Patent ID: 8015909

Claim:
A composite armor plate comprising: a front layer adapted for facing in the direction of a threat, the front layer comprising side walls defining a cavity having a bottom; a back layer; and a main armor layer connected to the front layer and back layer and disposed within the cavity of the front layer between the back layer and the bottom of the front layer, the main armor layer comprising a plurality of pellets in a matrix of a binder material, the pellets being made of a high density ballistic material and having a domed front end facing the bottom wall of the cavity of the front layer, a planar back end facing away from the bottom of the cavity of the front layer and a body portion extending between the front layer and the back layer, the front and back layers being bound to the main layer by the binder matrix, the front layer having a shape at the bottom of the cavity defined thereby, substantially conforming to that of the domed front ends of the pellets in the main layer.