Lightweight composite armor

A pre-compressed ceramic-based anti-ballistic composite armor, comprising:

• a ceramic substrate rectangular in shape having a width, a height and a thickness, the substrate defining a frontside opposite a backside contiguous to a top end, a bottom end, a left end and a right end;
• a first tension-wrapped thermoplastic composite overwind wrapped around the substrate about the frontside, left end, backside and right end extending along the width;
• a second tension-wrapped thermoplastic composite overwind wrapped around the substrate about the frontside, top end, backside and bottom end extending along the height;
• wherein a first portion of the first and/or second overwind overlaps a second portion of the first and/or second overwind, wherein the first and second portions are fixedly attached to one another utilizing a localized heating;
• wherein the first and second overwinds include a tensile pretension of at least 50 lbs of tensile force per inch of tape width;
• and
• a backing disposed about the backside of the ceramic substrate attached to the first and/or second overwind;
• wherein the ceramic substrate has a higher modulus of elasticity in comparison to the first and second overwinds;
• wherein the first and the second overwinds have a higher modulus of elasticity in comparison to the backing;
• wherein the ceramic substrate has a modulus of elasticity above 400 GPa;
• and
• wherein the backing has a modulus of elasticity below 150 GPa.