The long-pending demand of the Indian Army for more than 1.86 lakh bullet-proof jackets should finally be met soon with the Defence Ministry on Monday signing a contract worth nearly Rs 640 crore for their procurement.In a statement, the ministry said the contract was finalised after "successful" field evaluation trials. The bullet-proof jackets currently in Army's possession are heavy and not good enough to provide protection to all organs. The new jackets will provide 360 degree protection to the soldier in combat, including from latest hard steel core bullets. "A major contract through capital procurement route, for procurement of 1,86,138 bullet-proof jackets (BPJs) has been signed. The new bullet-proof jackets are designed to provide protection to soldiers based on increasing threat from low, medium and high velocity projectiles, especially during counter terror operations that can go on for hours.

Source: dna April 10, 2018 00:11 UTC