The Complicated Life of Body Armor Published Nov. 25, 2015 By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Protective gear is a key part of the military lifestyle, and personal armor has been evolving for centuries. The main challenge for those developing personal protective systems has been the same for centuries - finding a balance between protection, weight and freedom of movement. Though in modern times the effectiveness of body armor is typically determined based on what caliber bullet it's capable of stopping, it has been determined that bullets aren't the most dangerous threat in modern combat, fragments are. Many explosive devices create dangerous shrapnel, particularly fragmentation grenades, which are designed to disperse shrapnel via a bursting steel core. Because of evolving threats and philosophies about battlefield protection, there's always another way for body armor to improve. One of the most promising new armor systems of the last decade is called Dragon Skin, which was developed by Pinnacle Armor. Dragon Skin is a ballistic vest offering substantial protection, but less weight, and more flexibility because of its design of overlapping circular disks. Dragon Skin vests were tested on television programs and by law enforcement with encouraging results. It was in military testing with multiple branches of the military that Dragon Skin ran into trouble. The U.S. Air Force found multiple problems with the Dragon Skin in initial tests, leading to a recall. The situation grew more complicated when test results were classified, and allegations emerged that Dragon Skin was at a disadvantage in testing because the U.S. Army favored the much cheaper Interceptor armor that Dragon Skin would potentially compete with. Conflicting claims regarding the effectiveness of Dragon Skin surfaced, with the U.S. Army pronouncing the system ineffective, while Pinnacle Armor stood by its product. In 2006 the Army instituted a ban on non-issued armor in a deployed environment, citing worries that protective gear from private companies wouldn't offer sufficient protection. Despite the ban, military personnel have worn Dragon Skin in Afghanistan and Iraq. The road to getting new technology accepted and implemented by the military has always been long and difficult, and because of the high stakes associated with something like personal body armor, the process is even more demanding. Weight, protection and maneuverability are all important factors to consider -- but so is cost. Pinnacle Armor filed for bankruptcy in 2010, but Dragon Skin vests are still in use today. The real reason for Dragon Skin's commercial failure is unclear, but what is clear is that personal armor has never been more sophisticated than it is now, and it's only going to get better.