MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. The Tula-based Oktava enterprise (part of RT-Kapital Holding Company within the state tech corporation Rostec) has doubled the output of Obereg armor vests capable of shielding against direct hits of armor-piercing bullets, the Rostec press office announced on Thursday.
"The high protective properties of the gear, its weight and ergonomics are the specific features of the Obereg, which has been tested in battle in the zone of the special military operation. The production capacities of the Tula-based Oktava make it possible to roll out as many as 2,000 vests a month and we are planning to boost this output in the future," the press office quoted Rostec Deputy CEO Alexander Nazarov as saying in a press release.
A representative of the Oktava enterprise said in April that the plant’s capacities made it possible to produce as many as 1,000 armor vests a month.
The Obereg’s breast armor offers the Br5 bullet resistant protection and consists of ceramic plates absorbing the bullet’s kinetic energy and also of high-molecular plastic. During certification tests, the armor plate withstood three shots without piercing by a B-32 armor-piercing bullet fired from a sniper rifle from a distance of ten meters and two hits by less powerful munitions. In addition, the armor plate withstood hits by a NATO 8.6mm .338 Lapua Magnum special-purpose sniper round. The vest’s lateral sections have the Br1 armor protection class and can be replaced by the Br3 class upon the customer’s desire.
The Obereg weighs 11.7 kg and its weight is evenly spread for the carrier’s moderate load. All of its sections, including lateral parts, are outfitted with splinter protection made of aramid material. The armor vest is furnished with additional protection for the shoulders, the neck and the groin.
The Obereg armor vest will be on display at the Russian National Guard’s exhibition, Day of Advanced Technologies to Ensure Security of the Individual, Society and State 2023, which will run at the Expocenter central exhibition compound in Moscow on July 7-8.
The Oktava factory was founded in Tula located some 170 km south of Moscow and is the country’s sole enterprise designing and developing electroacoustic equipment for both the civil and defense sectors. The enterprise designs and mass-produces studio and conference call microphones, telephone and microphone headsets. Since 2017, the company has been directly managed by Rostec, which implements large-scale work to preserve key competences and the production cycle of the strategic enterprise.