What are the Differences between Armor Levels?

Ballistic Protection Levels (Armor Levels) – When considering an armoured car, not all are created equal. The first step to deciding on an armored vehicle is determining your ideal protection level. The protection level you need depends on a few factors. First is how you will be using the vehicle and the perceived threat level. Will the vehicle be used for tactical purposes or for day-to-day activities? In addition, factors like cost, vehicle type, and the number of passengers all affect the level of protection needed.

A ballistic protection level tells you how much security a certain level of armor can provide – or rather, the level of assault that it can withstand. A commonly followed (and the one we will discuss) benchmark is the EN 1063 standard set forth by the European Committee for Standardization (BR1-BR7). But there are others such as the National Institute of Justice, British Ballistic Standard, and German DIN that share protection requirements. Ballistic standards exist to make sure that armor consistently meets these pre-set conditions.

The level of a security threat due to a gun generally depends on the shape, composition, caliber, mass, and velocity of the bullet. To determine the standards, tests are performed using specific guns to ensure that the glazed shielding must stop a specified number of bullets placed within 12 centimeters of each other. In order to comply, the glass must be shatterproof and not crack or flake after impact.