How can plate carriers protect grenade threats?

Grenades are highly effective tools for both large scale and small scale combats. While they may not have the kind of accuracy and preciseness enjoyed in using rifles, they can create massive impact in the balance of power and tactics.

Additionally, grenades allow you to cause a larger and more holistic damage within a short period of time. This has made it somewhat a must-have weapon for modern day warfare. And unfortunately, what this means is that if you are a military officer, there are chances of you being at the other side of a grenade throw at some point or another.

Being the target of a grenade is not as fun as throwing one. Sure, we have seen movies where movie stars grab grenades with their bare hands and throw it back to the sender. But it doesn’t really work like that in reality. Some there are different kinds of grenade and not everything have a long detonation fuse. Some of them go ‘KABOOM!!!’ upon impact with any solid object; including the human body.

Basically, there are six kinds of grenades namely Frag Grenades, Concussive Grenades, Smoke Grenades, Chemical Grenades, Incendiary Thrown Explosives, and the Stun Grenades. It is important to note that plate carriers cannot keep you safe from all of these kinds of grenades. In fact, they can only protect you from the shrapnel that emanates from the thrown explosive grenades.

This is because plate carriers are designed to stop projectiles. A grenade is not a projectile. However, an explosive grenade – upon impact – can cause the ricochet of shrapnel and debris which can also do great damage. You might escape the explosive and still get caught by its metallic bits. But with a shrapnel proof or slash proof plate carrier, you can be protected.

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