DEFENSE/Taiwan-made next-gen ballistic plates to enter mass production in 2025

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Taiwan's chief arms maker said it has allocated NT$16 million (US$500,700) to design and build a new generation of ballistic plates, with mass production set to begin next year.

According to the budget proposal of the Armanents Bureau under the Ministry of National Defense for the fiscal year 2025, the latest generation of ballistic plates will be able to withstand three hits from NATO-compliant 5.56-millimeter rounds.

The armor will also be relatively lightweight at 2.2 kilograms per plate, the bureau said.

The depth of the back recess also does not exceed 1.73 inches or 44 millimeters, the bureau added.

The bureau said it has begun related testing for the developing ballistic plate and related exams and preparations.

The tests are expected to be completed this year before entering mass production in 2025, it added.

Meanwhile, the bureau also said it expects to release two prototypes of locally-made military-use powered exoskeleton suits, a mechanized wearable system designed to be used in wartime and on post-disaster rescue and relief missions, in 2027.

The bureau has previously spent three years developing and testing its capabilities in making this mechanized wearable system from 2021 to 2023 to boost the strength and endurance of its users' lower body.

A previous prototype was made public in October 2021.

According to its budget proposal, the bureau is now scheduled to spend another NT$137 million from 2024 to 2027 to build two exoskeleton suit prototypes that will boost the strength and endurance of its users' full body, instead of only their lower body.

The bureau's budget proposal is now in the hands of lawmakers who will review these proposed projects this week.