Ballistic resistant composite for hard-armor application

A ballistic resistant composite for hard-armor application, comprising:

• (a) rigid plate means;
• (b) a ballistic laminate structure supported by said plate means, said laminate structure comprising:
• i. a first array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented aramid fiber bundles;
• ii. a second array of high performance, unidirectionally-oriented aramid fiber bundles cross-plied at right angles with respect to said first array of fiber bundles, and laminated to said first array of fiber bundles in the absence of adhesives or bonding agents;
• and
• iii. first and second polyethylene films, each film having a thickness of 0.35 mils bonded to the outer surfaces of said laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fibers without penetration of said films into fiber bundles or through the laminate from one sheet of fibers to the other, whereby a sufficient amount of film resides between the laminated first and second arrays of unidirectional fiber bundles to adhere the first and second arrays of fiber bundles together to form the ballistic laminate structure.