Bhabha Kavach: Production of bulletproof jacket yet to kick-off amid security issues

Production of the 'Bhabha Kavach', bullet-proof jacket made by Kanpur-based state-owned Ordnance Equipment Factory (OEF) is yet to kick-start.

Also, out of 2 lakhs order, a Palwal based (OEF) could only deliver 20,000 jackets, a senior OEF official told news agency IANS.

In a major security lapse, when examined, the final products showed that inferior Chinese raw material had been used, added the official. But during demonstrations, the company had used raw material procured from the US for the jackets.

Still, the OEF expects that the rest of the order for 1.80 lakh jackets from the Army will also fall into its pot. The paramilitary forces are not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that the jacket meets all quality standards.

A panel has been formed by various paramilitary forces with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at its helm to ensure that the product meets all quality standards. Officials of the CRPF will also accompany the OEF during the final testing of the jacket that is due to be held next month.

Earlier, a Kanpur-based state-owned Ordnance Equipment Factory (OEF) had given its final clearance for the mass production after successfully completing all tests as per home ministry specifications in making the jacket strong enough to withstand bullets with speeds of 630 metres per second.

However, an additional parameter was added after the Bureau of Indian Standards BIS notified its standards for bullet-proof jackets earlier this year.

BIS notifications issued in January this year specified that the jacket should be able to withstand a bullet speed of 700 metres per second.

"However, We had already completed our tests by the time ISI standards were notified. Further tests conducted on the jacket have proved that it can withstand bullet speeds of 685 metres per second. We are trying to test it for 700 metres per second through further tests," the official said.

More tests are likely to be conducted at the Gandhinagar-based Gujarat Forensic Science University next month.

Also, officials said that export orders for the jacket are expected from South American, African and East Asian countries.

The jacket gives 360-degree protection against bullets and has achieved the protection level of National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level III+. It is the lightest bullet-proof jacket and provides protection against 7.62 mm hard steel core or bullets fired from an AK-47 rifle, 5.56 mm INSAS bullet and even the recently decommissioned 7.65 mm bullet of self-loading rifle (SLR).

With IANS inputs