- Russia says its nSotnik combat system for infantry and special forces troops will incorporate body armor capable of stopping a .50-caliber bullet.
- The claim is sure to raise eyebrows in the world of body armor.
- While stopping such a big bullet is theoretically possible, the armor would be so bulky that it would be unusable.
A Russian program to modernize the country’s ground forces is promising big advances in body armor technology. And we mean big: The Russian military equipment manufacturer Rostec promises the armor will be able to stop the bullet from a .50-caliber machine gun.
Whether a soldier will ever be able to waddle to the front line, however, is a different story.
A Russian naval infantryman wearing body armor aims an anti-tank rocket launcher, 2017.
Russia’s Ground Forces plans to distribute its upcoming Sotnik (“Centurion”) soldier equipment system to troops sometime in 2025, per Task & Purpose. Sotnik will supplement and eventually replace the current Ratnik equipment set, which includes everything from body armor to uniforms and even flashlights. (You can even buy Ratnik equipment direct from Russia on eBay.)
The future tech objectives for Sotnik are ... ambitious, to say the least:
“The third-generation soldier’s personal equipment system will feature a number of innovations, including anti-mine boots, an anti-thermal suit to “hide” soldiers from enemy detection, and an anti-radar element. The Sotnik will also integrate the wearer of the system with automated command and control and “micro-drones,” allowing gathered images to be transmitted in real time to the helmet visor or safety glasses.”
Still, the wildest claim about the new system is that the armor will be able to stop a .50-caliber bullet using metal and plastic. From Task & Purpose:
“[T]he fourth-generation Sotnik armor will consist of lightweight polyethylene fiber and armor plating that is engineered to withstand a direct shot from a .50 caliber M2 Browning.”
Polyethylene is, of course, plastic. And like all plastics, it’s virtually everywhere. You’re almost certainly no more than a few feet from a consumer product made of polyethylene at this moment.
Polyethylene armor, which is real, uses a common fault found with plastics as a feature: it melts. As a hot bullet impacts the armor, it melts the plastic. This causes the molten plastic to adhere to the bullet and slows it down. With enough plastic in its path, the bullet grinds to a complete stop.
A .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a U.S. Army Humvee, 2003. This gives a pretty good idea of the size and power of the machine gun Russian engineers think they can stop with polyethylene armor.
Russia’s polyethylene armor is called “Superthread,” and Russian state media claims it's lighter than Israeli and American body armors while offering superior protection.
Could a polyethylene/armor plate armor stop a .50-caliber bullet? Well, sure. Enough polyethylene and metal will stop anything. But making it lightweight enough for a soldier to comfortably wear is the balancing consideration.
Consider this: Current U.S. Level III body armor will stop a 150-grain, 7.62-millimeter (.308 Winchester) bullet imparting 1,878 foot pounds of energy on the target. A .50-caliber bullet, however, weighs more than four times as much, and imparts 11,070 foot pounds of energy on a target.
The U.S. Army’s new Modular Scalable Vest armor plate.
The U.S. Army’s Modular Scalable Vest is capable of stopping 7.62-millimeter rounds, but weighs a total of 22.6 pounds. About one and a quarter inch of AR500-grade steel plate will stop a .50 caliber bullet but steel is extremely heavy. The amount of plastic that would be needed to stop a .50-caliber bullet is hard to say, but a plastic armor designed to stop rounds four to five times heavier and more powerful than 7.62 could be downright uncomfortable, even if the material is more efficient at stopping bullets.
One possibility is that Russia could use titanium instead of steel. Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel, and the Soviet Union manufactured body armor made of titanium during the Cold War.
Let's say Russian engineers do pull this off and produce a body armor that reliably stops a .50-caliber round. Even then, getting hit in the armor won’t feel like a love tap. Being struck by an object with more than 11,000 pounds of force behind it will probably rank as one of the most unpleasant things imaginable.
Want proof? Here's a video of a .50-caliber Browning machine gun punching holes in a cinder block wall.
🎥 Now Watch This:
Kyle Mizokami
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
FAQs
50 caliber round was originally meant to pierce armor and take down aircraft, a hit is practically guaranteed to incapacitate a soldier. Most body armor is useless against . 50 caliber rounds, as they are only meant to protect against cartridges with less than 1/3 of the energy of the . 50 caliber.
Can bulletproof glass stop a 50 cal bullet? ›
Bullet Resistant Glass would withstand up to a . 50 Caliber round from a high-powered rifle. A . 50 Caliber round is most closely associated with military usage, and is not typically or commonly in widespread usage amongst most civilian products.
How thick does steel have to be to stop a 50 caliber bullet? ›
50 caliber armor-piercing cartridges went on to function as an anti-aircraft and anti-vehicular machine gun, capable of penetrating 0.9 inches (23 mm) of face-hardened armor steel plate at 200 meters (220 yd), 1 inch (25 mm) of rolled hom*ogeneous armor at the same range, and 0.75 inches (19 mm) at 547 yards (500 m).
What does it take to stop a 50 cal bullet? ›
Lots of things can. Sufficiently thick and strong armored plate, enough cinderblocks stacked back to back, enough sandbags, the ground—hell, a big enough pile of feathers would stop a . 50 cal round. Of course, the specifics depend on another variable—how much energy the round has left when it hits something.
Has anyone survived a 50 cal bullet? ›
Yes, and this includes hits to the torso. Most well known is the founder of Delta Force, Charlie Beckwith, who was hit by a Vietnamese 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun. There are a few other cases of people surviving direct hits from a . 50 caliber heavy machinegun.
What calibers can defeat body armor? ›
Common rifle rounds, like the . 223 Remington or 7.62x39mm, are known to penetrate lower levels of body armor. Their increased velocity and energy give them a higher chance of overcoming the armor's resistance, leading to potential penetration.
What is the strongest bullet proof glass in the world? ›
Glass-Clad Polycarbonate Bulletproof Glass
Glass-clad polycarbonate (GCP) is made of layers of glass, polycarbonate, and an interlayer film that acts as an adhesive. It's the most robust variety of bulletproof glass available, and is tested to UL Levels 1 through 8.
Can a 50 cal penetrate a tank? ›
Developments in tank armor soon made tanks generally impervious to 50 caliber rounds,39 but according to the Marine Corps and other authorities, the 50 caliber can still blast through more lightly armored vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers, and thus clearly through armored limousines.
What can withstand a 50 cal bullet? ›
Hard armor systems “strikeface” along with a composite blend can be the perfect armor against calibers up to 50 caliber ball and armor-piercing rounds. These products can absorb up to 72 to 75% of the energy from most rounds in the ball format and 68 to 78% of the kinetic energy from armor-piercing rounds.
Can titanium stop a 50 cal? ›
Titanium armor behaves closer to ceramic, in that it can take single hits of larger calibers, but will likely fragment and spall with multiple hits (depending on thickness). Furthermore, solid, high-grade titanium plates at 0.85″ thick have been noted to stop multiple . 50 BMG AP rounds at fairly close distances.
A loaded AR-15 weighs about 7.5 pounds and does not fire . 50 caliber rounds, but rather . 223 ammunition.
What is the largest sniper caliber? ›
Fifty caliber is the largest round of ammunition generally available to American civilians today. Fifty caliber anti-armor sniper rifles are specifically designed to engage and destroy materiel targets on the battlefield at long range.
Is it illegal to own a 50 caliber bullet? ›
Simply possessing a . 50 BMG rifles is a misdemeanor in California (unless you are a “felon with a firearm.”) The penalty is a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in county jail.
Can sandbags stop 50 cal? ›
Contained sand is very good at stopping bullets, even up to . 50 cal will have a hard time getting through a sandbag properly laid. A bucket may not be as good a container, and shots near the surface may be able to displace material upward reducing resistance.
What is level 7 body armor? ›
UL 752 Level 7 Specifications
Most commonly used as a protection barrier against multiple shots from a military assault rifle, such as the M-16, and the like, with muzzle energy of 1158-1402 foot-pounds (1570-1901J). Nominal Thickness. 1 – 1/8” Nominal Weight.
Can a 50 cal penetrate armor? ›
If were are talking about a M2 . 50 HMG, light armored vehicles, then yes.
What is the 50 cal proof car? ›
50 CAL. Alpine's Armored MASTIFF® is built using latest technology to provide clients with highest levels of protection. This Bulletproof MASTIFF® is armored to Level A12, which stops . 50 cal rounds, .
What caliber will a bulletproof vest stop? ›
Level II is made to stop 9mm rounds with a velocity of 398 meters per second, as well as . 357 Magnum bullets. Level IIIA vests are the toughest 'soft' armor available, able to stop . 357 SIG rounds and .
Can a bulletproof vest stop a sniper bullet? ›
A bullet from a strong sniper rifle or machine gun can pierce a bullet-proof vest. If a bullet hits a body part that the bullet-proof vest does not cover, the bullet can hurt or kill the person wearing the vest.
