Blue Knights in Finespun Armor

The hottest-selling armor since Wilkinson Sword turned out chain-mail flak suits for airmen in World War II is made, improbably enough, from a finespun synthetic fiber called Kevlar. Developed by Du Pont and used primarily as a substitute for steel in belted radial tires, the fabric--lighter than nylon and tougher than steel--has been fashioned into everything from sports jackets to undervests and worn by everyone who might come under the gun, from cops to Presidents. While even the thickest Kevlar garments will not stop most rifle bullets, the material nonetheless provides formidable protection. The 23-layer version, which is two-thirds of an inch thick, will stop up to a .44 magnum slug and would probably even protect against a point-blank blast such as Squeaky Fromme's .45 could have delivered. The seven-layer, 2 1/2-lb. undervest--most popular with police because it scarcely impedes movement--will turn back a knife attack and anything up to a .38-cal. bullet, which accounts for 90% to 95% of all handguns in the U.S. A .38-cal. cartridge, for instance, will put a dent in the Kevlar (see cut), but the knit layers absorb the shock, leaving the imprint of the weave on the slug as it blunts into mushroom-shape and then falls harmlessly away. Small wonder that President Ford was reported wearing Kevlar on the New Hampshire hustings and that 50,000 policemen already have or will soon get the new body armor.

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