6B1 (Russian: 6Б1) was a Soviet ballistic vest created in 1957 for use by the Soviet Armed Forces. It was intended as a standard equipment for the Army, but was never mass produced. It saw limited usage during Soviet-Afghan war.
6B1 body armor was developed by All-Russian Institute Of Aviation Materials (VIAM). The body armor was designed to protect primarily from fragments of artillery shells and mortar mines, which resulted in rather original construction. Development started in 1954 and lasted 3 years. In 1957 it was accepted into service with the Soviet Army.[1]
Around 1500 units were initially produced. The vest did not enter mass production because the command of the Soviet army did not plan a mass supply of body armor to the troops in peacetime. Until the early 1990s, enterprises kept an emergency supply of materials and had production lines for the production of 6B1, which should have been enough for six months.[1]
Almost 30 years later 6B1 was used in combat. A number of vests were removed from storage and transferred to soldiers and officers of the 40th Army at the beginning of the conflict in Afghanistan.[1] In real combat operations in hot climates, the shortcomings of the 6B1 were clearly revealed, primarily poor heat dissipation due to the tight fit.[2] It was decided not to organize mass production of the 6B1 because it was obsolete and did not meet modern requirements.[3] Instead, 6B2 vest was developed and fielded.[3]
Designedit
The protective composition of the vest consists of mosaically arranged hexagonal plates made of “soft” aluminium alloy AMg7ts, packed in a Avizent fabric vest with a quilted cotton lining.[2] The slightly convex aluminium plates had a thickness of 6.4 mm (chest), 5.3 mm (belly) and 4.1 mm (back), which were conventionally called 6 mm, 5 mm and 4 mm plates. Its weight was, depending on the size, 5.1-5.3 kg.[4]
The soft vest made it possible to prevent the ricochet from the outer surfaces of the plates. When piercing the plate, the bullets do not deform and do not increase the severity of the wound. In addition to fragments, the vest could also protect against 7.62x25 fired from PPSh and PPS at a distance of more than 50 m.[2]
X-ray image of 6B1 body armor. Aluminium plates can clearly be seen
Referencesedit
^ abc"Доспехи российской пехоты". ВПК.name (in Russian). 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
^ abc"Бронежилеты 6Б1 и 6Б2 – Военное оружие и армии Мира". warfor.me. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
^ ab"Самый массовый. Бронежилеты серии 6Б5 | Оружейный журнал "КАЛАШНИКОВ"" (in Russian). 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
^"Отечественные средства индивидуальной бронезащиты военнослужащих: история создания | Русская DARPA" (in Russian). 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 6B1 vest.
April 18, 2024
ballistic, vest, russian, 6Б1, soviet, ballistic, vest, created, 1957, soviet, armed, forces, intended, standard, equipment, army, never, mass, produced, limited, usage, during, soviet, afghan, 6b1typeballistic, vestplace, originsoviet, unionservice, historyus. 6B1 Russian 6B1 was a Soviet ballistic vest created in 1957 for use by the Soviet Armed Forces It was intended as a standard equipment for the Army but was never mass produced It saw limited usage during Soviet Afghan war 6B16B1 ballistic vestTypeBallistic vestPlace of originSoviet UnionService historyUsed bySoviet Armed ForcesWarsSoviet Afghan warProduction historyDesignerVIAMDesigned1956SpecificationsWeight5 3 kg Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Users 3 1 Former users 4 Gallery 5 ReferencesHistory edit6B1 body armor was developed by All Russian Institute Of Aviation Materials VIAM The body armor was designed to protect primarily from fragments of artillery shells and mortar mines which resulted in rather original construction Development started in 1954 and lasted 3 years In 1957 it was accepted into service with the Soviet Army 1 Around 1500 units were initially produced The vest did not enter mass production because the command of the Soviet army did not plan a mass supply of body armor to the troops in peacetime Until the early 1990s enterprises kept an emergency supply of materials and had production lines for the production of 6B1 which should have been enough for six months 1 Almost 30 years later 6B1 was used in combat A number of vests were removed from storage and transferred to soldiers and officers of the 40th Army at the beginning of the conflict in Afghanistan 1 In real combat operations in hot climates the shortcomings of the 6B1 were clearly revealed primarily poor heat dissipation due to the tight fit 2 It was decided not to organize mass production of the 6B1 because it was obsolete and did not meet modern requirements 3 Instead 6B2 vest was developed and fielded 3 Design editThe protective composition of the vest consists of mosaically arranged hexagonal plates made of soft aluminium alloy AMg7ts packed in a Avizent fabric vest with a quilted cotton lining 2 The slightly convex aluminium plates had a thickness of 6 4 mm chest 5 3 mm belly and 4 1 mm back which were conventionally called 6 mm 5 mm and 4 mm plates Its weight was depending on the size 5 1 5 3 kg 4 The soft vest made it possible to prevent the ricochet from the outer surfaces of the plates When piercing the plate the bullets do not deform and do not increase the severity of the wound In addition to fragments the vest could also protect against 7 62x25 fired from PPSh and PPS at a distance of more than 50 m 2 Users editFormer users nbsp Soviet UnionGallery edit nbsp 6B1 vest from behind nbsp X ray image of 6B1 body armor Aluminium plates can clearly be seenReferences edit a b c Dospehi rossijskoj pehoty VPK name in Russian 2021 02 17 Retrieved 2023 10 21 a b c Bronezhilety 6B1 i 6B2 Voennoe oruzhie i armii Mira warfor me Retrieved 2023 10 21 a b Samyj massovyj Bronezhilety serii 6B5 Oruzhejnyj zhurnal KALAShNIKOV in Russian 2019 07 02 Retrieved 2023 10 21 Otechestvennye sredstva individualnoj bronezashity voennosluzhashih istoriya sozdaniya Russkaya DARPA in Russian 2016 11 14 Retrieved 2023 10 21 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 6B1 vest Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 6B1 ballistic vest amp oldid 1214109660, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
