Cheap, light-weight Made-in-India bullet-proof vest for Indian Army gets government approval

Read on to know about the invention of a Kolkata based scientist, which may soon result in manufacturing of ‘Made in ' bullet-proof jackets. This is the first time in 70 years that the Indian Army will don indigenous bullet-proof vests.

The government just acknowledged an Indian scientist's effort of designing a bullet-proof jacket for the Indian Army and paramilitary forces which will help our country save a huge amount of money without compromising on the security of our army personnel.

The vest is the brainchild of a Kolkata based Professor, Shantanu Bhowmik. He is the head of Research and Projects at School of Engineering, and Professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at School of Engineering, Amrita University, in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore. He has high hopes for his new invention and expressed his happiness at getting the official nod for the project.

Things to know about the made-in-India bullet-proof vest:

  • This jacket is made from indigenous ultra modern lightweight thermoplastic
  • This invention will be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Make in India' project

The jackets will be manufactured once the PMO gives a green signal. This is for the first time in 70 years that the Indian Army will wear a vest which is indigenously made.

The bullet-proof jacket is a fillip to the government's ‘Make in India' project. It will help our country to be stronger on our front without depending on other developed nations.

“It will be developed in collaboration with the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation)”, an official mentioned to The Sunday Guardian when asked about the manufacture of the jackets.

How will this jacket be different from the ones our army currently wears?

  • Presently, a single jacket, which is imported from the United States, costs around Rs 1.5 lakh. The Indian made jacket will cost Rs 50,000 per jacket, which means India will save Rs 20,000 crore every year
  • The bullet proof jackets now being used by our jawans in the Army, BSF, CRPF and Police are heavy. They weigh something between 15-18 kgs. The new ones will be light weight jackets weighing 6-8 times less at just 1.5 kg
  • The vest has 20 layers and the carbon fibre in it will enable the jacket to work in 57 degrees Celsius also

A spokesperson of Amrita University said that this jacket will be a ‘game-changer' without disclosing much about the technological part, as defence related matters are quite sensitive.

About the inventor:

Bhowmik received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. A part of his PhD thesis was done at Technical University of Berlin, Germany. At present, he is also the Adjunct Professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

He has published over 135 research articles in polymeric composite, nano composite adhesive bonding and surface engineering related to aviation, space and nuclear applications in journals and international conferences.

He has filed five patents and seven invention disclosures. Bhowmik is grateful to Army Staff Lt Gen Subrata Saha for being a constant motivator and dedicated his invention to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.