body armor if the Interceptor is already good enough?

[FriedRiceNSpice]

Why would we buy Chinese body armor if the Interceptor is already good enough?

From lazzydiggers post we could see that Interceptor is obviously not good enough.

[BrotherofSnake]

It can stop 7.62mm rounds fired from AK's and SVD's.

[FriedRiceNSpice]

It can stop 7.62mm rounds fired from AK's and SVD's.

Well then the Guardian God must be able to stop a lot more. Why else would the US opt for it instead of the Interceptor?

[BrotherofSnake]

Maybe its cheaper? I thought China hated the U.S., so why would they sell us their armor? :confused:

[FriedRiceNSpice]

Maybe its cheaper? I thought China hated the U.S., so why would they sell us their armor? :confused:

China doesn't hate US. US hates China! US is the one refusing to sell military technology and weapons to China, not the other way around!

[BrotherofSnake]

Can anyone help me find an english article on this Gaurdian armor? I can't seem to find it on google.

[rommel]

i dont thinnk flak jakets are quite pratical anymore. they were only used by bombadeers and and paratroops in ww2 to protect agaisnt the 88 flak. now they just shoot a missle.

a ballistics vests is a bulllet stopper. the romans actually had the first, for there plates could block a shot from their own scorpions.

Don't seem that you know what's a flak jacket... You're right, the ballistic protection vest is the kelvar or spider silk vest that police and army used for protection against bullet. The flak jacket is still used, it's supposed to protected the soldiers from grenade's and artillery shell's frag

To Fried, the Roman armor was for everybody, from the simple legionnary to the elite preatorian and horseman

[President]

chinese body armour
US$500 or less, 30-50% cheaper than others
quality, it can stop steel bullets and also 7.62 mm bullets with ak47 spray shots in 7 meters :eek:
deafult: heavy 2kg-5kg
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/2005-05-10/2126287689.html
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/2004-06-25/1037206469.html
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/2005-05-17/0947289346.html
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/2005-05-10/2010287643.html

[stonewind]

dammit!!! all squiggles and lines on my computer!!!

As for flack jackets I read this story about this redneck who just had to test this armor out and shot himself with a 20 gauge shotgun. You be the judge of what happened.

As for tacticians back in Washington there job is to win the war, without personal feelings get in the way. If it does he/she can get less courageous and may miss some critical times where a great victory can be achieved with some losses. every soldier knows that when you engage an eenmy your bound to lose something or someone.

[MIGleader]

the army is getting priority funding this 5 years. that means they will have the money to buy guardian gods. $500 a piece? cheap. you can equip a division with just $50,000.

china should not sell the armor or any other of their tech that the us may want.

[PiSigma]

how do you do your math midleader?? there are more than 100 people in a division. chinese divisions have usually over 10 000 men. that's $5 000 000 to equip a whole division with armor. some divisions have more men. also a single division is not considered very big in a major war, a lot of battles are done with several armies. that's going to cost a lot to equip with armor.

[Su-27 Pilot]

Wow, I heard so much talk between Chinese body armors and US body armors. I heard that some elements of PLA special force and the PLAN Marine corp infantry divisions are testing some form of bullet-proof steel-like facial mask. I will back up this statement with a decent picture ASAP.

[sumdud]

wow, 1000$ ??? It's a little weird, it cost 540 CDN $ to buy a tactical level III CRISAT (kevlar + titanium) vest in canada on civilian market, why it would cost more for military that got better price than the civilian ?? (For exemple, the Beretta M9 cost 175 US to buy for the US Army and 350 to replace, but the civilian got to buy it at a minimun of 550 on legal market)
chinese body armour
US$500 or less, 30-50% cheaper than others
quality, it can stop steel bullets and also 7.62 mm bullets with ak47 spray shots in 7 meters :eek:
deafult: heavy 2kg-5kg

:eek:

Most Americans hate China, while most poor Chinese wish to come to America. But money is what says the word.

But either way, that's a darn good Chinese vest.
Spider silk vests are already available?

[President]

lots of chinese police equiped with body armor, but never saw any soldiers equip with these stuff.

[RavenWing278]

can any one post some pictures of PLA body armour and helmet? i've been trying to search google for chinese helmets but they keep coming up as those han dynasty helmets... :o
does the PLA equipe all of its forces with kevlar helmets now? or are those helmets im seeing only for the font line units?

[PiSigma]

kevlar helmet is still pretty expensive for china with the almost 2 million man army. basically the navy have all good old days steel helmets, marines got kevlar, army elites got kevlar, army regulars got steel, and reserves got steel.

[lazzydigger]

Poor Aussie reserve force got nothing. I used Helmet only 1 time. And it is not very comfortable. Feels top heavy during manoeuvre. Helmet and body armor are only issued to active frontly combat units and certain reserve force unit during exercise.

[Gollevainen]

Poor Aussie reserve force got nothing. I used Helmet only 1 time. And it is not very comfortable. Feels top heavy during manoeuvre. Helmet and body armor are only issued to active frontly combat units and certain reserve force unit during exercise.

...well we sure did have to use the helmet...i lost my wintercap so i was forced to wear the helmet all the time...cos in finnish army there is this ridigilous rule that every soldier must wear some sort of hat all the time when you are in outside any building...except when eating...then you are not allowed to wear anything regardless if the tempature is -30 degree...

[MIGleader]

how do you do your math midleader?? there are more than 100 people in a division. chinese divisions have usually over 10 000 men. that's $5 000 000 to equip a whole division with armor. some divisions have more men. also a single division is not considered very big in a major war, a lot of battles are done with several armies. that's going to cost a lot to equip with armor.

thats still not alot, considering the armies funding is going to range in the tens of billions.

[PiSigma]

there are 1.6 million PLA ground troops, that's 160 of 5 million. it would cost you 800 MILLION to equip everyone with a vest. not even the USA is investing with that kind of money. just elite units have vests is enough, china have enough people for the army. most of the money going into the army have to be used for heavy equipment.

[MIGleader]

800 million is not too much considering you get at least 20 billion A YEAR.
the pla dosn't have to do it all at once. thay have five year priority funding.
so the only need 160 million a year.

remeber, the pla dosn't buy like the plaaf and plan. they are a bit more advanced and have developed most of their own equipment.

[rommel]

kevlar helmet is still pretty expensive for china with the almost 2 million man army. basically the navy have all good old days steel helmets, marines got kevlar, army elites got kevlar, army regulars got steel, and reserves got steel.

well, if you give a kelvar helmet to every soldier using canadians price, it's about 200 per helmet...

[TerraN_EmpirE]

can someone explain me the logic of US not being able to afford body armor for 200 000 troops which would cost some 200 million one time purchase
It's not a One time purchase. Once a Plate takes a round It looses It's effectiveness. You have to replace it. and so 200000 becomes a lot more.

[sumdud]

Which type of armor are you talking about? You don't need to replace Kevlar, but do need to replace the plates.

I thought we were talking only about kevlar.

[PiSigma]

200 CDN dollars equals to 1200 chinese yen just for a helmet. for chinese people, that's a lot of money. a steel helmet which can be mass produced in the hundreds now cost them less than 100 yen.

[rommel]

200 CDN dollars equals to 1200 chinese yen just for a helmet. for chinese people, that's a lot of money. a steel helmet which can be mass produced in the hundreds now cost them less than 100 yen.

you forget something, it's the cost over here and there, our helmet are made-in canada, and the it's costy to make that here, i'm sure that with the cheap labour China have, will cost far less. If you check everything in China and Canada, execept for the few european car that cost more in China, everything is more expensive in Canada, for exemple, a MP3 of 512mb, will cost around 150 CND $ down here in Montreal, I doubt it will cost over 500 yuan in China, I don't if there's a minimum wage in Canada but I know that here, in the Province of Quebec, we got one, and it's 7,75$ CDN per hour, so even the cheapest labour is worth at least 7,75$ an hour. I'm pay 56,70$ for 3 hour of working...

[PiSigma]

there is also minimum wage in china, but i don't think it's hour based, more monthly based. not sure, i could be wrong. anywayz, not everything in china is cheap, usually if it's imported, it is expensive because of taxes. and if it can't be mass produced by unskilled labor, then it's expensive.

[MIGleader]

china does not have product taxes, pisigma. and china has very skilled workers. just because they can make it cheap doesn't mean it has to be expenzive.

[PiSigma]

there are huge taxes for imported goods especially luxury goods, why do you think european cars cost so much in china? even after joing WTO, china still have a lot of taxes for certain goods.

[MIGleader]

i havn't seen alot of european anything in china. its mainly U.s, japanese, or indegedous. most luxery stuff i see in china is homemade.

[coolstorm]

i havn't seen alot of european anything in china. its mainly U.s, japanese, or indegedous. most luxery stuff i see in china is homemade.

basically, everything imported is more expensive in china. i live in hong kong, and things like food in hong kong is at least 5 times more expensive than china, but things like cars, imported clothes, cell phones, eletronic stuff are all more expensive in china than hong kong.

mainland china imposes tariff on most imported items. that's why everything imported is more expensive in china than let's say canada.

i live in the us, too. if u wanna compare, hong kong has a higher living standard than canada.

it costs 150 bucks usd to fill up a tank of gas in hong kong and 70,000 usd just to get a 325ci bmw. in the us, i could get a clk 55 with that.

[MIGleader]

dont they have a ton of rolls royces in hk?
btw, hk is not a good example of china for obvious reasons.
most of the electronics and other goods in china are actually homemade, which is how you can buy a dvd player for 30$

[FriedRiceNSpice]

200 CDN dollars equals to 1200 chinese yen just for a helmet. for chinese people, that's a lot of money. a steel helmet which can be mass produced in the hundreds now cost them less than 100 yen.

Its Yuan not Yen. Yen is the crap that those Japs use. And there are 700,000 active troops in the US Army. Not 200,000. And there are over 1 million national guardsmen.

[sino52C]

i do like the new helmats used in the PLA, similar to the US ones, however i that their could be problems with ID in combat.

[Su-27 Pilot]

i do like the new helmats used in the PLA, similar to the US ones, however i that their could be problems with ID in combat.
Actually both the US Army and the PLA copys the WWII German Army's helmet style with flip backs.

[rommel]

Its Yuan not Yen. Yen is the crap that those Japs use. And there are 700,000 active troops in the US Army. Not 200,000. And there are over 1 million national guardsmen.

there's 200,000 deployed in Iraq

[MIGleader]

Actually both the US Army and the PLA copys the WWII German Army's helmet style with flip backs.

alot of countries like that style. the soviets and soviet sattelite/mid east may use the more saucer like soviet helmet.

[Su-27 Pilot]

alot of countries like that style. the soviets and soviet sattelite/mid east may use the more saucer like soviet helmet.

I prefer the German helmet. Looks cool and nice

[Gollevainen]

I prefer the German helmet. Looks cool and nice

...yeas perhaps, but in here we shouldn't make judgements based on that something looks nice...Finnish helmet looks nice, but after 16 days constantly wearing it nonstop, it doesent look, feel or even smell nice...you just want to throw it to the nearest lake... :mad:

[Su-27 Pilot]

...yeas perhaps, but in here we shouldn't make judgements based on that something looks nice...Finnish helmet looks nice, but after 16 days constantly wearing it nonstop, it doesent look, feel or even smell nice...you just want to throw it to the nearest lake... :mad:

Right, but those german helmets prove to be on the best ever created in human history. The overall protection and performance has surpassed all the other WWII level helmets. The modern German style US/PLA helmets are almost a direct copy of it.

[Gollevainen]

Right, but those german helmets prove to be on the best ever created in human history. The overall protection and performance has surpassed all the other WWII level helmets. The modern German style US/PLA helmets are almost a direct copy of it

Thats what you should have said earlyer...much more mature and proffesional sounding than "it looks cool" Don't you think?

[Su-27 Pilot]

Thats what you should have said earlyer...much more mature and proffesional sounding than "it looks cool" Don't you think?

Nobody is perfect. :(

[MIGleader]

so back on topic, anyone know what chinese helmets or the guardian god is made of?

do chinese troops have fire resistant gear?

[President]

so back on topic, anyone know what chinese helmets or the guardian god is made of?

do chinese troops have fire resistant gear?
you can read chinese right?
about the helmet http://www.qbq.com.cn/qi_kan/2001/5/qibq20010514.html

[rommel]

Not bad, but my FIE fencing mask is a better bullet stopper than the old and the new helmet...

[MIGleader]

you can read chinese right?
about the helmet http://www.qbq.com.cn/qi_kan/2001/5/qibq20010514.html

i can read that, but it is way to complicated for me to understand.

[sze86]

you guys are all so cool. i wish i was as cool as you guys. i admire you. wow i wish i knew so much about mlitary. i read a lot about it, but i still don't know much. i want to join the PLA when i grow up. maybe do bio-warfare.

[swimmerXC]

yea.. well.. land warfare doesn't really interest me that much... i hardy visit the land forum... only the missile parts in land warfare interest me!

[Su-27 Pilot]

yea.. well.. land warfare doesn't really interest me that much... i hardy visit the land forum... only the missile parts in land warfare interest me!
What is the point fo your posting then ??

[Red not Dead]

alot of countries like that style. the soviets and soviet sattelite/mid east may use the more saucer like soviet helmet.


Not true...while NATO related countries use the "Fritz" a WarPact used so many different patterns like the italian m36 or the hungarian and slovak "para" helmet that inspired the german "fallschirmjager" one.

Now russians use the SSN94 Sphere ans the SSN m25 (odd patern looks like their tanking helmets but with full titanium protection).

Still the US m40 "Steel pot" was better than the german but was also heavier.

It had two layers of steel being thus a nightmare for the neck.

[MIGleader]

well, western helmets look much like they do 50 years ago. and so do soviet ones. i know east german troops were given the saucer helmet.

[President]

PLA new body armor, with protection for soldier's penis :D
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/bbs/2005/0930/08411394.html

[RavenWing278]

PLA new body armor, with protection for soldier's penis :D
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/bbs/2005/0930/08411394.html

the US marines have had those type of body armour for quiet a while now

[President]

the US marines have had those type of body armour for quiet a while now
hi, would u show me a picture, so i can compare with it and see the difference.

[RavenWing278]

hi, would u show me a picture, so i can compare with it and see the difference.
i cant post the picture since i saw it in a military hardware book (and the fact that i dunno how 2 post pics) but heres a site where i found what is similar but the the exact thing i saw in the book
http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productid=8879&TabID=137
enjoy :)

[drunkhomer]

and wut is da percentage of pla troops dat are actualy givin a bullet proof vest like dat....cuz most pics i see of pla troops...dey aint wearin any body armour

[RavenWing278]

yes...most PLA foot sloggers wont get that new type of body armour..i think only category A units are recieving them for testing n evaluation but the category B units like the reserves still only have flak vests

[Red Guard]

yes...most PLA foot sloggers wont get that new type of body armour..i think only category A units are recieving them for testing n evaluation but the category B units like the reserves still only have flak vests
first of all, the new vest is being issued, now 127th div could be one of the first unit that is being issued, so it takes time.
second of all, "category B" units are not reserves. unlike canada, PLA reserves only funtion while a war is going on in china, such as 1979, reserves soldiers who USED to be in service was called on. most of the time, they are just there, being paid 5 bucks per day for training. worth less than 1 canadian buck.
as category B units are mostly like foot soldiers, light infantries, the TRUE light infantries, and units with old equipments. those units are being downsizing or disbanded. in the next 10-20 years, lots of such divisions will be no long existing.
third of all, even A armies don't have flak vests, so......

[MIGleader]

heres the armor break down...
all pla marines probably have body armor,
and most paratroop units do too.
the majority of A catagory units have body armor. i dont know how red guard got the idea a units dont have flak vests.
b units probably dont have much armor.
all spec ops. have the best armor

[rommel]

heres the armor break down...
all pla marines probably have body armor,
and most paratroop units do too.
the majority of A catagory units have body armor. i dont know how red guard got the idea a units dont have flak vests.
b units probably dont have much armor.
all spec ops. have the best armor

can you post some pic of PLA's soldier with body armor ?? I never saw one except on pictures of the PAP

[MIGleader]

ask swimmer. i dont have acsses to alot of good pics.sry rommel

check out the "after all these years, body armor has made it to the pla thread

[drunkhomer]

yeah send sum pics....eg peace mission 2005....wanna see pla troops wif sum body armour

[Red Guard]

heres the armor break down...
all pla marines probably have body armor,
and most paratroop units do too.
the majority of A catagory units have body armor. i dont know how red guard got the idea a units dont have flak vests.
b units probably dont have much armor.
all spec ops. have the best armor

the thing is, i don't know where you get the idea PLA HAS body armour. in chinese forum, we've been fighting for this for years that if we should issue body armour and boots to the troops or not. i never seen one picture about soldiers wear body armour recent years(some pictures show artillery soldiers wear such in 80s,very rare). and the thread i posted is like a.....huge hit within the chinese forum, as we finally are issuing body armours.
if you will, show me ANY photo of they are using body armour in the past 10 years, ANY units.

[Red Guard]

and, body armour was not used in peace mission 2005.

[President]

is that new body armour??
http://forum.mil.sina.com.cn/cgi-bin/view.cgi?gid=71&fid=5168&thread=264158&date=20050930

[MIGleader]

yep. heres another pic:
http://www.anyboard.net/gov/mil/anyboard/uploads/bull11.jpg

[rommel]

okay, execpt the same few pic of the chinese TV channel CCTV-7 and the pic of the body armor shown by Mig , that does not mean that the PLA has body armor, if their have body armor, they will have used them in exercise to get the soldiers used to them to let them feel confortable with it when they have to fight.

[MIGleader]

the moajority of the pla dont have armor. the marines, paratroops, and most A units have it, along with spec ops, but that amounts to only a few hundred thousand men out of the 2.3 million.

[FriedRiceNSpice]

the moajority of the pla dont have armor. the marines, paratroops, and most A units have it, along with spec ops, but that amounts to only a few hundred thousand men out of the 2.3 million.

Out of the 2.3 million in the PLA, only 1.5 million is in ground forces. And out of that, only 1.2 million is in the infantry. I am assuming that tank crews, fighter pilots, and naval officers can do just fine without body armor. Out of the 1.2 million in the infantry, most likely 100,000-300,000 (all from the elite units named by MIG boi) are equipped with modern body armor.

[rommel]

Out of the 2.3 million in the PLA, only 1.5 million is in ground forces. And out of that, only 1.2 million is in the infantry. I am assuming that tank crews, fighter pilots, and naval officers can do just fine without body armor. Out of the 1.2 million in the infantry, most likely 100,000-300,000 (all from the elite units named by MIG boi) are equipped with modern body armor.

not so sure, tank crew or at least light armor crew need body armor just in case that light ammo pierce the armor , and if the A and elite unit have armor, why they didn't put them in Peace Mission 05 ??? That's seem unrationnal 'cause we, infantry, have to always wear our full combat during exercise to get used with. Because the body armor is not something very comfortable and if you don't train with it, it's reduce the soldier's ability of adapting himself with new gears.

[FriedRiceNSpice]

not so sure, tank crew or at least light armor crew need body armor just in case that light ammo pierce the armor , and if the A and elite unit have armor, why they didn't put them in Peace Mission 05 ??? That's seem unrationnal 'cause we, infantry, have to always wear our full combat during exercise to get used with. Because the body armor is not something very comfortable and if you don't train with it, it's reduce the soldier's ability of adapting himself with new gears.

China cant afford to replace armors. Maybe they just didn't want to damage the body armors or wear them out.

[MIGleader]

not so sure, tank crew or at least light armor crew need body armor just in case that light ammo pierce the armor , and if the A and elite unit have armor, why they didn't put them in Peace Mission 05 ??? That's seem unrationnal 'cause we, infantry, have to always wear our full combat during exercise to get used with. Because the body armor is not something very comfortable and if you don't train with it, it's reduce the soldier's ability of adapting himself with new gears.

i saw some pics of 05 sodiers with armor. but i forget where unfortunately...
the pla gets priority funding now, so expect more armor.

[rommel]

China cant afford to replace armors. Maybe they just didn't want to damage the body armors or wear them out.

weird... dommage the armor, ahem... I don't think that you can dommage your armor or your webbing, believe me, I know what infantry equipment is used for... Well, why China will have to replace the armor during exercise, you are not shooting on it...

i saw some pics of 05 sodiers with armor. but i forget where unfortunately...
the pla gets priority funding now, so expect more armor.
Reply With Quote

well, watch out that you don't confuse body armor with the webbing...

on the link posted below by President, you see 2 pics or armor with 1 of webbing... and in the thread of Red Guard below about body armor, it say, PLA just start to issue body armor to soldier...

[drunkhomer]

i found this pic

[MIGleader]

theres no way it just started. im sure now that the army has more oney, more units are receiving armor, but i know the elite units of the pla have had armor for some years now.

[rommel]

i found this pic

humm, good pic but this guy don't have a Unit ID badge and carry a pistol, i think it's more PAP or Special Police

[MIGleader]

i think hes demonstrating the pla's new armor.

[Red Guard]

it's what we call a "show photo", he is just showing the new armour which will never be issued to the troop.
MIGleader, you seem like a chinese, which i wouldn't know, but i tell you, if you ever visit the chinese military forum, iff you are chinese, you would see that almost in every single military forum people are fighting about the possiblity of issuing both armour and boots. and from oct.1st news, we see, it's finally coming true......i tell you, there was NO full units such as marine and paratroopers are equiped body armour. some of the special force, which you guys seem like to call specops, may wear those to pose for the camera, but i think no special force and recon would wear that into special operation.
Anyyyyyyway. i tell you, armour was never issued to infantry troops, as i say infantry, because there are photos show artillery used to wear them in the 80s. that's flak jacket. i tell you, trust me, in the honour of a chinese military forum CEO.

[drunkhomer]

wut???...i'm confused...or uneducated....DEY DIDNT HAV BOOTS??

[Red Guard]

wut???...i'm confused...or uneducated....DEY DIDNT HAV BOOTS??
combat boots are not issued, except tankers who wear high boots, pilots, and some other people. Normal soldiers are not equiped boots. they wear ruber shoes, as we normally call that "the liberation shoes". PLA had been issuing those to the soldiers for the last 50 years. Such shoes are used as battlefield footwear and walking out shoes. Until around 2003, "the liberation shoes" were finally retired from the service, replaced by a new kind of ruber shoes. Even though special units and some of the A units are being issued boots, but there is still no sign of the whole infantry troops being issued boots in the near future.
the liberation shoes are part of the combat uniform, and part of the walk out uniform for the soldiers while the officers are equiped leather shoes. that lasted until 2004's summer, when soldiers are equiped walk out shoes, but not leather.

[MIGleader]

it's what we call a "show photo", he is just showing the new armour which will never be issued to the troop.
MIGleader, you seem like a chinese, which i wouldn't know, but i tell you, if you ever visit the chinese military forum, iff you are chinese, you would see that almost in every single military forum people are fighting about the possiblity of issuing both armour and boots. and from oct.1st news, we see, it's finally coming true......i tell you, there was NO full units such as marine and paratroopers are equiped body armour. some of the special force, which you guys seem like to call specops, may wear those to pose for the camera, but i think no special force and recon would wear that into special operation.
Anyyyyyyway. i tell you, armour was never issued to infantry troops, as i say infantry, because there are photos show artillery used to wear them in the 80s. that's flak jacket. i tell you, trust me, in the honour of a chinese military forum CEO.

we still have much to learn about the chinese armor situation. its difficult to keep track of 2.4 million men. im know that the elit pla divisions have armor, but the rest likely have flak jakets.

[Red Guard]

we still have much to learn about the chinese armor situation. its difficult to keep track of 2.4 million men. im know that the elit pla divisions have armor, but the rest likely have flak jakets.

as my high school teacher said, "some people decide to disagree". well, if you will, i am not trying to disagree with you, as i also wish they do. and please tell me where you get such information?

[MIGleader]

what do you mean? its almost common knoiledge via sinodefence, china defence, and other forums. im not posting anything radical.

[President]

have a look at our 'libration shoes'. :D
http://army.news.tom.com/1019/1021/2004/9/24-39099.html
the first one has been served in PLA for 50 years. personally, it is very comfortable and convinence than boots in soldier's excice. especially in 5 kilo running. if you take a look historical picture PLA battle with vietnam, you will find soldiers all wear this buddy. and it even popular among farming workers. price: RMB 8 yuan = less than US 1$
the sencond one is the new style training shoes

[Red Guard]

what do you mean? its almost common knoiledge via sinodefence, china defence, and other forums. im not posting anything radical.

you mean about armour in PLA? you gotta be kidding me! if you pay a visit to chinese forums you will see ....well, i said many times above....

[MIGleader]

my pioint: elite units in pla get armor
regular units dont

simple enogh?

[Red Guard]

my pioint: elite units in pla get armor
regular units dont

simple enogh?
okay there is no point to get upset.

there is no point for elites to have armour since they need fast movement during operations. they may though, but i really doubt about it. you see, western people make a great deal one "evidence", now all i need is the evidence of they are getting armour, and now, i don't see any. the only photos we are seeing they have armour is those "show photos"

and you said things about flak vest. now what's flak vest? is it not kevlar, but with steel plates?

[rommel]

okay there is no point to get upset.

there is no point for elites to have armour since they need fast movement during operations. they may though, but i really doubt about it. you see, western people make a great deal one "evidence", now all i need is the evidence of they are getting armour, and now, i don't see any. the only photos we are seeing they have armour is those "show photos"

and you said things about flak vest. now what's flak vest? is it not kevlar, but with steel plates?

well, a flak jacket can be make in kevlar or can have steel plates or any other materials, but it's not intended to stop bullet, it's a kind of armor that were use at the beggining by bomber's crew to stop the frag of the flak shell, after, the infantry used it to protect themself against shell and grenade frag. So it only offer limited protection against frag and low-power bullet, even though that a 9mm can pierce it very easily.

[Red Guard]

then...what's the difference between flak with body armour????? because in chinse they are kinda the same word. "bullet prof vest" we call.

[Red not Dead]

then...what's the difference between flak with body armour????? because in chinse they are kinda the same word. "bullet prof vest" we call.


Flak vest was made from reinforced PVC fibres back in vietnam, now it's mainly PVC+Nomex.

While BP vests are madre from kevlar+ adding of plates (ceramic/titanium/steel/graphite/wood= initial Soviet Bp vests were made from laminated wood+strong leather)

[Red Guard]

which cleared up as both body armour and flak vest are bullet prof vests, which none was being issued to PLA until recently.

[MIGleader]

does china have any advanced aermor projects going on right now? similar to the u.s LEM?

[Red Guard]

they do, they always do, but you just don't see them being issued.....

[MIGleader]

or they dont realese info or pics of them being issued, contibuting to our lack of information

[Red Guard]

or they dont realese info or pics of them being issued, contibuting to our lack of information
oh come on guy......you don't have to release it, we have soldiers retire from service every single year, if they ever tried them on sometimes, we would know it within days. seriously....if you are going to stay on they have such vests. i suggest you stay one this
"they just put them in the storage and don't show it to us, they only give them to the soldiers while the war is coming"

[MIGleader]

im pretty chinese pwople in china might have a good idea of the body armor situation, but we dont. im sure there are tons of ex-soldiers who have worn pla body armor and told there family, but how can that news get here?

[Red Guard]

MIGLEADER。 i am chinese......and i am also chinese military forum CEO, i don't know the word, but it's the same job as DongFeng and some other forum staff. and my brother in law and lots of my friends had been served in the military force, from land to air, from air to sea. and i think one of my classmate is now in second artillery now.

[MIGleader]

so what did they say about armor?
artillery, airman, and sailors, and regular inf dont get armor. you need a relative thats a marine or an elite A division.

[Red Guard]

oyi......you caught me there....i think it's the best i get to know hu jin tao, and ask him if they have armour in storage................

[Red Guard]

my brother in law was from A division. he was working at the batalion HQ. his divison now is downsizing into a brigade now. no armour. and 39th army's HQ is in my hometown. ......

[FriedRiceNSpice]

800 million is not too much considering you get at least 20 billion A YEAR.
the pla dosn't have to do it all at once. thay have five year priority funding.
so the only need 160 million a year.

remeber, the pla dosn't buy like the plaaf and plan. they are a bit more advanced and have developed most of their own equipment.

Uh........ it still costs money to make the equipment in your own factories. You have to pay for the materials used and for the labor.

[MIGleader]

no, i meant buy from foreign countries. if you notice, the pla has developed most of its advnaced gear, while the plaaf and plan have just gotten out of the buying spree.

[Red Guard]

huh? how high tech could rifle be? how high tech could webbing be? it's jsut the matter of the mind, not money, besides china sells armour to other countries.

[MIGleader]

advanced pla gear...
type 98
type 87a rifle
type 92 apc
new infantry fighting vehicle
the airborne IFV
plz-45
ptl02 tank destroyer
ld-200ciws
need i go on?

[rommel]

advanced pla gear...
type 98
type 87a rifle
type 92 apc
new infantry fighting vehicle
the airborne IFV
plz-45
ptl02 tank destroyer
ld-200ciws
need i go on?

mig, I agree with Red Guard, the body armor is not a question of advanced technology but of utility and idea. Every technical object,e.g. tank, IFV, firearms are easier to built because it's technical than pratical. Body armor and webbing for exemple, are not very high tech, it's only a matter of how to use it and when to use, maybe chinese army didn't see the need to protect the soldier like every western country do. Westerner give lot more importance to life than Easterner, some Chinese are ready to die for cause, most of the westerner will never.

[MIGleader]

hmmm...i dont know why westerners think chinese are readyt to sacrifice themselves and dont care about protection. its a bad-jap stereotype. pla officers care very much about their troops. armor is being issued now. we just know the chinese are a bit behind the west in such things.

[rommel]

hmmm...i dont know why westerners think chinese are readyt to sacrifice themselves and dont care about protection. its a bad-jap stereotype. pla officers care very much about their troops. armor is being issued now. we just know the chinese are a bit behind the west in such things.

well, my girlfriend (who's a chinese) and her parents told that to me...

[MIGleader]

chinese people, especially adults that grew up under mao, dont really have a good impression of china. they still think its like the mao china of decades ago, just like many westerners. you have to ask you chinese born in this new age of china to understand...

[Red Guard]

PLA has a long story, which people die for the corp( sounds like USMC..), A LOT during war time. And today's high command are bunch of old person who many of their comrades, or brothers in arms died in the war. Therefore, their mind, mostly still stay around WWII and Korean war, and some of the new generals were promoted from wars with viet nam during 80s. Soldiers never had any webbing (ammo punch doesn't count) and armour (some flak were issued to truck driver during korean war and viet nam war with US, also artillery). And we still won the war. chinese soldiers consider more about fast movement than protection. As during korean war, the famous line :"our feet are faster than the wheels of the western". and also in viet nam, soldiers in platoons fast move to the rear of the enemy with their feet. if they were ever issued boots and armour, they can't move that fast. therefore, boots and armour are the products under the western way of thinking and western way of warfare. PLA had been going with the "people's warfare" for the last 50 years, and today we try to adopt the new way of thinking, by protecting our soldiers. it takes time, i believe in the next 20 years, and news say in 2007, new uniform along with boots and armour will be issuing to all troops. i hope so.

[Red Guard]

and by the way, migleader, you are an ABC, eh?

[Obcession]

well, my girlfriend (who's a chinese) and her parents told that to me...

As Migleader said, the officers care very much about the troops.

But you can say, to a degree, that the troops don't care much about themselves, because since grade 2 (I have the text book) LA, they were taught war stories of sacrifices, like a story that went something as such: a bridge, sitting on a dry river bed, was made into an enemy machine gun nest, protected by a brick wall with only a firing slit showing, who were mowing down many of the PLA's men, who were trying to get to the HQ which the machine gun nest was guarding. The PLA troops were pinned down, so 2 men asked their officer the permission to charge and blow the bridge. One man carried a sack of grenades, another carried a bag of explosives. They then crawled slowly toward the bridge, the guy with the grenades was hit and down, so the guy with the explosives charged under the bridge, he tried to put the explosive on the shallow river's side, but it was concrete and too slippery, he tried various things after that, but the explosive won't stay. Then the PLA's charging horn sounded, and the PLA charged, with many men dieing, again, from the fire of the machine gun nest. He couldn't stand watching his comrades dieing, so he took his explosive, used his arms to hold the explosive in place, and lit it. The lesson was, he sacrificed himself for the cause and for his men.

It could also be that the older generations of Chinese grew up in Mao's days, and were still thinking like that, like someone else said previously.

So to a degree, saying that these troops are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause is right.

[Red Guard]

ayaya....no offence guys, but it's very funny for me to see how you guys talk in the western mind......
okay, i never served in the military, but i know, something on the battlefield, you just have to sacrifice a few men's lives to save the others. anyone ever watched "thin red line", US officers sent two men at the front to see if the japanese are there, and two were killed, as japanese exposed their firing point. that's the point. from my point of view, the hero, obviously, you guys odn't knwo the name, was only thinking about how to stop the machine gun from firing, so he just did that...maybe he was blanked out, all he thought was blowing up the bridge. and i believe every soldier at that point would do the same thing, it's just propaganda. we have LOTS of soldiers like that. we have soldiers stopped machine gun fire with his chest in korean war, we have a soldier who was burnt to death without making one sound. and in movies, we have a soldier who would direct the artillery fire to himself as US soldiers are just 2 meters away from him. it's normal, to any army, we just slightly ...braver than the others, different culture. AND chinese officers don't really care about the soldiers that much nowadays. they beat the soldiers.....
i heard one line the other day. some officer of US from korean said :"at first, i would tell the soldiers, let's go guys, all we need to do is put a bullet on the chinese that's not dead. then we realize, you can't just kill a chinese, because when you are in their trenches, they are already dead". i translated from chinese, but that totally shows the spirit of chinese army. whichhhhhhhhhh is off topic.

[MIGleader]

and by the way, migleader, you are an ABC, eh?

how dare you!!!(jk) i was born in chendu and move to america at age 4.


i guess those troopps were simply executing th concept of utilitatrianism.

[Red Guard]

that's close to ABC.....i came to canada at 14 and my mind was pretty matured by then. chinese education.....

[Knarfo]

ayaya....no offence guys, but it's very funny for me to see how you guys talk in the western mind......

The western mind in this case is more like product of ...... modernity or maybe capitalism is a better word. As people get relatively rich they become more and more individualistic and self centered. This affects all aspect of the society and changes the social interactions. The sense of collective is diminshes. Didn't Marx write something along the lines "capitalism remakes the world in its own image" or some such. Spot on in my opinion. Just a general observation, not pointing at any individual. Hugely of topic though.

[MIGleader]

that's close to ABC.....i came to canada at 14 and my mind was pretty matured by then. chinese education.....

abc=american born chinese im a cbc. but, you can callm e a banana...yelloe on the outside, white on the inside...

[Red Guard]

sorry, you see, i am canadian, in canada, CBC means candian born chinese. i know you mean chinese born chinese. but you came to US at age of 4, which is close to ABC, as you were never chiense educated. your knowledge to china is mostly from your parents, IF they are willing to let you know. i don't mean any offence, just stating the fact.

[MIGleader]

thats why im a banana. im look chinese but, but i act like white people. abc purely refers to location of birth.

[drunkhomer]

i'm a HCB....lol...half chinese brother....lol...but i look more white

[MIGleader]

is your mom the chinese or your dad?
ive known quite a few hcb;s in my life. one was my roomate at summer camp.

[PiSigma]

the guy who blocked the machine gun entrance was called Huan Jiguang
the guy who blew up the bridge was called Dong Cunrui
the guy burned to death was called Qiu Shaoyun

[drunkhomer]

mom's chinese

[lazzydigger]

http://bbs2.xilu.com/cgi-bin/bbs/view?forum=justblue&message=382758

This link shows the "guardian God" body armor used in grenade training sessions. It also did say that for some reason PLA didn't mass issue it.

In March 2004, during a grenade training, one solider's grenade slipped out of his hand. It was drop 3 cm away from him. He jump to shallow trench as it show in the pics, and survived blast. After check shows 2 hits on the armor. Luck for him.

happy reading.

Cheers

Lazzy digger

[Su-27 Pilot]

the guy who blocked the machine gun entrance was called Huan Jiguang
the guy who blew up the bridge was called Dong Cunrui
the guy burned to death was called Qiu Shaoyun

All of the Heros in PLA's history are worthy to be deeply remembered.

[Su-27 Pilot]

thats why im a banana. im look chinese but, but i act like white people. abc purely refers to location of birth.

Really, I heard Chengdu people love Spicy food right ??

[Gollevainen]

For fuk sake im getting really pissed...does all topics have to go of topic? :nono: oh no, not if it got something to do whit me...next one who i got up leading the discussion offtopic will get official warning and perhaps temporaly ban...understood?

[Red not Dead]

Golle it's an unwritten rule of Internet...all discussion end up Off initial Topic.:off

Seee

[coolstorm]

wow, 1000$ ??? It's a little weird, it cost 540 CDN $ to buy a tactical level III CRISAT (kevlar + titanium) vest in canada on civilian market, why it would cost more for military that got better price than the civilian ?? (For exemple, the Beretta M9 cost 175 US to buy for the US Army and 350 to replace, but the civilian got to buy it at a minimun of 550 on legal market)

Well, the WWI vest was able to block a 7,92mm Mauser round, test prove that you can even put 250lb on the vest without causing respiratory problem to the soldier... The US have sufficient body armor, but that mean vest and flak jacket, some of the US unit are issued with flak jacket and the rest with vest, but we all know, flak jacket don't block bullets...

that's because canada is relatively poor and has a lower living standards than the us. it costs over 10 dollars us for a fast-food meal in the us. in canada, it costs only around 5/6 dollars us.

it costs 2 dollars us to buy a soda in movie threater. in canada, it costs less than 1 dollar.

[ahho]

that's because canada is relatively poor and has a lower living standards than the us. it costs over 10 dollars us for a fast-food meal in the us. in canada, it costs only around 5/6 dollars us.

it costs 2 dollars us to buy a soda in movie threater. in canada, it costs less than 1 dollar.

lower living standard?? i think that is called inflation in the US.


as for kelvar $1000 seems a little too pricy

[rommel]

lower living standard?? i think that is called inflation in the US.


as for kelvar $1000 seems a little too pricy

agree, the inflation rate is much higher in the US than in Canada. The inflation rate is of 2.5% in the USA while it's 1.9% (a healthy inflation rate should be between 1.0% and 2.0%) BTW, check the USA external debt... it's about 1,9 trillion while it's "only" 570 billion for Canada...

still, we are drifting off topic, get back in line !!!!!

[ahho]

hey rommel do you know how much does it cost to buy the different levels of kelvar in canada for military and police force??

[Undead Yogurt]

So... it's almost a year later... is there now a consensus on the body armor situation? Is it: marines, paratroopers, special ops are equipped w/ Kevlar, while regular infantry still do without?

[magantosh]

lots of chinese police equiped with body armor, but never saw any soldiers equip with these stuff.



chinese police equiped with body armor? maybe in TV, actually the normal police never equiped with armor except some dangerous mission~

[RedMercury]

PAP/swat are equipped, at least in many publicity photos. Civilian Street cops in general don't have them. I don't think all of them carry guns either.

[kunmingren]

yea, thats true. most street cops dont have body armor or guns. Only people who do are pap swats, and even then it looks more like ammo pounches than actual protection. My cousin is currently a police officer officer over there, and their equipment seems very antiquated.

[RedMercury]

The private security firms that do armored car deliveries for banks have their boys all decked out in body armor. Quite a sight to see one standing there with a tactical 12-gauge. In a no-gun society, guns+body armor is like, heh. But I suppose they're not protecting from the common petty criminals with their knives, but the organized crime, who are indeed armed. Their armored cars though, don't inspire confidence. Too light to be protected from anything above pistol rounds, I suspect.

[kunmingren]

Yeah, that reminded me, I was in China last August, and i saw cash delievery vans on several different occasions. I actually thought that they were some sort of special police unit. thanks for clearfy that. yea, they do look pretty mean in their steel helmet, kevlar and submachine gun.

[kovona]

Did anyone check the made in china site? Just type in bullet-proof vest, and a whole list comes up with these companies that make ballistic grade body armor, the funny thing is some of these companies use to be sex toy makers, HAHA. Oh, on a side note, the site also features vehicle armor. Oh, this is also open bulk bazaar (kind of like costco), so if yu have the money, yu can buy anything here.

[RedMercury]

Body armor have expiration dates, so (like almost every kind of equipment) it's not a one time purchase. Example: if the vest is rated for 10 years, equipping vests (in peace time) will cost 1/10th its full cost per year.
The 500 USD figure is rather vague, but probably for something with higher than level III protection, since the article says 500 USD at maximum.

Again the reason wheter body armor is issued has to do not only with cost, but with doctrine. Perhaps the soldier is better served by carrying more of something else, or just carrying less in general. Or perhaps the PLA isn't satisfied with current designs and wishes to wait just a bit more. Another possibility is that the cost of improving small arms to defeat body armor is far less expensive than improving the body armor, so it may not be perceived as a cost-effective route at the current state of materials science.

Westerner give lot more importance to life than Easterner, some Chinese are ready to die for cause, most of the westerner will never.

Aspiring to be like Westmoreland huh?