Origin of the 44-mm behind-armor blunt trauma standard

A number of armed assaults on public officials occurred in the early 1970s, which prompted the Lightweight Soft Body Armor Program to develop modern, concealable, soft body armor. Methodology needed to be developed to (1) determine the effectiveness of the soft body armor to stop bullet penetration and (2) assess the potential injury from nonpenetrating blunt impacts to the body. Extensive research was performed under the program to develop methodologies to assess soft body armor, including behind-armor blunt trauma (BABT) evaluation. This methodology is still used today, and it has been applied extensively beyond the original intent. However, the origin of this methodology is not well understood by many researchers in the various fields in which it is being applied because the original documentation is difficult to obtain. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the BABT to offer researchers information about its history and limitations.