New Delhi [India], December 31: In the high-stakes contexts of contemporary asymmetric warfare and urban counter-terrorism, the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) continues to pose a significant threat. Although body armour and helmets have historically safeguarded the torso and cranium, the face and eyes continue to be significantly exposed. Dr Jeetendra Kochar has developed a Rapid Light Adaptive Ballistic Face Shield that is both practical and capable of offering protection against threats posed by IED blasts. According to Dr Kochar, data from contemporary conflicts and terrorist occurrences indicate that ocular injuries are a disproportionately significant and severe outcome of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonations. Although the eye constitutes about 0.27% of the total body surface area, it is responsible for a notable 10-15% of battle injuries.
According to Dr Kochar, face and eye protection is not just a safety measure, it is a mission-critical component of survival. Because 70% of a soldier’s sensory awareness comes from sight, ocular injuries often lead to immediate combat ineffectiveness and long-term disability. The current armour system leaves the eyes and face exposed, and it has created a vulnerability gap in warzones.
Dr. Kochar stated that the primary concern is protection against secondary blast injuries resulting from fragmentation. The secondary blast effect is the most lethal aspect of an IED, as the high-velocity shrapnel and debris, such as nails, ball bearings, or casing fragments, propelled by the explosion, can result in critical injuries, including blindness. Improvised explosive devices frequently disperse fine particulate matter. This ballistic face shield prevents occult penetrations, where small shards enter the eye socket, potentially leading to delayed infections or retinal detachment.
Because body armor has successfully reduced lethal hits to the heart and lungs, more soldiers are surviving blasts that previously would have been fatal, but they are surviving with catastrophic facial and eye damage. Facial trauma is the primary cause of emergency cricothyroidotomy (surgical airway) on the battlefield. Swelling, blood, and shattered bone can suffocate a casualty within minutes. Orbital Eye Socket Fractures, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Mandibular (Jaw) fractures and nerve damage are some of the results from an IED Blast and its impact on the face.
The face shield is designed to minimise blunt trauma by ensuring that the face shield is not in close proximity to the face, thereby reducing the impact force that could damage tissues and bones. Eye protection face shield incorporates integrated polycarbonate lenses that comply with MIL-PRF-31013, EN, or ANSI Z87.1+ standards for V50 protection. This face shield can be used with the current ballistic helmet used by the troops in India and abroad. In initial testing of the current version of the Rapid Light Adaptive Ballistic Face Shield, it has successfully stopped a projectile with a velocity of 444 Mps.
The design allows the face shield to function as a plough, deflecting a portion of the initial shockwave instead of permitting direct impact on the face. The design of the face shield must ensure that it prevents blast waves from entering the facial cavity, including the orbits and mouth. This design will aid in mitigating the sudden increase in intracranial pressure that can lead to Traumatic Brain Injury due to blast pressure.
It is important to note that IEDs frequently generate a fireball or emit caustic chemicals utilised in their construction. This ballistic face shield is constructed from aramid fibres such as Kevlar, Dyneema, or Spectra, which are inherently flame-resistant, thereby safeguarding the wearer from third-degree facial burns caused by the immediate thermal pulse of an explosion.
Soon, this face shield will save the lives of soldiers in the warzone as well as post-war demining operations. Apart from the army, this Rapid Light Adaptive Ballistic Face Shield will be used by the state police department in counterterror operations as well as by the bomb detection and disposal squad.
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