An armor system includes a hard face and at least one reinforcing layer covering a rear surface of the hard face. The reinforcing layer is fabricated from a glass-ceramic material exhibiting crystalline bodies throughout the mass of the glass-ceramic material. At least one resilient layer forms a rearward outer layer of the armor system. The hard face and cooperating reinforcing layers serve to disburse energy caused by the impact of an incoming projectile with the armor system, while the resilient layer serves to retain any pieces of the hard face and reinforcing layers fractured during ballistic impact. In certain embodiments, a plurality of hard faces, each with cooperating reinforcing and resilient layers, are held in parallel and spaced apart arrangement.