Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

Personal body armor has evolved to address threats typical of contemporary warfare. Artillery effects, particularly fragmentation, have become a significant threat to military personnel, increasing the demand for effective protective solutions. This paper proposes a combined analytical–experimental framework for evaluating the effectiveness of personal body armor against artillery fragmentation. Fragmentation characteristics are examined using mathematical modeling and analytical methods. Additionally, existing body armor evaluation standards and testing methods are reviewed. The results indicate that fragmentation represents the dominant lethal mechanism of artillery fire. Although the V50 ballistic test is commonly used to assess fragment resistance, it does not provide a comprehensive evaluation of real-world protection effectiveness. These findings highlight the need for more advanced and realistic assessment methods.