Adept Armor Storm Disruptor Level IV Standalone Up-Armorable Hard Armor Plate

The Storm Disruptor is a ceramic add-on plate for the Storm: Foundation which improves protection to NIJ Level 4 body armor (RF3).  This unprecedented level of performance and modularity is made possible by high-precision ceramic manufacturing technologies and innovative ceramic toughening techniques.

The Disruptor must be used in conjunction with the Foundation; as a standalone plate it offers no meaningful ballistic resistance.

Product Specifications:

• 10×12” SAPI
• Multi-curve
• Monolithic toughened ceramic construction
• Thickness: 0.35”
• Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Standalone threat rating: NONE.
• Threat rating in conjunction with Storm: Foundation: Level IV / RF3 (.30-06 AP M2.)

Product Type & Features:

• Ceramic Composite Body Armor

“Composite armor” is armor which consists of two or more different material components. In body armor, the most common type is “ceramic composite armor” which consists of a ceramic strike-face over a UHMWPE composite backer. These plates are made in two parts. The primary component is a layer of a technical ceramic such as alumina, silicon carbide, or boron carbide. These ceramics are brittle, and must be bonded to a secondary component — a backup layer — which is made of a high-modulus, strong, and damage tolerant material.

In practice, this backup layer is usually a fiber-resin composite. If the ceramic is not paired with a backup layer, it will fail in tension — and, for all intents and purposes, simply shatter — as soon as it is impacted by any bullet. The backup layer prevents tensile failure, so that the ceramic — which invariably has a low tensile strength but a very high compressive strength — can only fail in compression.

The Storm Disruptor is a modular strike face intended for use with the Storm Foundation. It does not incorporate a backup layer and has no intrinsic or standalone ballistic resistance. But, when paired with the Storm Foundation, it offers excellent protection from AP rounds.

• Modular Body Armor Plate

Modular body armor plates, a relatively new concept, consist of UHMWPE composite armor plates with removable strike-faces. They can be used without those strike faces in lower-threat environments, but can be up-armored in mere seconds should the mission call for it. The Storm System is the industry’s premier modular body armor plate system — it is the lightest, most intuitive, and most straightforward.

The Storm Disruptor can be paired with the Storm Foundation, and this combination offers lightweight protection from AP threats, such as the .30-06 APM2, the 7.62x54mmR B-32 API, and the 5.56x45mm M995.

Product Material and Features:

• Silicon Carbide – Titanium Diboride Composite Ceramic

Silicon carbide is a ceramic compound derived from silicon and carbon at a 1:1 atomic ratio. With a low density of 3.2 gm/cc, good hardness and strength, and a highly stable diamond-like molecular and crystalline structure, silicon carbide is a popular high-performance ceramic armor material, suitable for Level III plates, Level IV plates, and heavier vehicular and aerospace applications.

• Density: 3.2 gm/cc
• Hardness (Vickers): 2200-2800 HV1
• Fracture toughness: 3 – 4 MPa · m^1/2
• Compressive strength: ~3500 – 4900 MPa
• Melting point: 2730°C

The silicon carbide in the Storm Disruptor is toughened, which facilitates its use in modular armor plating.

Product Rating and Benefits:

• Level IV Body Armor

Level IV body armor is armor that complies with the NIJ 0101.06 or 0101.04 Level IV specification and is rated to stop at least one shot of .30-06 APM2 at approximately 2880 feet per second. The APM2 — an extremely tough test for any armor plate — has featured in the NIJ’s tests from the early days of the 0101.00 specification, and looks as though it is set to continue as the “Rifle 3” or “RF3” test projectile in the forthcoming 0101.07 specification.

The Storm Disruptor is Level IV rated if, and only if, it is combined with the Storm Foundation. It has no intrinsic ballistic resistance.