Body Armor of future or hyped up failure?

1. Dragon Skin
Body Armor of the future or a hyped up
failure ?
By Timothy McLaughlin

2. Problem Space
• Armor that doesn’t restrict
movement
• Armor that can take multiple hits
• Armor that covers more of the
Torso & Body

3. Proposed Technology
Dragon Skin
A Kevlar vest that uses small
overlapping ceramic disks to absorb
Bullets.

4. Dragon Skin Body Armor
• A Flexible body armor that allows for
better movement
• Can take multiple hits
• Is able to stop 5.56mm & 7.62mm
rounds
• Take hits with minimal amount of
impact to the user
• Covers more of the Torso & Body than
the current Body Armor

5. Current Technology
Interceptor Body Armor
ESAPI Insert ceramic plates
A Kevlar vest that uses 4 ceramic
plates to absorb bullets

6. Interceptor Body Armor
• Can take a few Impacts
• Is able to stop Military grade
ammunition including armor piercing
5.56mm,7.62mm rounds
• Take hits with minimal amount of
impact to the user
• Restricts motion

7. Who Currently Uses The New
Technology?
• Civilian contractors in Iraq
• Some Special Operations forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan
• Some SWAT teams and Police
Departments (Fresno California PD)
• U.S. Secret Service personnel
• The CIA has also purchased Dragon
Skin for their elite operatives in Iraq,
after it passed the agency's own testing

8. Potential Issues
Weight Difference 19.5LBS
• Interceptor LG Vest- 28 pounds
• Dragon Skin XLG Vest - 47.5 pounds
Cost Difference $3415.00 USD
• Interceptor - $1,585.00 USD
• Dragon Skin - $5000.00 USD
Certification US Army Standards
• Interceptor - Passed
• Dragon Skin – Failed
Intense Push Back
• US Army / US Marine Corps
Disruptive Technology
• Flexible Body Armor that covers greater area

9. Future Vision
Future Vision Is for the Dragon Skin to be the new
standard Armor for the US Armed Forces
The Dragon Skin Concept will solve the issues of
taking multiple hits, better torso & body coverage,
and more range of motion for the user.
The Federal Government is not currently funding this
technology and probably will not in the future
because of the intense push back from the Army.
The Agencies that contest the use of the Technology
are mainly the US Army & the US Marine Corps

10. Recommendation
• While I feel as though Dragon Skin’s scale
armor is a far superior design when
compared to the current Technology I still
cannot fully back this technology until
Dragon Skin is able to make some much
needed adjustments to the adhesive that
holds the disk in place and to make an
assertive effort to reduce the over-all weight
of the vest. I feel that more improvements
and testing must be completed before
receiving my absolute confidence in the
technology.