6B2 ballistic vest

{{Infobox military gear |name=6B2 (Zh-81) |image=File:Бронежилет 6б2.jpg |image_size = |type=[[Ballistic vest]] |origin=[[Soviet Union]] |designer=[[NII Stali]] |wars=[[Soviet-Afghan war]]<br>[[Tajikistani Civil War]]<br>[[First Chechen War]] |used_by=[[Soviet Armed Forces]] |design_date=February 10, 1980 |service=1981-Unknown |weight=4.2-4.8 kg |unit_cost=between $50 and $100+ USD|number=1500 made|manufacturer=Zlatoust garment factory}}

'''6B2''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: 6Б2) is a Soviet [[Bulletproof vest|ballistic vest]]. It is the first serial mass issued body armor of the [[Soviet Armed Forces]], designed on the eve of [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet-Afghan war]]. It was introduced into service in 1981. Use of this vest decreased losses of Soviet troops and it became the basis for the further development of domestic [[personal protective equipment]].

== History == The 6B2 (Zh-81) body armor was developed by the beginning of 1980 as a personal initiative by Yuri Germanovich Ivliev, an employee of the [[Scientific Research Institute of Steel|NII Stali]]. The first sample was presented on February 10, 1980 at a closed meeting of the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|CPSU Central Committee]]. Based on the results of the meeting, it was decided to develop technical documentation within two and a half months and release an initial batch of the product.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=2018 |title=Первый массовый бронежилет для Советской армии |url=http://www.ormvd-zib.ru/n3_2018/pervyj_massovyj_bronezhilet_dlya_sovetskoj_armii_str_12/ |journal=«Защита и безопасность». |issue=3 |pages=12-14}}</ref> Production of body armor was established at the [[Zlatoust]] garment factory. During the manufacturing process, the created version of the body armor was quickly improved.<ref name=":0" /> The vest was introduced into service in 1981.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=АРМЕЙСКИЕ БРОНЕЖИЛЕТЫ, виды и характеристики бронежилетов |url=http://www.shovkunenko-book.ru/arsenal/armejskie-bronezhilety.html |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=www.shovkunenko-book.ru}}</ref>

The creation of the body armor was preceded by the development of TSVM DZh-1 fabric made from [[synthetic fiber]] ([[Kevlar]]-like material), created at the VNIPI [[Synthetic fiber|artificial fiber]] enterprise ([[Mytishchi]]).<ref name=":0" />

[[Main Missile and Artillery Directorate|Grau Index]] 6B2 was given to indicate its continuity with the first Soviet body armor [[6B1]], developed around 1954 at the [[All-Russian Institute Of Aviation Materials|All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials]] to give protection against artillery shell fragments.<ref name=":1" /> Later, in 1971, the [[ZhZT-71]] bulletproof vest was developed at [[Scientific Research Institute of Steel|NII Stali]] on the instructions of the technical department of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Soviet Union)|USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs]]. In that version of the body armor, plates were used from the most effective material at that time - OT4-1 [[Titanium alloys|titanium alloy]]. The ZhZT-71 body armor weighed about 12 kg and was not suitable for use by military personnel.<ref name=":0" />

The experience of using the 6B2 body armor in the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Afghan war]] revealed the high protective properties of the vest (it retained 100% of fragments and 42% of bullets).<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |date=2014 |title=АНАЛИЗ МАТЕРИАЛОВ И ИХ СВОЙСТВ, ПРИМЕНЯЕМЫХ ДЛЯ СРЕДСТВ ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНОЙ БРОНЕЗАЩИТЫ |url=https://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=34372 |journal=Успехи современного естествознания |issue=9 |pages=143-147}}</ref> Disadvantages were also discovered: high cost of the product; insufficient protection against small arms bullets; the possibility of a significant increase in the severity of the injury if a bullet hits the armored panel at a certain angle; difficult heat exchange under the vest, which in hot climates led to overheating, fatigue and decreased combat effectiveness of the soldier.<ref name=":2" />

In 1983, in the [[Turkestan Military District]], tests were carried out on 6B2 vests equipped with a shock-absorbing liner (which also helped with heat exchange) , which moves sections of the vest away from the user’s body and allows air to circulate freely under the vest, cooling the body. During the tests, it was found that this liner increased the time of wearing body armor and reduced injury inflicted by non-penetrating hits.<ref name=":2" />

6B2 was followed by the [[6B3]] vest already in 1983.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2013 |title=История и концепции создания армейских средств индивидуальной бронезащиты |url=https://military.wikireading.ru/53427 |journal=Техника и вооружение |issue=7}}</ref>

The vest was also used during Post-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] conflicts like [[First Chechen War]]<ref>{{Citation |title=ПЕРВАЯ ЧЕЧНЯ МОРСКАЯ ПЕХОТА В ГОРОДЕ И В ГОРАХ |url=https://ok.ru/video/7055838677528 |access-date=2024-03-10 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Телепередача Русский мир. Морская пехота (1995) {{!}} History Lab |time=3:29 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TethqAIJ8HA |access-date=2024-03-10 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Tajikistani Civil War|Tajik civil war]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Период распада. Война в Таджикистане. |time=1:18:48 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnndCtQD_iM |access-date=2024-03-10 |language=en}}</ref>

==Design== 6B2 consists of a chest and back parts, connected to each other on the shoulders with a belt-buckle fasteners and on the sides with [[Hook-and-loop fastener|velcro fasteners]].<ref name=":1" />

The vest was made of an aramid fiber fabric.<ref name=":0" /> Titanium armor plates ADU-605-80 were placed in a fabric case. The chest part contained 19 armor plates each 1.25 mm thick and of Aramid (TSVM DZh-1) fabric liner (30 layers of fabric). The vest provides anti-fragmentation protection, including protection against arrow-shaped projectiles with a speed of 700 m/s, and protection against pistol bullets (7.62x39 bullets pierced body armor from distances of up to 400-600 meters).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Отечественные армейские бронежилеты. |url=http://guns.arsenalnoe.ru/m/4190 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014150004/http://guns.arsenalnoe.ru/m/4190 |archive-date=14 October 2009 |website=Арсенальное}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Броник - история советского бронежилета |url=http://www.gunscity.ru/263-bronik-istorija-sovetskogo-bronezhileta.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721051606/http://www.gunscity.ru/263-bronik-istorija-sovetskogo-bronezhileta.html |archive-date=21 July 2019 |website=Guncity.ru}}</ref> Anti-fragmentation resistance to a standard spherical fragment weighing 1 g exceeds 700 m/s. Depending on the size, the weight of the 6B2 body armor was 4.2 - 4.8 kg. Protection area was 28 - 30 sq. dm.<ref name=":1" /> A special feature of the design is the use of the so-called mounting plate (монтажная плата) into which solid armor elements were installed. All subsequent adopted Soviet body armors were designed according to the same principle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Общевойсковой бронежилет 6Б2 |url=http://shooter.com.ua/zashhita/948-obshhevojskovoj-bronezhilet-6b2.html |access-date=2023-11-06 |website="Стрелок" - специализированный оружейный проект. Киев, Украина.}}</ref> The warranty period for the body armor during storage was 5 years.<ref name=":2" />

== Gallery == <gallery widths="250" heights="250" mode="nolines"> File:6B2 ALL SIDES.jpg|Ivan Nikolayev in 6B2 body armor File:6B2 RENTGEN.jpg|X-ray image of 6B2 [[body armor]]. [[Titanium]] plates can clearly be seen File:Б1(1).jpg|[[Boris Balashov]] wearing 6B2 vest </gallery>

== Users ==

=== Former users === * {{USSR}} * {{RUS}} * {{Flag|Tajikistan}} * {{UKR}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Besedovskyy |first1=Vlad |title=Most common Soviet body armor - 6b2 body armor vest |url=https://www.safar-publishing.com/post/most-common-soviet-body-armor-6b2-body-armor-vest |website=Safar Publishing |access-date=24 December 2023 |language=en |date=25 August 2023}}</ref>

== References ==

[[Category:Ballistic vests]] [[Category:Military equipment of the Soviet Union]] [[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1980s]]