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Research and Development in Manufacturing Technology of Body Armor Drives Market

The ongoing soldier modernization programs initiated by several governments across the globe are augmenting the sale of body armor. Organizations are also investing in state-of-art armor as they come with enhanced mobility, lethality, sustainability, and survivability, states Transparency Market Research. The increasing investments in research and development activities to develop light-weight materials and to incorporate technical precision in manufacturing body armor suits is likely to drive the growth of the market in the near future. The rising threats of terrorism due to political instability are also expected to boost the demand for body armor in the near future. 

The report states that the opportunity in the global body armor market was worth US$3.30 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$4.33 bn by the end of 2021. Between 2015 and 2021, the overall market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.0%. The global market will also receive an impetus from laws mandating use of body armor among law enforcement and military personnel, as is seen across the U.A.E. Furthermore, the investments made by Brazil, Russia, the U.S., and India to develop sophisticated materials will also enhance the quality of body armor in the near future, thereby propelling their demand.

Demand for Type IV Body Armor Projected to Remain High

The types of body armor available in the global market include type I, type II-A, type II, type III-A, type III, and type IV. The type IV body armor is being widely adopted by militaries across the world as they lend among the highest levels of protection. This armor claims to protect against .30 caliber armor piercing bullets along with single-hit protection from the type I, type II-A, type II, and type III threats. Replacement of obsolete armor with advanced versions will also propel the sale of type IV body armor in the coming years. Owing to these reasons, the type IV body armor segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.6% between 2015 and 2021 in terms of revenue.

High Incidence of Handgun Crimes Attributable to North America’s Leading Position

North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific are the key regional segments of the global body armor market. Of these, North America held a leading share of 50.3% in the global market in terms of revenue. By the end of 2021, this share will rise marginally to 50.4%. The persistent acquisition of advanced equipment by military organizations in the U.S. is the primary growth driver for the body armor market. Furthermore, the high incidence of handgun crimes is also likely to spur the demand for body armor during the forecast period.

Some of the leading players in the global body armor market are Honeywell International Inc., Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., BAE Systems, Inc., Sarkar Defense Solutions, MKU Pvt. Ltd., and Safariland, LLC. Companies will have to focus on achieving technological precision to add features to body armor that not only prevent injury but also reduce the level of trauma. In the near future, players focusing on research and development are likely to garner the biggest shares in the overall market.


The major purpose of body armor is to provide a protective clothing in order to absorb, deflect, bludgeon and penetrate attacks. Body armors have applications in various fields such as defense, law enforcement protection and civilians. The global body armor market has been categorized on the basis of types, application, material types and geography. The body armor market on the basis of type has been segmented into Type I, Type II-A, Type II, Type III-A, Type III and Type IV. On the basis of material type, the market has been segmented into steel, UHMWPE, aramid, composite ceramic and others. The body armor market has been bifurcated geographically into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America

The market for body armors is primarily driven by factors such as implementation of Soldier Modernization Programs across various countries. Major innovations are being witnessed in the body armor market as various manufacturers are designing body armors with futuristic requirements such as survivability, sustainability, mobility and lethality. Various countries have adopted the Soldier Modernization Programs in the past few years as a result of which the demand for body armors is expected to be high throughout the forecast period. Another factor responsible for the growth of the body armor market is the increasing instances of terrorists’ attacks in various countries. The growth of the jihadist movements especially in the Middle East countries has also fuelled the demand for body armors. Terrorist organizations such as ISIS, AL-Oaida and Hizbollah among others are constantly conducting coordinated country-wide attacks against the government. The deployment of the army and law enforcement forces in huge numbers to tackle the increasing threats from the various terrorist organizations is expected to propel demand of the body armor market. Furthermore, the adoption of the advanced variants of body armors by various defense bodies globally has led to an increase in the demand for body armors.

As per recent trends, it has been observed that, there has been an increasing focus on the part of various manufacturers to develop and design body armors that are lighter and flexible. Moreover, the manufacturers are using advanced ballistic materials to enhance the survivability. For example, Moratex, a Polish company has developed a new type of bulletproof vest that is filled with a special type of non-Newtonian fluid, which the company is calling Shear-Thickening Fluid (STF). Various military and law enforcement agencies are seeking to replace the older body components with more advanced new solutions. The body armor market is also witnessing the release of several fibers and Uni-Directional products that offers improvements in the performance.

The company profiles of the major players in the global body armor market across five major geographic regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa and Latin America has been extensively covered under the purview of the study. Moreover, the business strategies being adopted by the major players in the market have also been included in the report. The market attractive analysis has also been provided in the report for providing a detailed insight into the global body armor market.

The market dynamics, which includes the market drivers, restraints and opportunities, has also been included under the scope of the report. Market dynamics help to study the current trends in the global market by providing insights of the distinctive factors that influence the growth of the specific market. Thus, this report provides an inclusive study of the global body armor market and also provides forecast of the market for the period from 2015-2021.

Some of the major players in the market are: Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. (U.S.), BAE Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Australian Defence Apparel Pty Ltd. (Australia), ArmorSource LLC (U.S.), Survitec Group Limited (U.K.), Sarkar Defense Solutions (U.S.), MKU Pvt. Ltd. (India), KDH Defense Systems Inc. (U.S.), Safariland, LLC (U.S.) and Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.) among others.

The global body armor market has been segmented into:

Global body armor market, by Type

  • Type I
  • Type II-A
  • Type II
  • Type III-A
  • Type III
  • Type IV

Global body armor market, by Application:

  • Defense
  • Law Enforcement Protection
  • Civilians

Global body armor market, by Material type

  • Steel
  • UHMWPE
  • Aramid
  • Composite ceramic
  • Others

Global body armor, by Geography: The market is broadly segmented on the basis of geography into:

  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Australia
    • Rest of Asia Pacific
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Israel
    • Turkey
    • A.E.
    • South Africa
    • Rest of MEA
  • Latin America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others