Taiwan plans to procure 48,000 boron carbide ceramic armor plates for its military, according to a report by the Taipei Times. The ballistic plates will be integrated into personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect soldiers from 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds and shrapnel.
Production is expected to commence between 2028 and 2029, with the government allocating NT$840 million (approx. $28.2 million) for the project. An initial 30 plates have already been purchased for NT$1.3 million ($46,900).
While Taiwan has not disclosed technical specs such as weight, protection level, or target users, analysts anticipate the plates to meet NIJ Level IV standards, capable of stopping armor-piercing projectiles due to their boron carbide composition—a material among the hardest known, just below diamond and cubic boron nitride.
The new plates are expected to complement existing NIJ Level III gear, which already offers protection against standard 7.62mm rounds.
Additional Ceramic Armor Initiative
Separately, Taiwan’s defense ministry is overseeing mass production of triple-layered ceramic armor plates using ceramic materials and polyethylene fibers. This effort stems from a NT$1.6 billion ($53.7 million) contract signed in February for 160,000 units.
The three-layer design is intended to defend against 5.8mm steel-core rounds used by China’s People’s Liberation Army, as well as standard 7.62mm bullets. These plates are modeled after the US military’s Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert (ESAPI).
60,000 plates are scheduled for delivery by end of 2025.
