Body Armor Piercing ‘Stealth’ Bullet Developed by Russian Firm

A research firm associated with Russsian Corporation Rostec has developed a 9 mm caliber pistol cartridge that can penetrate body armor of the 2nd protection class, used by most armies around the world.

The cartridge does not emit any ‘flame’ at the barrel end and is noiseless, earning for itself the ‘stealth’ tag. The new cartridge has been patented in Russia.

The Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (CRIPE) of the State Corporation Rostec has developed the 9 mm caliber cartridge with a reduced bullet speed. The new ammunition is capable of penetrating body armor of the 2nd protection class, while maintaining low firing noise and a ‘flameless’ shot, a Rostec release said today.

Existing cartridges suitable for silent shooting cannot penetrate body armor of the 2nd protection class due to the insufficient speed of the bullet - about 200-290 m/s.  Bullets with a speed of more than 400 m / s can cope with this task, which, in turn, do not allow silent fire.

The new development of CRIPE- TSNIITOCHMASH specialists combines noiselessness and increased penetration. This is achieved by increasing the bullet mass, a cutting edge formed by two flat faces was added at the front end of its core.

The cartridges were developed as part of the OCD "Boa constrictor" pistol system. The innovative solutions used in the cartridge provided its recognition by the invention - a patent was received for the new munition.