Ukraine has started issuing special bulletproof vests to women. What do women in the IDF wear?

In July 2026, combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine received the first 2000 bulletproof vests adapted for female anatomy. NAnovosti compared the Ukrainian solution with what exists today in the IDF and other armies, and discovered an Israeli paradox: the local industry already produces female ballistic protection, but there is no public confirmation of its mass issuance to women in the IDF yet.

Women’s bulletproof vests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the IDF: Ukraine, Israel, and the armies of the world

On July 21, 2026, the first 2000 special women’s bulletproof vests were delivered to the combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Official statement of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:

Defenders received women’s bulletproof vests for the first time — Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

This is not a reduced men’s plate carrier nor a change in color or size chart. A separate element has been added to the system, which should take into account the shape of the female chest, reduce the pressure of the armor on the body, and improve ventilation. The purchase of the first batch cost approximately 47 million hryvnias (about 3.15 million shekels).

For the Israeli reader, an obvious question arises here. If Ukraine, during a full-scale war, began to centrally issue a separate version of the bulletproof vest to women, then what is happening in the IDF — an army where women have served since the state’s creation and today make up about a fifth of the combat personnel?

Anton Pshedynsky regularly writes for NAnovosti — News of Israel about international security, the armed forces of Ukraine and Israel. In February 2026, he already compared the two armies in the article “Ukraine and Israel in the World Army Ranking 2026” — https://nikk.agency/ukraina-i-izrail-v-rejtinge/. This time the comparison turned out to be significantly more specific: not the number of planes or tanks, but how well a basic element of protection fits the body of a person who must spend hours in it under load.

What exactly did the women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the state for the first time purchased 2000 women’s modular bulletproof vests in basic configurations 1–5. The manufacturer is NPP “Temp-3000”. According to StateWatch monitoring, the company was the only participant in the relevant tender, and the price was 23,520 hryvnias (about 1500 shekels) per set.

The bulletproof vest is made using ceramic composite rigid armor elements and has an enhanced Ukrainian protection level “P”.

The Ministry of Defense indicates that the rigid elements are designed to withstand direct hits from 7.62-mm ammunition from SVD — including armor-piercing bullet B-32 and rifle LPS. Soft ballistic packages are additionally intended to protect against fragments and pistol ammunition.

Tests are conducted not only by shooting. Samples are frozen to −40 °C, heated to +70 °C, and immersed in saltwater, after which the preservation of protective properties is checked.

The design includes:

• MOLLE on the front, back, and sides;
• a quick-release system that can be used with one hand;
• an evacuation system on the back;
• drainage holes;
• the ability to independently put on and take off the bulletproof vest;
• groin and neck protection already in the basic configuration;
• in the full version — additional shoulder and thigh protection and a load-bearing belt;
• by separate order — protection of forearms, shins, coccyx, and a positive buoyancy element.

There are four sizes — S, M, L, and XL.

The size chart is tied to both height and chest circumference. For example, S is designed for approximately 88–96 cm and height 162–170 cm, and XL — from 124 cm and height from 190 cm.

The weight is considerable. The basic configuration, depending on the size, is approximately from 10.5 to 15.5 kg, the full set — from 13 to 17.5 kg.

This is an important detail: it is not a light commercial plate carrier, but a modular system with a large protection area.

What is specifically “female” in the Ukrainian bulletproof vest

The main difference of the delivered batch from the male version is called quite technically — damper-climatic support.

It is located on the inner side of the front part of the bulletproof vest and forms additional support zones and air channels between the body and the protection.

Its task is not to make the armor “weaker and more comfortable,” but to maintain the necessary level of protection and at the same time correctly place this protection on the female body.

According to the description of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the support should:

• reduce pressure in the chest area;
• improve the fit of the bulletproof vest;
• create a ventilation gap;
• reduce movement restrictions.

And here is a fundamental technical detail.

The ceramic composite armor in this version does not necessarily have the shape of a female chest itself.

The damper-climatic element is added to the modular base, which is largely common to both the male and female versions. In fact, the engineers of “Temp-3000” solved the fit problem with an intermediate anatomical layer.

This is one of several possible approaches.

In Ukraine, there is also a second option — with a changed shape of the protection itself

The first Ukrainian sample of a women’s bulletproof vest was certified by the Ministry of Defense at the end of 2023. It was developed by the company “Ukrainian Armor,” and the model was named “Kharkivka.”

There, the designers took a different path: the front armor plate has an outward curve, the shoulders are narrower, and the lower part is wider.

In January 2024, the second sample was approved — the development of “Temp-3000” with damper pads, allowing individual adjustment of the fit to the woman’s body. The ballistic characteristics were maintained at the level of the male sample.

That is, in Ukraine itself, there are already two engineering logics in parallel:

change the geometry of the armor plate or change the geometry of the body’s contact with the armor.

In the current state batch of 2000 sets, the second approach is used.

Why Ukraine reached centralized procurement only now

The story here is not as fast as it might seem from the message of July 21, 2026.

Women’s samples were approved back in 2023–2024, but there was no centralized mass state procurement of bulletproof vests for women for a long time. Before that, some servicewomen received specialized equipment through volunteer organizations or independently solved the problem of men’s equipment. StateWatch separately recorded this problem when researching the provision of servicewomen.

The scale of the need is significantly larger than the current batch.

According to official data from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2025, more than 70 thousand women served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and more than 5500 servicewomen were directly on the front line.

StateWatch provides a narrower category: as of March 2026, there were more than 55 thousand servicewomen in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Against this background, 2000 bulletproof vests look like just the first step, although the purchase formally closed the declared state need for 2026.

After the start of operation, the Ministry of Defense and the procurement agency plan to analyze feedback from servicewomen and take it into account in future orders.

There are also 2000 British women’s sets for Ukraine — and this is a different story

It is important not to mix two numbers here.

In the spring of 2026, the British company NP Aerospace in Coventry indeed produced another 2000 sets of women’s ballistic protection for Ukraine.

But these are not the 2000 Ukrainian bulletproof vests “Temp-3000” that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported in July.

The British development is interesting precisely because there engineers change the rigid plate itself. Instead of the standard flat male geometry, a complex curved surface is created, better matching the female chest.

The plate consists of a ceramic impact layer and a composite substrate. Production requires forming a complex curvature of the material. These sets were purchased by the British Ministry of Defense for transfer to Ukraine.

This results in a rare situation: Ukraine practically simultaneously receives two different approaches to one problem — its own system with an anatomical damper and the British technology of complex geometry of the rigid plate.

And now — Israel.

The IDF began making separate women’s vests 15 years ago

At first glance, it seems that Israel should have solved the issue much earlier than Ukraine.

And partially this is indeed the case.

In 2011, the IDF announced the introduction of a new vest for women after trials in the “Caracal” battalion. Servicewomen ran, jumped, and crawled in different equipment options, after which the army chose a separate female design.

The vest itself — it is about the wearable system, not the full weight of all ceramic protection with ammunition — weighed about 1.6 kg compared to 2.54 kg for the male version.

It had:

• narrower shoulder straps;
• different fit around the pelvis;
• removable pockets;
• ventilation holes;
• the ability to independently install protective plates.

Vests began to be received by servicewomen of several units, including “Caracal,” artillery, air defense units, “Oketz,” and other parts.

But this is where the key to the current dispute lies.

A women’s vest and a women’s armor plate are not the same thing.

You can redo the shoulders, belt, length, placement of pouches, and fabric cover, but leave the standard rigid ceramic protection inside.

And judging by the official discussion in the Knesset in 2025, this is exactly where the problem in the IDF remained.

What the IDF acknowledged in the Knesset

On July 8, 2025, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held a separate meeting on the issue of the mismatch of combat equipment to the needs of servicewomen.

The reason was serious: by that time, women made up about 20.9% of the IDF’s combat personnel, and from 2012 to 2024, their number in combat roles increased by about ten times.

At the meeting, it was stated that a significant part of the combat uniform, vests, and shoes actually represents men’s products in smaller sizes.

The head of the Ground Forces Armament Department, Lieutenant Colonel Alon Hofman, divided the two problems — the convenience of equipment and directly ballistic protection.

And he reported the main thing:

the same system was used for ceramic protection at that time.

According to him, the IDF was cooperating with Israeli companies to complete the development of a solution adapted to women. Separately, the army was working on the specification of a new women’s vest and expected a decision on it in the next half-year.

That is, in the summer of 2025, the official position was quite clear: the fabric part and fit can be improved relatively quickly, but the full adaptation of ceramic ballistic protection was still under development.

After October 7, the problem became no longer theoretical

Before the war, this could be discussed as a matter of comfort and ergonomics.

After October 7, 2023 — no longer.

Women in the IDF fought directly in combat zones, including in Gaza, and spent hours in heavy ballistic protection.

In February 2025, Israel Hayom cited the story of Maayan Friedman, who served, among other places, in Gaza. She described the pressure of the existing vest on the lower back and knees and separately spoke about the design not matching the shape of a woman’s chest and waist.

The Israeli company Paxis developed another technological approach — three-dimensional ceramic elements of complex shape.

The project was funded with the participation of the Israel Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Finance, and MAFAT of the Ministry of Defense.

The developers claimed a technology for forming three-dimensional ceramic protection capable of better matching female anatomy while maintaining ballistic properties.

This is already much closer to the British concept of complex geometry than to the Ukrainian damper solution “Temp-3000”.

But the development of technology and mass issuance to the army — again, are not the same thing.

What is known as of August 2026

On March 8, 2026, the IDF itself reported that more than 90% of army positions are open to women, and women make up about 20% of the army’s combat personnel.

These are tens of thousands of servicewomen and a very significant share of the combat system.

However, upon checking open official sources, NANews did not find any publication by the IDF or the Ministry of Defense stating that after discussions in the Knesset, the new women’s ceramic system had already been widely adopted as standard equipment and issued to all relevant units.

This does not mean that no new items are being received by individual parts.

It means a more specific thing: there is no public confirmation of a large-scale transition of the IDF to a separate women’s ceramic plate as of August 8, 2026, in the open sources we studied.

And it is precisely this boundary between proven and assumed that is crucial here.

MAGAV began individual adaptation earlier

Moreover, within Israel, there is a structure that moved faster.

Back in 2018, the Israeli police and MAGAV conducted a pilot issuance of vests adapted to the female figure.

The equipment was tailored to the individual parameters of women serving in operational units, including Jerusalem, YASAM, and MAGAV. The goal was to reduce movement restrictions and better distribute equipment.

This once again shows why the question cannot be reduced to the phrase “is there a women’s bulletproof vest in Israel”.

There are at least three different levels:

women’s load-bearing system;

anatomically adapted bulletproof vest;

rigid ballistic plate, the geometry of which is designed for the female rib cage.

And different Israeli structures are at these levels not simultaneously.

Israeli bulletproof vests for women are already being purchased by Europe

The Israeli paradox becomes even more noticeable when looking at exports.

The company Source Tactical Gear from Tirat Carmel has already won an Italian contract for specialized women’s ballistic protection for the Carabinieri — the military gendarmerie and one of the armed forces of Italy.

Official Carabinieri documents record a contract for 5376 women’s bulletproof vests at a price of €849.09 per unit excluding VAT — approximately €4.56 million.

In addition, there is a provision for the purchase of another 3000 items of the same type.

Source designs the women’s system taking into account the bust, waist, hips, and shoulders, rather than just reducing the men’s vest.

The same Israeli Source also participated in the modernization of the British Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest for female military personnel. The British Ministry of Defense began issuing improved sizes and fit of this system from April 2022.

An unusual situation arises: the Israeli industry is capable of producing specialized women’s protection for foreign security forces, while within the IDF itself, the issue of separate women’s ceramic protection was still officially in the development stage until recently.

What other armies are doing

This problem is not unique to either Ukraine or Israel.

For decades, army individual protection was created around male anthropometry, and women were given a smaller size of the same system.

Now armies are solving the problem in different ways.

USA: women’s IOTV appeared after Afghanistan

The US Army began systematic development of a women’s version of the Improved Outer Tactical Vest in the early 2010s.

The reason was very practical: during research, it was found that the standard Extra Small IOTV did not fit approximately 85% of women for whom it was supposed to be a “small” size. The vest was too long and wide, lifted when seated, pressed on the hips, and left unwanted gaps near the armpits.

In the women’s version, the following were changed:

• shoulder part;
• torso length;
• front panel shape;
• waist adjustment;
• side armor elements;
• placement of plate pockets.

But the Americans did not build the entire system around one separate “female bust.” The modern SPS — Soldier Protection System — focuses primarily on modularity, scalability, ergonomics, and a wider size range.

The Americans also have separate female sizes for other ballistic elements. For example, the Ballistic Combat Shirt exists in six standard women’s sizes and has additional side chest protection where gaps could appear with a regular fit.

Sweden: a separate women’s system has already been supplied to the army

The Swedish Defense Procurement Agency FMV signed a contract with TYR Tactical for protection designed specifically with the female body shape and its own size grid in mind.

Deliveries to the Swedish Armed Forces began in 2023.

FMV emphasized that the level of protection should remain equivalent to the existing Kroppsskydd 12 system — meaning that female adaptation should not imply a reduction in safety requirements.

Denmark: MALE and FEMALE exist directly in the name of the standard platform

In March 2026, the Danish procurement agency FMI announced the upgrade of TYR to version M/26.

The official description explicitly mentions two platforms:

MALE PICO-MVW and FEMALE PICO-MVW Assaulter’s Plate Carrier.

The new soft ballistic protection becomes thinner while maintaining the declared level of protection.

Thus, in Denmark, the female design is no longer an experimental project but one of the standard configurations of the procured system.

Canada: not “for men and women,” but for different body types

The Canadian approach is slightly different.

In March 2025, Canada signed a contract with an initial value of 19.7 million Canadian dollars for the first 3000 sets of new protection and equipment carrying systems for light forces.

During testing, women’s participation was specifically increased to 13.3%, although their share among the tested category of dismounted infantry was significantly lower.

Result: soft armor will be supplied in two different cut options, and hard plates — in a wider size grid.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2026.

Canadians are effectively moving away from the idea that armies necessarily need two boxes — “male” and “female.”

The logic is different: armor should match the specific body shape.

United Kingdom: the vest has already been adapted, the plates are still catching up

Since 2022, the British Army has been using an expanded size grid of the Virtus STV, refined after testing with female military personnel.

But in 2026, the British Ministry of Defense is still separately addressing the issue of the hard plates themselves.

The Tactical Ballistic Plates project is expected to provide four sizes of flat plates instead of a more limited approach. The contract was planned to be determined after evaluating options.

In parallel, the Complex Geometry Body Armour project has been launched — specifically for plates with complex geometry.

And here the timelines are indicative: on July 27, 2026, the British government officially announced that the possible start of deliveries of such a system is being considered from 2029, if the technology successfully passes testing and validation.

At the same time, British industry is already producing such women’s curved plates — only the first noticeable batch is being sent not to British military personnel, but to women in Ukraine.

Australia: “a woman is not a reduced version of a man”

Australia opened army combat roles for women in 2016, after which the military quickly encountered problems with universal equipment.

The Diggerworks/Fit to Perform project began redesigning shoes, uniforms, backpacks, helmets, protective underwear, and armor for different body types.

One of the project’s principles is formulated very simply: a woman is not just a smaller-sized man.

In 2022, the Australian Ministry of Defense reported that among the items being prepared for implementation or under development is combat body armor to accommodate different body types — armor for different body types.

However, in the open sources studied, we did not find confirmation that Australia has already massively transitioned to a separate women’s ceramic plate with complex curvature.

India: industry already offers women’s hard plates

Indian MKU is developing the Kavro Body Armour for Women line.

Here, the manufacturer goes quite far: a separate radial cut of soft protection and specially profiled hard armor plates designed for female contours are declared.

But there is an important limitation of provenness.

The presence of such a system in the catalog of a major defense manufacturer does not yet mean its mass adoption by the Indian army. Therefore, NANews does not place India on par with Sweden or Denmark, where there are confirmed government issuance programs.

Why you can’t just take a men’s size S bulletproof vest

This is the main technical conclusion of this whole story.

The problem is not limited to chest circumference.

Men and women statistically differ in:

• shoulder width;
• torso length;
• chest-to-waist ratio;
• hip position;
• rib cage shape;
• points where the load is applied;
• position of the armor plate during sitting, running, shooting, and working with weapons.

If a plate that is too long presses on the hips when seated, the servicemember changes body position.

If shoulder straps are too wide — they can interfere with the proper placement of the weapon.

If the chest pushes the flat front structure forward — the angle and distance between the protection and the body change.

If because of this, a larger size bulletproof vest has to be taken — it may cover more area on paper, but at the same time, it is less securely fixed during movement.

Therefore, the correct question is not “do women need a more comfortable vest”.

The correct question is:

is the armor exactly where it should be when a person runs, falls, shoots, sits in a vehicle, or carries full gear for many hours?

Ukraine and Israel chose very different starting points

The Ukrainian case is interesting because the solution is being formed directly during a major war.

Initially, there were initiatives from manufacturers and volunteers, then technical specifications, two approved samples, a government tender, and the first batch in combat units. Now women’s feedback should influence subsequent purchases.

The Israeli story is much longer.

The IDF began implementing women’s vests back in 2011. MAGAV experimented with individual fitting. Israeli companies today make specialized women’s armor, and Paxis works with three-dimensional ceramics.

But the growth of women’s roles in combat units happened faster than the full restructuring of the entire individual protection system.

In the summer of 2025, this reached a separate Knesset session.

And by 2026, women already make up about one-fifth of the IDF’s combat personnel.

Therefore, for Israel, the issue can no longer be considered niche.

The most interesting conclusion is that there is no one ‘correct women’s armor.’

Comparison of several armies shows at least four different strategies.

Ukrainian ‘Temp-3000’: maintain the overall modular architecture and add an anatomical damper between the body and protection.

‘Kharkiv’, British NP Aerospace and Israeli Paxis: change the geometry of the frontmost ballistic protection.

USA and Canada: maximize sizes, adjustments, and tailoring options, reducing the need to divide the entire system exclusively into ‘male’ and ‘female.’

Sweden and Denmark: have a separate serial female configuration of the standard armor system.

Which option will prove best in combat is determined not by the manufacturer’s advertising, but by a combination of ballistic tests, actual coverage area, weight, mobility, and feedback from people who wear the system for many hours.

And here the Ukrainian experiment is especially interesting to Israel: the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning to change the next purchases after feedback from women in combat units.

The question for the IDF remains

There are things that open sources allow to establish quite accurately.

Women make up about 20% of the IDF’s combat personnel.

The issue of male fitting of military equipment was officially discussed by the Knesset.

In July 2025, a representative of the Ground Forces stated that the same system is used for ceramic protection and that an adapted solution is under development.

Israeli companies are capable of making specialized women’s ballistic protection.

Such protection is already being sold abroad.

But there remains a question for which there is no equally clear answer in open official publications:

what exactly does a woman in the IDF receive today when heading to a combat unit — a reduced universal system, a new adapted vest, or already anatomical hard armor?

And if the new system was indeed implemented after the Knesset meeting in 2025 — how many such kits have been purchased and which units are already equipped with them?

For NANews — News of Israel, this is the main Israeli continuation of the Ukrainian news.

Because the 2000 bulletproof vests sent to women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not just a story about Ukrainian military procurement.

It’s an occasion to ask a much closer question: if a woman in the IDF performs the same combat task and faces the same bullet, why should the shape of the armor plate still be based on the fact that it is worn by a man?

Main sources

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — first batch of 2000 women’s bulletproof vests, July 21, 2026.

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — design, protection level, configuration, weight, and damper-climatic support.

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — second certified sample ‘Temp-3000.’

StateWatch — procurement, cost, number of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and characteristics of two approved models.

Knesset of Israel — meeting on July 8, 2025, about women’s military equipment.

IDF — data on the share of women in combat personnel in 2026.

Israel Hayom — development of Paxis and the experience of military personnel with existing ceramic protection.

Ynet — implementation of women’s vests by the IDF in 2011.

FMV, Sweden — separate women’s system TYR Tactical.

FMI, Denmark — standard Male/Female PICO-MVW M/26.

US Army — development of Female IOTV and modern protection systems.

Government of Canada — 3000 sets of new protection for light forces.

UK Parliament and Forces News — Tactical Ballistic Plates, Complex Geometry Body Armour, and British 2000 sets for Ukraine.

Australian Defence — Fit to Perform program.

Carabinieri — official contract with Israeli Source Tactical Gear.