The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Composite Metal Foam (CMF) armors against 0.50 caliber ballistic threats. A hard armor was manufactured using a sandwich panel construction consisting of a ceramic faceplate, a CMF core, and a thin aluminum back plate. The hard armor system was tested against 0.50 caliber (12.7 × 99 mm) ball and armor piercing (AP) rounds. The CMF armors were tested with a variety of areal densities at impact velocities between 500 and 885 m/s. The armors stopped the threats at speeds up to 819 m/s without penetration. The CMF layer was found to absorb 73–76% and 69–79% of the kinetic energy of the ball and AP round respectively. When compared to rolled homogeneous steel armor (RHA), the CMF hard armors, in their current unoptimized condition, have a mass efficiency ratio of approximately 2.1. The CMF armor offers a much needed weight savings without sacrificing protection. Finite element analysis was completed using ANSYS/AUTODYN Explicit Dynamics solver to study the material interactions and impact. The results are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental findings.