CERT is proud to be the exclusive Australasian distributor for the Defence Composites (UK) range of body armour and related products.
For over 20 years Defence Composites (DC) has led the body armour market with a succession of revolutionary products and concepts.
Design and development has been driven by DC founder, Craig Mills, who has over 35 years of experience in the industry, including being a Body Armour Adviser to the NATO Soldier Modernisation Program. DC supplies standard and specialised body armour products to the UK Ministry of Defence and Defence Organisations around the world.
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Defence Composites offer a range of both hard and soft shell vests in various protection levels against edged weapon and ballistic threats.
Download a copy of our 'overview of body armour protective vests' document here as well as our 'body armour comparison' document here.
Due to the specialist nature of these products we request prospective buyers to contact us so we can discuss with them which type of vest would be most approporiate for your requirements.
Below is a summary of the types of vests avaliable.
Hard Shell Vests
As the name implies, these vests feature moulded polycarbonate protective panels which offer exceptional edged weapon and blunt force trauma (being struck with an object such as a piece of wood or metal pipe etc) protection.
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With soft shell vests, if the wearer suffers a blunt force attack such as being struck with a piece of wood, the shock wave from the strike travels through the vest (which absorbs some of the energy) and into the wearers body. This is called fluid shock transfer.
With a hard shell vest, the impact of the strike is spread across the surface of the protective panel of the vest meaning there is far less fluid shock transfer into the body of the wearer.
Hard shell vests are avaliable in standard sizes from XS to 6XL with 'made to measure' sizes also avaliable if required.
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Hard shell vest with moulded
polycarbonate protective panels
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Vest carriers (the outer cover) are available in a range of styles including overt, covert and tabard and are customisable in terms of the colour, pockets, attachments, reflective tape and patches etc. Click here for a document that details some options avaliable in terms of carrier designs.
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Overt
Worn on top of your shirt with a range of colours, pockets and attachments avaliable. The most common style of vest worn in New Zealand
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Tabard
A non-confrontational style that looks like a normal safety vest while still providing you the assurance of protective panels
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Covert
Worn under your shirt for the most discrete appearence
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Prices for hard shell vests depend on the style of carrier and customisation desired, but range from $895.00 for a 3mm covert vest to $1,695.00 for a 5mm overt vest with a highly customised carrier design.
Please also see the bottom of this page for 'Rapid Response Armour' which features hard shell panels but in a fast deployment carrier for emergency situations.
Soft Shell Vests
Soft shell vests feature protective panels made of tightly woven material such as Kevlar. These vests are available in a range of protection levels for both edged and ballistic weapons.
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Obviously the higher the level of protection, the thicker and heavier the protective panels.
In terms of ballistic protection, soft shell vests are designed to offer protection primarily against rimfire, handgun and some shotgun rounds.
They do not offer protection against centre fire rile rounds unless combined with Hard Armour Plates (HAP’s) which are ceramic, steel or composite plates (approximately 30cm x 20cm) that are worn in conjunction with the soft shell vests.
While soft shell vests do not offer the same level of blunt force trauma protection as hard shell ests, they do feature a blunt force liner that provides a reasonable level of protection against such attacks.
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 Overt front zip style vest
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Soft shell vests are generally more comfortable to wear, especially if the wearers role includes activities such as sitting and driving etc. The soft protective panels are more malleable and flexible than their hard shell counterparts making them easier to perform these sorts of tasks.
Vests are avaliable in the following protection levels:
- NIJ 0101.06 Level II (.9mm / .357 magnum)
- NIJ 0101.06 Level IIIA (.44 magnum)
- HG1 / KR1 / SP1 (multi threat vest that offers certified ballistic, knife and spike protection)
Vests are avaliable in a variety of carrier designs including:
- Covert
- T-shirt covert
- Overt bib style (with HAP pouches front and rear)
- Overt front zip style
- Tactical
Overt carriers are are customisable in terms of the colour, pockets, attachments, reflective tape and patches etc.
Pricing for soft shell vests depend on the protection level of the panels and the type of carrier. They range from $1,495.00 for a Level II overt vest to $2,695.00 for a 'multi threat' (ballisitic / stab / spike) vest with a customised carrier.
Due to the ability of these vests to defeat ballistic threats, these vests will only be supplied to persons meeting a 'fit and proper person' requirement.
Slash / Cut Resistant Load Bearing Vests
As the name suggests these vests are designed to protect the wearer against cutting or slashing type attacks (think a cutting or slashing attack using the edge of a blade rather than a stabbing attack using the point of a blade).
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The offer a high level of cut / slash resistance, but no blunt force trauma, stab or ballistic protection.
These vests are designed to be ‘load bearing’ which means they feature pouches and pockets to store and carry pieces of equipment such as radios, cameras, notebooks etc.
The vests are very lightweight and as such are very comfortable to wear
They are available in either black or Hi-Viz yellow, both of which feature reflective strips / tape. The design of the carrier is not customisable.
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Specifications:
- EN388 Slash/Cut Resistant (tested) fabric covering front, sides and back
- Radio pouch
- First Aid kit (or similar) holder
- Bite stick / baton holder with adjustable hook and loop tab
- Repellent holder
- Numerous ways to mount a body-worn camera (shoulder, chest, centre)
- Internal pockets for notebooks, paperwork, etc
- Handy pen pockets
- ID Holders (right and centre chest)
- Belt loops to secure the vest to trousers
- High quality 3M reflective tape
- Double stitched where it counts
- YKK zippers throughout
- Large rear, small breast and vertical centre Velcro patches for identification (we can arrange manufacturing of patches as required)
- Colours: Black or Hi-Vis Yellow with Black Piping/Edging
- Sizes: M/L or XL+ (both sizes with adjustable shoulder and waist tabs)
The prices for slash reistant load bearing vests is $395.00.
Rapid Response Armour
These vests have been developed to provide organisations with the ability to provide staff with fast deployable body armour to respond to a critical incident.
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The vests are not designed to be worn on a day to day basis, but rather to provide protection to staff who may need to respond quickly to an incident.
The vests feature the same 5mm protection panels as featured in the KR1 protection level vests, but with a flat rectangular front and rear panel that enables the vest to be put on / deployed very quickly.
The vests can be hung in the carry bags in easily accessible areas to enable staff to put them on quickly when needed.
The vests are available in either hi-viz yellow or black.
Rapid response vests are $695.00 each.
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