The addition of hard armor inserts to a level IIIA bullet proof vest will raise that garment's protective capabilities to a level IV. This means that it should be able to withstand automatic rifle fire. In addition, accounts from the field indicate that level IV protection will contribute significantly to survival rates where larger explosions are concerned, regarding shrapnel from shells and hand grenades.

Advantages of Hard Armor Inserts

The advantage with the use of hard armor inserts is that, while they make a garment bulky and heavy to wear, they can be removed when the higher threat levels are diminished. Since it is a widely held view that level IV protective clothing is unsuitable for permanent use, this does offer a solution to the difficulties of wearing highly restrictive protective clothing for long periods of time. Hard armor inserts are usually added and removed very easily from the slots provided for them on combat vests.

Another advantage to the system of hard armor inserts for raising a protective garment's protective capabilities is that if you already have a combat vest, but no protective plates, it's usually a simple matter of purchasing them and inserting them. Do make sure though, that your vest has the right size slots for the armor inserts you're planning to buy. They vary quite considerably in dimensions and to get the wrong ones would prove quite a costly mistake.

Apart from size, other choices you'll need to make when acquiring hard armor inserts involve make and material. There are a number of quality makes of hard armor plates. Spectra and Dyneema are perhaps two of the most widely used. Ceramic inserts are the most widely used but are being replaced by Dyneema based inserts. These are both used in active combat by the US armed forces.