The demand for personal ballistic protection has never been higher. The world is more dangerous and unpredictable than at any point in recent decades. At Milipol 2025 (18–21 November), manufacturers of ballistic protection gear gathered under one roof to showcase how they equip those tasked with protecting others. Among them was Finnish firm SIOEN Ballistics Oy.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the importance of ballistic body armour. This conflict is also shaping the fundamentals of the required amount of body armour in peer-to-peer fighting.
In Ukraine, the fighting resembles positional war since the front lines move very slowly. Soldiers tend to wear a lot of soft body armour to stop the number one killer: fragments. One can see a clear rise in soldiers attaching modular elements to body armour systems to cover more body areas than just the vitals.
Fragment More Likely Than a Rifle Bullet
The Milipol exhibition was very busy for SIOEN at the meeting with current and new customers.
“Our product portfolio was a cross section of our company’s and concerns’ offerings, more than just a comprehensive look at a certain product category,” SIOEN Ballistics Oy CEO Mikko Häikiö explained.
“Traditional bulletproof vests, fragment, plate carrier, tactical, and undercover worn vests were still present. SIOEN also presented different ballistic high-visibility vests and clothing solutions, especially made for middle European law enforcement agencies.”
SIOEN has broad technological and manufacturing capabilities to produce different camouflage nets, and related to them, SIOEN had experts present at Milipol.
“Customers also expressed interest in modular fragmentation protection,” Häikiö says.
As said previously large coverage fragmentation protection is necessary in modern battlefield. You are more likely to take a hit from a fragment than from a rifle bullet.
Body Armour Product Family
SIOEN introduced the RESTAC ballistic protection body armour product family in the autumn of 2024. RESTAC family includes a modular tactical vest and a plate carrier. A ballistic RESTAC family high-cut helmet is also available. This ballistic protection gear family is especially meant for reservists seeking domestic high-quality ballistic protection to suit everyone’s needs.
“RESTAC product family has been well-received among users due to its design and adaptability. One of the things that customers value is that the carrier fabric and the soft ballistic protection are always delivered together. This guarantees that the carrier and the soft ballistic protection fit well together. Finnish reservists use their RESTAC family of products in shooting practices, but also when they are called to serve in Finnish Army reserve exercises.”
RESTAC products have also been evaluated in field tests in Ukraine, and the feedback has been very positive. “We are interested in receiving all feedback, and we also ponder improvements and new products,” clarifies Häikiö.
Ballistic Fibres in Soft Body Armour Do the requirements for soft body armor fibre materials differ between civilian and military applications? “In law enforcement tenders the customers define the material they want, including weight, price, and comfortability. All ballistic solutions are tested against a specific ballistic threat according to official standards, where humidity and thermal requirements are defined in a different way. Basically, the requirements for ballistic fibres do not differ whether end user is civilian or military.”
Lessons from Ukraine: Keep Warm and Dry
The War in Ukraine is shaping the fundamentals of ballistic protection required in peer-to-peer warfare. But what are the lessons learned from Ukraine?
“The meaning of personal ballistic protection has changed in a lot of respects. The protection area has increased and the importance of modular protective elements for neck, throat, shoulder, legs and so on, has risen. You do not see users of plate carriers so often anymore. The required level of protection is mission-specific. In conjunction with the aforementioned aspects, hiding, deception, concealment and denying observation are important,” Häikiö sums up.
“The adjustability of ballistic protection products with different clothing is important. The underlying clothing largely affects a soldier’s performance. Clothing must keep you warm and dry, not to forget soldiers’ boots that also must be kept dry while operating in wet conditions.” What comes for ballistic helmets, the War in Ukraine has highlighted the importance of low-cut helmets. High-cut helmets leave your brainstem exposed, which has caused unnecessary casualties.
