M52B Body Armour

The M52B Body Armour is the latest personal armour system in use by the United Nations Space Command Defence Force, first adopted in 2552 to replace the ageing and disliked M27A Personal Armour System, which in turn replaced the M51A Ballistic Assault Vest. It is designed with combating the Covenant in mind, incorporating integrated MITHRIL armour plates as opposed to removable Small Arms Protective Inserts. It is usually worn with the CH252 Helmet for greater ballistic and plasma protection.
==Description==
The basic M52B is worn over the UNSCDF GCU and incorporates chest, back, side, and groin protection, with additional collar, upper arm, and upper leg protectors available as required. Total weight comes in at 13.6 kilograms, and while this is heavier than the earlier M51A Ballistic Assault Vest, it is lighter than the M27A Body Armour it replaced, and actually provides superior protection, though only over vital areas such as the torso. The design is intended to take the weight of the vest off the shoulders and move it to the lower torso.
The M52B provides the ability to don the vest in two ways. The first is to simply place the vest over the head and pull down, and the second is to remove fasteners on the wearer's left shoulder, sliding into the vest to the right. To complete the procedure for both methods the wearer then lifts up the front panel of the vest and fastens the waistband, which takes the weight of the vest off the shoulders somewhat, and then fastens the side protection modules.
The M52B's protection system is based on a layered system. The first layer consists of thin Titanium-A that provides some heat resistance against plasma weapons and is designed to abrade after being struck, the fragments interfering with laser or particle beams or plasma bolts, weakening their effectiveness. It is coated with an electrochromic material that can switch between either the Digital Universal Pattern or TriPat at will via a command from the user's standard issue neural interface. EMP-hardened microchips within the layer send out a charge (too weak to be felt), forcing a colour change.
The second layer is a five millimetre sheet of boron carbide, which provides outstanding resistance to bullets, and, with a melting point of 2350 degrees Celsius, some resistance to plasma weaponry. This is backed by a one centimetre plate of incredibly strong MITHRIL armour. Due to the extreme hardness of the ceramics used, they offer superior resistance against plasma weapons and they shatter even .50 calibre rifle bullets. The (pulverised) ceramic also strongly abrades any penetrator. Against lighter projectiles the hardness of the tiles causes a "shatter gap" effect: a higher velocity will, within a certain velocity range (the "gap"), not lead to a deeper penetration but destroy the projectile itself instead. Because the ceramic is so brittle, the entrance channel of a plasma shot is not smooth — as it would be when penetrating a metal — but ragged, causing extreme asymmetric pressures which disturb the geometry of the shot, on which its penetrative capabilities are critically dependent as its mass is relatively low. This initiates a vicious circle as the disturbed blast of plasma causes still greater irregularities in the ceramic, until in the end it is defeated. The MITHRIL plate optimises this effect as tiles made with them have a layered internal structure conducive to it, causing "crack deflection". This mechanism using the blast's own energy against it, has caused some to compare the effects of MITHRIL to those of reactive armour. Should a MITHRIL plate be struck by a laser or particle beam, such as those used in Covenant Beam Rifles, a similar effect is seen as the beam is diffused and broken up by vapourised ceramic.
Backing the MITHRIL plate is a second thin Titanium-A plate which reflects the impact energy back to the ceramic tile in a wider cone. This dissipates the energy, limiting the cracking of the ceramic, but also means a more extended area is damaged. Spalling caused by the reflected energy is caught by a layer of non-Newtonian gel before it can enter the user's body. As it is also heat-resistant, this layer also has the advantage of reducing the burn caused by plasma should it pierce the armour. This heat reduction layer also reduces the chance of the plasma penetrating by counter-acting and dissipating the heat, effectively disarming the blast.
==Features==
The vest is equipped with a mesh inner cover that is designed to improve airflow inside of the armour. There is also a back pad in the lower back area of the vest, which is designed to defeat fragmentation impacts to the lower back/kidney areas. The back pad does not provide ballistic protection, however.
The chest armour is equipped with a number of anchor points for the attachment of modular accessories such as pistol hoslters, bayonet and knife sheaths, and extra grenade and ammunition pouches. The standard-issue Individual First Aid Pack incorporating several sterile field dressings, a small amount of biofoam, an ampoule of morphine, burn ointment, a tourniquet, and clotting agents, is always worn on the top right of the chest piece. Furthermore, a set of clips on the back piece allows for the attachment of patrol sacks or CamelBak hydration packs.
A key design feature for the M52B is that the entire armour system is able to be released with the pull of a hidden lanyard. The armour then falls apart into its component pieces, providing a means for escape in case the wearer falls into water or becomes trapped in a hazardous environment. The hidden release lanyard also allows medical personnel easier access to the casualty, which was one concern that was not addressed with the old M27A armour.
==Usage==
The M52B was first introduced in early 2552 to replace the ageing M27A Personal Armour System, which had been disliked by troops since its introduction, though it had been undergoing testing since 2550 with the Monastir Guards. It is lighter and provides superior protection, but unlike the M27A, only provides protection to the torso, groin, and upper arms and legs, as opposed to the M27A's all-over body protection. This was a development welcomed by troops, however, as the M27A had been seen many times to decrease their mobility due to its weight and bulk.
Though the majority of troops possessed the M25B at the time of the Battle of Reach, it had not yet seen full deployment in the UNSC Marine Corps, and as a result the Marines stationed aboard the UNSC Pillar of Autumn had to make use of the M27A during the Battle of Installation 04. However, all soldiers and Marines present during the Battle of Earth were equipped with the new armour, and found it to be superior in all aspects to the M27A, with anecdotal evidence pointing to servicemen even surviving full-impact body shots from Covenant Shade plasma turrets. As a result of the armour's resilience and durability, it reamined in service throughout the War of Vengeance and Second Great War, and only now in 2575 have efforts been made to find a superior replacement.
Category:Infection
==See Also==
*M27A Personal Armour System
*UNSCDF Ground Combat Uniform
Category:War of Vengeance
Category:Labyrinth
Category:Equipment of the UNSCDF
Category:armor