Armor plate from coconut fiber

Malaysia is developing the world's lightest armor-bearing project from coconut coir under the initiative of scientists from the Technical University of Malaysia (UTeM).

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The armor made by Malaysia is cheap
Much more than the current armor. (Photo: The Star)

Coir makes up 30% of the armor material, making it the world's lightest armor, measuring just 3.5kg.

Estimated cost of 20,000 Malaysian Ringgit (approx. 136.47 million) is considered to be much cheaper than current bulletproof jerseys.

The coconut armor material was invented by UTeM two years ago. Tembusu Resources Bhd is in the process of launching the product in the hope of commercializing it in the next six months. The production base was initially invested 16 million Ringgit (about 109.18 billion) and employs about 150 workers.

Director Tembusu Resources Bhd, Mohd Ridhuan Md Noor, said the immediate goal was to meet the needs of inland armor and plan to export to the Asian market.