The Indonesian Army may soon equip its soldiers with a bulletproof vest made from an unlikely source: recycled palm oil waste.
Developed by researchers from the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, the next-gen vest has cleared rigorous ballistic testing and recently earned certification for military use.
In trials, it stopped 9×19mm rounds fired from just 5 meters (16.4 feet) with zero penetration, while limiting deformation to 44 millimeters.
The vest also held up against slashes and stabs from sharp weapons.
Weighing under 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) with a slim 2-centimeter (0.8-inch) profile, the armor is reportedly designed for comfort and mobility.
IPB also claimed the vest is “very competitive” in price compared with other high-level bulletproof options.
Army officials overseeing the trials praised the initiative for leveraging local resources to boost Indonesia’s defense capabilities.
Turning Trash Into Tech
The recycled vest is the result of a two-year biomaterial research project led by Dr. Siti Nikmatin, who teamed up with specialists in physics and agribusiness.
While raw palm fiber is abundant, the manual nature of the production process still requires significant investment.
“Hopefully, this innovation can transform the potential of palm oil waste into a new strength for Indonesia’s defense industry sovereignty in the future,” she said.
