Often, in the military field, special operations require a perfect balance between concealment and speed of action. This is especially true during Close Protection operations.
These assignments, conducted by operators specialized in personal security, aim to guarantee the protection of important figures such as celebrities, keymen of large companies, politicians or government officials, allowing them to carry out their work and institutional activities safely, reducing to a minimum the risk of attacks, kidnappings or other threats.
Close Protection Teams, called CPTs, have to operate in all types of contexts while facing a wide range of scenarios and challenges, such as: escorts on official trips, protection of key witnesses, emergency evacuations, operations in war areas or political instability, security of government or diplomatic delegations in international negotiations or conferences. This is why Close Protection missions require discretion and quickly scalable solutions, as circumstances may suddenly change.
In 2019, one of the TIER 1 departments of the Italian Army turned to us at FROG.PRO to develop a plate carrier suitable for this type of missions to add to their equipment.
Their requirements included:
We immediately got to work studying the possible technical solutions to create a product meang to fulfill what was requested. The result is what is now called the Defender Low Visibility Plate Carrier.
This plate carrier was designed to be worn under clothing, such as a shirt or jacket, without altering the silhouette of the subject. A discreet look is, in fact, fundamental to reduce the possibility of being detected by potential threats.
To ensure that the front and rear plate pockets adapt to the shape and thickness of the different ballistic protections that can be used, we have chosen to use a mix of fabrics on the internal part, in contact with the body: the 4-way Durastretch elastic fabric on the sides wraps the plate like a glove, reducing the volume of the equipment to a minimum, while the central band in 500D Cordura fabric supports the weight of the ballistic plate and reinforces the points most subject to wear and tear from rubbing.
The pockets for carrying ammunition, radios and medical kits (3 on each side for the SM-MD size and 4 for the LG-XL) have been built in the cummerbund, taking advantage of the stretchability of the elastic it is made out of. By wearing a loose-fitting shirt, as in the photo, a person of average build is able to hide different types of objects on the side without altering the normal shape of the shirt.
The shoulder straps were made of webbing, with Velcro adjustment and deliberately without the possibility of applying padding, to reduce the thickness to a minimum without losing the possibility of adapting the plate carrier to different body types. The 2" width of the webbing offers a good balance between weight distribution and bulk, so as not to sacrifice comfort and maintain a low profile.
The LAHYCO front reinforcements are designed to accommodate ITW Nexus QASM® buckles, through which the Defender can be quickly equipped with front panels such as the Modular Reconnaissance Kangaroo Pouch or the Modular Reconnaissance Task Bag. This option makes it quickly scalable from a minimalist to a combat-oriented configuration. The buckles can be removed to eliminate any protrusion when used as concealed protection in clandestine or undercover operations.
From its birth to today, the Defender Low Visibility Plate Carrier has proven to be a successful solution for various Italian departments, such as the Reggimento Corazzieri of Quirinale (responsible for the security of the President of the Republic), other TIER 1 departments and Private Military Companies, attesting to its high performance and versatility in the field.
In our design and development work we aim to stand out for the attention we pay to operational needs, down to the smallest details.
Following the excellent feedback received, we can therefore state that the Defender Low Visibility Plate Carrier is today a reference point for those who deal with Close Protection, as an effective and reliable solution that perfectly meets the needs of use both nationally and internationally.
