“It is dumb to have a requirement to stop armor piercing ammunition at muzzle velocity, and for multiple hits, when the probability of encountering that is almost zero. The probability of working your ass off and becoming fatigued and injury-prone and totally angered by the amount of weight you carry is 100 percent,” Solhan told Marine Corps Times in an interview May 3.

The next generation of body armor might be liquid.  Both BAE Systems and the Army Research Laboratories along with the University of Delaware are working on turning shear-thickening fluids (STF) into body armor.  The concept of using the non-Newtonian fluids as a means to enhance armor while staying flexible at other times is not new but actually putting it into action is a separate and more difficult problem.

The next generation of body armor development will be focused on the need for a multi-functional, modular, scalable protection system that improves soldier physiological performance while reducing system/component redundancy and logistic footprint…

Naval Research Laboratory Driving Advances in Military Body Armor
Faced with the vital task of strengthening and improving the body armor of the Navy and Marine Corp., the Naval Research Laboratory is engaged in an ongoing effort to provide maximum protection to the warfighter, while trying to avoid the pitfalls of excessive weight or discomfort. Peter Matic, Ph.D., the branch head of the Multifunctional Materials Branch (Code 6350) of the Naval Research Laboratory….Read more

 For rifle threats you need Level III or Level IV Rifle Plates
(either on top of a supporting vest, or Stand-Alone).

Soft Body Armor vests are excellent for fragmentation and pistol protection but will NOT stop rifle bullets. (Even Level III-A is only tested to stop pistol-caliber threats such as 9mm SUB-machine-gun or .44 Magnum.)

Plates, also described as Small Arms Protective Inserts or SAPI, are best deployed in Rifle Plate Pockets on the outershell carrier of Tactical Vests or, more discreetly, in our ProMAX Concealable with Rifle Plate Pockets.

Rifle Plates may also be used in a stand-alone configuration – as appropriate for the threat – with a stand-alone Rifle Plates Carrier Harness (very handy if your vest doesn’t have Rifle Plate Pockets).

We stock a huge selection of Rifle Plates – if you see too many options below – just call us, we are happy to advise!

We also have more expensive, specialized Rifle Plates not listed – if you have specific requirements – call us !

Two weeks before he was to take the job of Columbus police sketch artist, Officer Tom Hayes walked into a Clintonville convenience store to check on a reported disturbance.

It was 2:25 a.m. Dec. 18, 1979. Court testimony later revealed that at least one of the two teenagers in the store had been drinking and smoking marijuana and had taken LSD. Hayes, 30, tried to arrest them on curfew violations.

During a scuffle, one of the teenagers pulled out a gun and shot Hayes in the back, permanently paralyzing him from the waist down.

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Armor Up: A Coalition Perspective on Personal Protective Gear

This FREE webinar will be on: December 8, 2010 9:00:00 AM EST

Presenters: Carl Thompson, Cameron Finch, Dr. Kelechi Anyaogu,

Body Armor is one of the most important pieces of equipment a soldier has and can mean the difference between life and death.

Amidst the heightened tempo of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, body armor and personel protection equipment have attracted renewed interest. This interest has come from several sectors: military procurement, civilian defense production, operational units (regular and special forces), as well as command level strategists.

• Yet NATO and the US Military still face many challenges, including: The extremely high price of underperforming and  obsolete technologies.
• The employment (or deployment?) of such systems in the field can have direct and immediate impacts on soldier endurance and performance.
• Aside from dollar cost per unit, the use of body armor exacts a certain physical toll—increased risk of heat exhaustion and reduced mobility and speed.

Body Armor in Action:

The first living Congressional Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War, Staff Sgt Salvatore Giunta can attribute his survival to his personal protective  gear.  In Afghanistan Staff Sgt Giunta was shot in the chest while braving enemy fire to come to the aid of comrades and was saved by his ballistics vest.

Indeed, the debate of pros versus cons is increasingly complicated, with several different systems being fielded by different forces. It is further complicated by widely varying regulations of body armor deployment—from patrolling without a ‘lid’ to Special Forces operating without any protective equipment.

From regulation to cost to field limitations, this Webinar aims to address the full spectrum of body armor questions. These are the very questions which are proving so controversial in the media – and the same questions that industry leaders, regulators, and commanders in the field will want the answers to.

Join in now to listen to our exclusive body armor panel Webinar and hear from “boots on the ground” as well as a senior material scientist about the very real impact of body armor on field operations.

The panel discussion will also include a Q & A where operators and industry composed of IDGA and Defence IQ members can pose questions and hear insight from the experts and end-users featured.

Presenters:

Carl Thompson Captain United States Army

CPT Carl Thompson entered basic training at Ft Knox, KY on 1 March 1990 and graduated on 20 June of 1990 as a 19K.  His first assignment was HHC 2-68^th Armor Battalion in Baumholder, Germany.  Following this tour he completed PLDC, Airborne School and SFAS (Special Forces Assesment and Selection).  He entered OCS in February of 2002 and graduated June 21 of 2002.  After graduation, he reported to Ft Bragg, NC in October of 2002 and was assigned to 35^th Signal Brigade (Airborne) as a platoon leader to D Co 327th.

In September of 2003 he was sent to Iraq as a replacement platoon leader for A Co 51^st Signal Battalion.  During the summer of 2005 he trained with 19^th Special Forces Group of the West Virginia National Guard in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Iraq.  The unit mobilized in October of 2005.  In March of 2006 he reported to Camp Shelby, MS to train for an Afghanistan ETT mission.  In May of 2006 he arrived in Afghanistan and was assigned to multiple positions training the ANA while there.  Upon returning from Afghanistan in May of 2007, CPT Thompson took a COIN instructor position at Ft Dix, NJ.  He then went on to take company command of 290^th MP Company while they were training in Texas.  The 290^th guarded refugees and detainees in Iraq from February until October of 2008.

In April of 2009 he again reported to Camp Shelby, MS to prepare for a deployment to Afghanistan with the 48^th IBCT out of the Georgia National Guard.  After arriving in Afghanistan in June of 2009 and he was assigned to duties in the Allahsay Valley of Kapisa Province and S3 duties with 108^th Cavalry Squadron.  CPT Thompson has been awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and ARCOM-V.

Cameron Finch former Area Systems Operator, British Army & Senior Costing Engineer HITEK Electronic Materials Limited

After serving seven years in The Royal Corps of Signals, Cameron Finch has recently joined HITEK Electronic Materials as a Senior Costings Engineer. Finch is responsible for processing quotes quickly and efficiently and also advising customers on any technical data required.

HITEK’s main role is providing EMC solutions for the Defence and Aerospace industry and also specialise in corrosion control.

Dr. Kelechi Anyaogu Senior Materials Scientist Nico Corporation

Dr. Kelechi C. Anyaogu is a senior research scientist at Nico Technologies Corporation, a start-up company in Ann Arbor Michigan, with core focus on identification and incubation of innovative technologies based on nanomaterials and nanocomposites that have military and biomedical applications.

Dr. Anyaogu received his B.Sc. from Russian University of Chemical Technology, Moscow, Russia in 2004. He received his Ph.D. in Photochemical Sciences from Bowling Green State University, Ohio in 2008 under the supervision of Dr. Douglas Neckers, McMaster Distinguished Research Professor. His research experience covers broad application of nanotechnology for materials design, product development, and radiation cure coating technologies. Dr. Anyaogu has published several of his research works in peer-reviewed journals like Langmuir, Journal of American Chemical Society, Macromolecules, Journal of Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, Chemical Communications, Journal of Applied Polymer Sciences, and RadTech Reports.

Currently, Dr. Anyaogu is working on a number of projects including accelerated production of ultrastrong nanocomposite materials, advanced fiber and composite reinforcements with improved toughness, conductivity, thermal control, and ballistic protection.

New model from Safariland™ ABA® Xtreme® Series offers competitive performance and price

June 01, 2010
Jadksonville, Florida

Safariland, a BAE Systems line of business, announced today that it has released an additional armor model that satisfies the requirements of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) new Voluntary Body Armor Compliance Testing Program under NIJ Standard-0101.06 (NIJ-06).

The XT01 Type II is part of the ABA®, Xtreme Series of concealable armor. Tested against the 9mm & .357 mag. NIJ-designated rounds, the XT01 Type II is a hybrid armor design that combines the high performance of Honeywell® Gold Shield® ballistic material with Twaron® Microlaminate for enhanced ballistic and chemical resistance. The combination of these materials provides reliable protection against a wide array of threats, while also offering an enhanced degree of flexibility.

“The XT01 gives us a baseline, entry-level offering that adds to our existing family of armor solutions,” says Tim O’Brien, Concealable Armor Product Manager. “The package is competitively priced and offers the performance and comfort that many officers desire.”

The NIJ introduced the Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06 to establish minimum performance requirements and test methods for the ballistic resistance of personal body armor. The standard provides improved performance of body armor so that officers receive adequate protection against those threats likely faced over the next decade. According to the new NIJ-06 standard, body armor must now be able to defend against increased velocities of ammunition calibers to better reflect current street threats and law enforcement duty weapons. These new performance requirements are critical components to improving the life-protecting equipment being used by law enforcement today.

All Safariland concealable armor models are certified using NIJ approved size templates C1 and C5, which offer law enforcement the widest range of production sizes available. In addition to these models, Safariland offers an array of concealable and tactical products, which are available and posted to the NIJ Compliant Products List (CPL) at http://www.justnet.org/Pages/06_CPL.aspx.

Safariland’s body armor models combine the heritage and expertise of American Body Armor, Second Chance®, SAVVY® and PROTECH® Tactical. In doing so, Safariland offers the most comprehensive line of body armor available in the industry. Safariland’s NIJ-06 body armor provides law enforcement officers with enhanced performance, durability, comfort and value, which deliver on the company’s motto: Together, We Save Lives™.