Spartan AR550 Body Armor and Tactical Response Kit

Our AR550 body armor is NIJ level III rated but has undergone special threat testing to achieve a level III+ rating, click here to learn more. NIJ Certification applies to AR550 Shooters and Swimmers Cut Single Curve Full Coat armor plates.  

Why Are Your AR550 Single Curve Full Coat Plates Labeled as Level III? 

Spartan AR550 Single Curve, Full Coat body armor plates are labeled as level III on the back of the plate as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) does not currently have a level III+ rating. Level III+ indicates special threat testing and was created by the body armor industry to fill the void between NIJ 0101.06 level III and NIJ level IV, specifically to account for high velocity penetrator rounds such as M855 (aka green tips). While Spartan AR550 single curve full coat plates are certified as NIJ level III, rest assured they are made from AR550 ballistic steel and have been special threat tested to level III+. Quite simply, the NIJ requires that we label AR550 single curve full coat plates as level III even though they are capable of higher ballistic protection. 

Buy Body Armor - Level III+ Spartan AR550 Armor

We’ve taken our Level III Body Armor to a NEW level! Spartan Armor Systems™ is pleased to introduce our AR550 Body Armor!  With a 10% increase in ballistic core hardness, our level III+ AR550 armor defeats higher velocity threats such as XM193, M855, and M80! We’re special rifle threat validated!

Our AR550 armor hits the “sweet spot” in the Brinnell Hardness (BHN) range. With a core hardness of approximately 545-560 BHN, we have found our  ballistically rated variant of AR550 that we use is perfect for defeating higher velocity threats, while not exposing the armor plate to extreme stress due to forming.

Our AR550 Level III+ armor has our GEN2 lower cut radius. With a 10% increase in core hardness, this ballistic grade steel is much harder than AR500, but not too hard to cause severe stress while forming.

Advanced Triple Curve (ATC) AR550 Spartan Body Armor. An industry FIRST! Spartan Armor Systems™ is proud to be the FIRST in the industry to commercially offer triple-curved AR550 body armor. With higher velocity rifle threats commonly present throughout the United States, we’ve developed this AR550 armor to specifically defeat some common threats such as 5.56 x 45 XM193, 5.56 x 45 M855 /SS109 and 7.62 x 51 (.308 Winchester) at a rated velocity of 3,100 fps or less. Additionally, we’ve successfully defeated these threat profiles from Close Quarters Battle (CQB) distances…repeatedly!

Level III+ Side Plates:   Choose from either 6″ x 6″ (small) or 6″ x 8″ (large)

Chest Plate Weight (per plate):   10x12 AR550 Shooters Cut: Base Coat 8lbs 1oz. Full Coat 8lbs 10oz.

Side Plate Weight (per plate):    6×6 approximately 2lbs 9oz (base coat), 2lbs 11oz (full coat), 6×8 approximately 3lbs 6oz (base coat), 3lbs 12oz (full coat).

Thickness:   .25″ AR550 plus approximately .25″ coating (full coat) makes this slim profile plate overall .5-.6″ in total thickness

As with all of our Armor products, we only use the highest grade of AR550 to manufacture our armor! Remember, not all body armor is created equal! Read our “FAQ” to find out more about the AR550 Armor we use to construct our body armor!

Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) - US Export Regulations:

Level III and IV rifle rated body armor (Rifle Plates) fall under jurisdiction of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and are subject to the export control laws of the US Government. Export or re-transfer of Rifle Plates by any means to any foreign end user or for any other end use, whether in the US or abroad without written approval of the US Department of Commerce or Department of State is prohibited.

The sale, transfer, transportation, or shipment outside of the US of any product prohibited or restricted for export without complying with US export control laws and regulations, including proper export licensing, documentation or authorization, is strictly prohibited and may result in civil penalties and/or constitute a federal crime. Spartan Armor Systems, TK Armor Systems, LLC will not engage in any transaction that requires the illegal export of any products and will not assist directly or indirectly with the illegal export or re-export of any products.

See A Comparison of Our Full Line of Body Armor: