The Ministry of National Defense has asserted that the ballistic plates produced in Taiwan for military-grade bulletproof vests meet both national and international standards. This statement comes in response to a YouTube video that questioned the efficacy of bulletproof vests utilized by Taiwan’s military.
Major General Pan Huan-ya, representing the Armaments Bureau’s 205th Arsenal, emphasized that the ballistic plates developed by his arsenal have consistently passed rigorous tests within Taiwan as well as the United States. In a significant achievement, these plates successfully cleared the Level III body armor compliance testing administered by the US Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), conducted by Chesapeake Testing, based in Riverside, Maryland, specializing in ballistic and armor protection systems.
To further confirm their performance, the military conducted four rounds of tests on November 15 and 30, the previous year, as well as on February 7 and June 27. These tests demonstrated that the domestically manufactured ballistic plates conform to NIJ Level III ballistic capabilities, adhering to the standards set by NIJ Standard 0101.04.
In response to YouTube videos released by Uncle Sam Gun & Fun, Major General Pan clarified that these videos misinterpreted the NIJ body armor compliance testing standards. He noted that the proper NIJ Level III testing involves the use of regular 7.62mm NATO full-metal jacket bullets. However, the YouTube presenter used 5.56mm armor-piercing bullets, which are not part of the standard testing protocol.
Furthermore, the NIJ standard dictates that body armor compliance testing should be carried out on ballistic plates with specific inserts. The YouTube presenter failed to adhere to this requirement, either omitting the inserts entirely or incorrectly placing them. Major General Pan did not elaborate on the exact nature of the insert or its correct application.
The YouTube presenter, who is a Taiwanese residing in the US, acquired the ballistic plate from New Taipei City Councilor Lin Ping-yu, affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party. The YouTube presenter mentioned that the firearms and bullets used for testing were not identical to those employed by the Chinese army, though they bore similarities.
Lin Ping-yu declined to disclose the source of the ballistic plate supposedly originating from the 205th Arsenal. He emphasized that his primary intent was to highlight the necessity for improved protection for Taiwanese soldiers against potential threats.
The Ministry of National Defense warned that if the ballistic plate featured in the videos is determined to be a controlled product of Taiwan’s armed forces, legal action will be taken against those responsible for making it accessible to the public.
