Multi-component ballistic vest

Claim 1

A multi-component ballistic vest of a soft body armor type comprising: a composite protective panel having ballistic resistance comprising a first flexible sub-panel on a strike side of the vest, a second flexible sub-panel positioned adjacent the first sub-panel, a third flexible sub-panel positioned adjacent to the second sub-panel, and a fourth flexible sub-panel on a body side of the vest, the first flexible sub-panel comprising a first group of flexible woven fabric layers arranged in a stack in face-to-face surface contact, each first woven fabric layer comprising an array of woven high molecular weight high tensile strength ballistic-resistant polymeric fibers, the individual first woven fabric layers being secured to each other to form a flexible unitary first sub-panel, the second flexible sub-panel comprising a second group of flexible woven fabric layers arranged in a stack in face-to-face surface contact, each second woven fabric layer comprising an array of woven ultra high molecular weight high tensile strength ballistic-resistant polymeric fibers, the individual second woven fabric layers being secured to each other to form a flexible unitary second sub-panel, the third flexible sub-panel comprising a group of flexible imperforate ballistic fiber-reenforced plastic sheets arranged in a stack in face-to-face surface contact, each fiber-reinforced sheet of the third sub-panel comprising an array of non-woven ballistic-resistant plastic fibers embedded in a resinous matrix type film, the individual ballistic fiber-reinforced plastic sheets of the third sub-panel being secured to each other to form a flexible unitary third sub-panel; the fourth flexible sub-panel comprising a group of flexible imperforate ballistic fiber-reinforced plastic sheets arranged in a stack in face-to-face surface contact, each imperforate plastic sheet of the fourth sub-panel comprising an array of non-woven plastic fibers embedded in a resinous matrix type film, the individual fiber-reinforced sheets of the fourth sub-panel being secured to each other to form a flexible unitary fourth sub-panel, the ballistic resistance of the composite ballistic package being provided essentially in its entirety from the strike side of the composite panel through the first, second, third and fourth sub-panels to the body side of the ballistic package; the first, second, third and fourth flexible sub-panels having a combined areal weight not greater than about 1.0 pound per square foot and having an NIJ standard maximum backface of about 44 mm with a ballistic resistance that prevents projectile penetration of the combined first, second, third and fourth flexible sub-panels according to NIJ Standard 0101.03 for Threat Level III-A.