Canadian Firms Supply Female Body Armour to Ukraine

In a recent CBC News report, Ukrainian servicewomen describe wearing ill-fitting body armour designed for men while serving on the front lines, a problem Canada's defence industry is now helping to address through companies like NP Aerospace and Logistik Unicorp. The video highlights how more than 10,000 women in combat roles face unnecessary risks because standard plates leave gaps around the chest and torso. This issue resonates in Canada, where the Department of National Defence is preparing to issue its first female-specific body armour system this year after decades without tailored combat uniforms for women in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian Firms Supply Female Body Armour to Ukraine as DND Advances Its Own Reforms

Ottawa, Ontario – August 2026 — Ukraine has begun distributing its first female-specific body armour vests to servicewomen, with key components manufactured by Canadian companies. The move follows years of women adapting men's equipment during Russia's full-scale invasion that began on Feb. 24, 2022. Canada's Department of National Defence confirmed last year it would release its own tailored system for army light forces in 2026.

(CBC News)

Scale of Women's Service in Ukraine's Military

More than 75,000 women serve in Ukraine's military, including over 10,000 in combat roles on the front lines, according to Ukrainian MP Iryna Nykorak. These women perform missions on equal footing with men, yet most have relied on ballistic plates designed for male bodies that prove too bulky and heavy. Ukrainian officials stated in July 2026 that the country is now implementing female-specific protective equipment as a direct result of women serving in combat on the same terms as their male counterparts.

Front-Line Experiences with Ill-Fitting Gear

CBC News spoke with a female officer in Ukraine's National Guard identified by call sign Kudriava, who has 15 years of service and fought in Bakhmut, Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Chasiv Yar and the Serebryansky Forest. She wore standard male body armour for the first year after the 2022 invasion while managing drones, electronic co-ordination and signal jammers on the front lines.

Kudriava, who described her own build as that of a slim man, said many women with different body types struggled to operate when their uniform and armour were not designed for them. She emphasised that body armour should fit like a second skin — if it does not, it leaves vital areas like the chest and torso exposed, which could prove deadly in combat across eastern Ukraine.

When gear is uncomfortable, soldiers become distracted instead of focusing on their mission. Kudriava stated: "When you're in operation and you have some tasks [from] your commander, you shouldn't think about your uniform, you should think to save your life, to save life of your personnel and to do best in this operation."

Nykorak framed the issue as one of dignity, arguing that women should not have to adapt to a system built around men. "She left her home, her family, sometimes in the majority of cases children, and joined the army. She sacrificed a lot," the MP said, adding that respecting women's service means providing equipment that fits.

(Getty Images via CBC News)

Canadian Manufacturing Contribution to Ukraine

In June 2026, the United Kingdom donated 2,000 sets of body armour to Ukraine featuring curved female-specific ballistic plates produced by NP Aerospace at its factory in Coventry, England, paired with vest carriers from Logistik Unicorp in Canada. NP Aerospace modelling shows curved plates provide 48 per cent more protection than flat plates against top-down threats from drones and shrapnel common in eastern Ukraine.

Erin Grieve, sales manager at NP Aerospace for the personal protection team, stressed that women are not just small men, and that body armour must be designed to accommodate breast shape rather than simply shrunk from male designs. She explained the stakes plainly: "You've got your heart, greater vessels, liver and spleen. So if you were to take an impact, you've got less than 20 minutes to get to a hospital. So what body armour is designed to do is make sure the impact doesn't happen in the first place."

Ukraine's Initial Steps Toward Tailored Equipment

Last month, Ukraine began handing out its first round of female body armour vests after purchasing 2,000 units for women serving in combat roles. The rollout follows years of advocacy by Nykorak, who founded the NATO-supported NGO Arm Women Now and has already distributed 350 sets of female body armour with lightweight plates to servicewomen. In 2024, Ukraine issued jackets and pants designed for women's bodies, though dozens of other uniform items remain unchanged.

Nykorak acknowledged the limits of the state effort so far. "Despite the fact that at the state level they don't have female body armour which will protect their body, their health and their lives, we support them," she said, highlighting the role of volunteer organisations in filling the gap for those performing combat missions on equal footing with men.

(CBC News)

Canada's Parallel Reforms in Military Equipment

Canada's Department of National Defence announced last year it is developing its first body armour system with darting around the chest, shorter plates and tapering specifically for women, targeted at the army's light forces. Plans are also underway to procure additional female-specific personal protective equipment. A related CBC report notes that Canada's military had no combat uniforms designed for women for decades, even though women have been permitted in combat roles for more than 30 years.

These Canadian developments parallel the contributions of domestic firms like NP Aerospace and Logistik Unicorp, which supplied components for the 2,000 sets donated by the United Kingdom to Ukraine in June. The equipment now being tested on Ukraine's front lines will inform how allied militaries, including Canada's, approach protective gear for servicewomen.

Implications for Allied Defence Policies

Nykorak expressed hope that Ukraine's experience will prompt allies including Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom to adopt similar changes, describing women's participation as a matter of national resilience that directly affects a country's ability to defend itself. Michael Sandercott of NP Aerospace explained that flat plates angle outward on female chests, creating gaps near the neck and lower torso that increase exposure to top-down munitions such as bullets or shrapnel.

Sandercott also noted that women often size up so that men's body armour fits their breast tissue, burdening them with extra weight they do not need — a particular problem in a war defined by drone strikes and rapid movement. As the conflict enters its fifth year, the effort to give women equipment that fits is no longer a side issue; it is a question of combat effectiveness, survival and fairness for the tens of thousands of women now serving on the front lines.

By Alex Thompson, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Reporting is based on sources cited in the article.