Soldier's kit stops Taliban bullets dead 24.04.12
21A British soldier has spoken of the moment his body armour saved him from a Taliban bullet fired from an AK47 rifle.
Trooper Tom Thorne, 20, from the Queen's Royal Hussars, was shot in the side by an enemy fighter while on operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The 7.62mm bullet struck one of the side plates of his body armour, which stopped the round completely.
Trooper Thorne, who was providing overwatch for an IED clearance team, said: "I was lying on the roof of a compound building. We came under fire but obviously cover was pretty limited up on the roof.
"I knew instantly that I'd been hit - it felt like a very hard punch in the ribs," he continued.
"The body armour is pretty heavy, especially when combined with all the other kit you are carrying, but it clearly works as it's supposed to.
"I just couldn't believe that the small side plate could stop a 7.62mm bullet at fairly close range - it is very reassuring for all of us."
C Company of the Queen's Royal Hussars were taking part in Operation Zamary Takhta - an IED clearance operation - in a hostile region of the Lashkar Gah area, when the incident happened.