Abstract: Flexible, lightweight, compound body armor has multiple protective layers designed to defeat incoming projectiles. The first protective layer has a flexible base layer of penetration-resistant material having, fastened to its surface, facing the exterior, a first matrix of individual hard non-planar elements, the front surface of which is non-planar and shaped such that upon impact on the surface of these individual hard non-planar elements, projectiles would be turned or rotated to change the orientation of said projectiles with respect to the surface of said protective layers in such a manner that instead of the point, the side of a projectile would now be directed toward the subsequent protective layers, thus presenting a much larger area to said subsequent protective layers and therefore distributing the impact energy over a larger area and slowing down further penetration of said projectiles.