Although you rob all haven’t heard of them, Lior Textile Industries, Ltd is the largest producer of tactical vests and CBRNE equipment for the Israeli Defense Force.
They make everything from armored vests for VIPs to combat uniforms and fully MOLLE compatible armor vests and pouches.
They even build rucksacks.
Although they’ve concentrated solely on their domestic market, Lior Textile has started to branch out into international sales.
SSD Sponsors S&S Precision is exhibiting at Milipol with their French distributor Equipements des Métiers de la Défense.
Today, you’re getting a sneak peek at the PlateFrame variant created for the Releasable Body Armor Vest program. Look for full details in a future Maker Monday feature.
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Mission Ready Services Inc. (TSX-V: MRS) – Mission Ready Services Inc. (“Mission Ready” or “MRSI”) is pleased to announce that it has signed an exclusive Patent License Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (“NSRDEC”), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Protect the Force Inc. (“Protect the Force” or the “Company”). The license terms will provide Protect the Force with exclusive rights to market the Integrated Body Armor Garment (“Next Generation Body Armor”) anywhere outside of the U.S. Federal Government, including local and state law enforcement agencies, as well as internationally to markets such as the Canadian Army and all NATO countries and partners.
Developed over the past 4 years – under a Broad Agency Announcement for the Army Next Generation Body Armor – through a successful joint effort between Protect the Force and NSRDEC, the Integrated Body Armor Garment is a revolutionary breakthrough in soldier protection technology and answers the need for a high-mobility, light-weight Next Generation Body Armor. The Integrated Body Armor Garment is the basis for the Company’s previously announced Ballistic Combat Shirt (“BCS”) and Tactical Police Shirt (“TPS”).
The Integrated Body Armor Garment contains a network of body armor panels that provides protection from ballistic threats while permitting a wide range of motion and providing increased comfort and breathability to the wearer. Mission Ready announced the filing of the patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well as an international filing under the Patent Cooperation Treaty for the Integrated Body Armor Garment in a news release dated August 12, 2014.
Robert DiLalla, NSRDEC Team Leader for the Infantry Combat Equipment Team in the Warfighter Directorate, was named as an inventor on the patent applications licensed by Protect the Force. Mr. DiLalla worked closely with the Company in their effort to ensure that the Warfighters’ needs were addressed by the Integrated Body Armor Garment. Mr. DiLalla states, “It’s been extremely productive working with Protect the Force over the past few years developing advanced concepts for the next generation of Soldier protection. Clearly, we’re both excited that some of the concepts, such as the ballistic combat shirt, fared well during the Army development test phases for the Soldier Protection System program of record. Our goal from the beginning was to improve Soldier performance while maintaining the same ballistic protection as the current Interceptor Body Armor system. We were able to quantify significant performance increases in laboratory testing, but it was the exceptionally high user acceptance across three development test phases that indicated we had something revolutionary. While our mission here at the NSRDEC is to support the Warfighter I am pleased to know that this technology has application to better protect members of the law enforcement community both domestically and abroad.”
Francisco Martinez, Chief Technical Officer of Mission Ready states, “Considering the emphatically positive feedback we have received from user evaluations in a variety of tactical and combat-related environments, we are excited to receive this exclusive license from the U.S. Army providing a largely uninhibited path for the Company to pursue our sales and marketing efforts on a broad scale with a primary focus on national and international SWAT and Emergency Response Teams.
The Patent: www.google.com/patents/US20150247705
Shellback Tactical’s Level IV Armor Plates are now available for purchase on their website. Additionally, they are also selling an Active Shooter Kit which comes with two Level IV Plates and a Banshee Tactical Plate Carrier.
In a Sources Sought Notice issued earlier this week on Fed Biz Opps by Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), Product Manager Infantry Combat Equipment (PM ICE), the service requests information on companies who are capable of converting Government owned front and back Improved Modular Tactical Vest (IMTV) soft armor inserts into Plate Carrier (PC) front and back soft armor inserts that will fit small and medium PCs.
Apparently, the Marines have excess armor panels that fit the IMTV and want to turn them into something they can put to immediate use. That part makes sense. However, there are some unknowns in the mix that could make this difficult.
Below, you can see what the proposed work would look like.
1. Removing the nylon cover from the Government furnished IMTV soft armor inserts.
2. Cutting X-Large, Large, and Medium IMTV soft armor inserts into Medium and Small PC soft armor inserts in accordance with PC Pattern: Front Back Ballistic (14007PC-FRT BCK BLST).
The PC soft armor inserts will be cut from the IMTV soft armor inserts such that the IMTV hook and loop areas are not part of the final cut PC soft armor insert.
3. Source and seal new nylon covers for the PC soft armor inserts as specified in Paragraph 3.2.3 of the Plate Carrier Detail Specification (DTL-14007A0000) and PC Pattern: Ballistic Cover (14007PC-BALSTIC COVR).
4. Source hook and loop attachments and thread for the PC soft armor inserts as specified in Paragraph 3.2.6 and Paragraph 3.2.13 of the Plate Carrier Detail Specification (DTL-14007A000). Sew the hook and loop attachments to the PC soft armor insert as specified in Paragraph 3.3.2.1 and 3.3.2.2 of the Plate Carrier Detail Specification (DTL-14007A0000) and PC Pattern: Ballistic Cover (14007PC-BALSTIC COVR).
5. Conduct Ballistic Lot Acceptance Testing of final PC soft armor inserts at a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certified lab in accordance with Sections 4.9 and 4.11 of the Plate Carrier Detail Specification (DTL-14007A0000).
6. Provide and adhere new labels to the final PC soft armor inserts as specified in Paragraph 3.6.6 and 3.6.7 of the Plate Carrier Detail Specification (DTL-14007A0000). The label will be comprised of information from the original IMTV soft armor insert as well as new information for the PC soft armor insert. The label will include the following information:
•Original IMTV Contract Number
•Original IMTV Cage Code
•Original IMTV Date of Production
•Original IMTV LOT Number
•Original IMTV Serial Number
•PC National Stock Number
•PC Size
•PC Part Number
•Date of Modification
•Modification Contract Number
The big issue with this is that the armor panels will need to be recertified. Most likely, a company will need to internally “certify” each lot of armor that the Marine Corps provides prior to processing it. There’s no way they’d start work on the panels if they aren’t going to pass certification once they are modified. Then, once the lot passes, it can be reconfigured. After that, the vendor will need to certify the lot of armor once again in its new form. If panels fail, that lot is out. Naturally, a failure at this stage is most likely the fault of the vendor, caused during the reconfiduration process. But that’s why the initial testing is so important. It will rule out material defects in the original armor pack or mishandling while in govenment control.
If this transitions into an actual solicitation, vendors will need to know the full scope of work facing them by understanding how many separate lots of armor there are which require reconfiguration, and what condition they are in. For example, were they just placed in storage or were they issued.
Having said that, what the Marine Corps is asking for isn’t outside the realm of the possible. The Army has shown some very promising work on refurbishing IOTV armor panels and reusing them in new carriers but they aren’t opening armor packs, cutting the material and repackaging it. Instead, the Army is just washing existing panels. Conversely, industry will reconfigure existing panels, cutting them into new shapes, but they are doing this with their own panels and not those from a third party.
The real question is whether this is economically viable and much of that lies in the scope. How many different lots of armor are there that will require recertification testing? Because that is going to drive up cost.
If you think your company can make this work, visit www.fbo.gov.
SKD Tactical has released their new SKD Armor 10 x 12 Level IV Stand Alone Plate. Designed through a partnership with TenCate Advanced Armor USA and sold exclusively through SKD Tactical, these plates weight in at 6.75 lbs.
Features:
www.skdtac.com/SKD-Armor-10-x-12-Level-IV-Stand-Alone-Plate-p
The industry leading product line adds key design features focused on comfort and performance
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Safariland Group, the leader in advanced body armor responsible for nearly two-thirds of all saves over the last three decades, today announced the release of an all-new line of ABA Xtreme body armor solutions for law enforcement. The result of an intensive collaborative effort with best-in-class partners, the new Xtreme ballistic panels deliver a new benchmark for designs combining fit, protection and exceptional value.
Teaming with DuPont Protection Technologies (DuPont), SAATI and TexTech, The Safariland Group armor team designed the Xtreme panels blending fabric using DuPont Kevlar KM2 Plus fibers incorporating a proprietary weaving process co-created with DuPont, along with a proprietary manufacturing material called Core Matrix Technology, creating this breakthrough family of ballistic panels.
The new Xtreme ballistic panels feature gender specific, biomorphic designs that mimic the shape of the body and enhance comfort. The layering and unique blend of materials amplify comfort, keeping the panel light, thin and flexible.
This unique design combination also drives the Xtreme’s outstanding performance. The proprietary weave acts like high tensile webbing that decelerates the bullet. Working in concert with the proprietary weave, the Core Matrix Technology comprised of 3D-fused fibers, acts as a backstop, dampening impact and stopping the bullet. The final layer of DuPont Kevlar disperses the energy and helps diminish trauma.
“When we’re able to design our ballistics packages in a way that allows for greater ease of movement and superior performance, it’s a win. Our ultimate goal is always to keep officers safe, and our engineers work to improve wearability and comfort so the officer can be more effective in the field,” said Todd Mackler, Vice President Armor, for The Safariland Group.
The Xtreme ballistic panels are finished using a thin, heat-sealed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) membrane to ensure that the panels are protected. These panels are then encased in a soft nylon shell to withstand the elements while enabling enhanced comfort during wear.
Added Mackler, “We build our products so that officers can focus on their job and not think about their armor. We are proud of the almost 2000 officers who are living proof of why we do what we do.”
Visit The Safariland Group website to hear stories of several Safariland Group SAVES who fought the battle and lived to tell the story of their courageous efforts, and take a deeper view into the Xtreme technology that made it possible at www.safariland.com/ballistic-technology.
Available starting this month to all Safariland Group armor customers, the new Xtreme models are offered in threat protection levels II and IIIA and feature male and female structured and female unstructured designs.
After we mentioned the National Molding Rigid Plate Carrier during Modern Day Marine, several readers were dismayed that they wouldn’t be able to carry any additional equipment on the carrier. National Moldong long ago worked this one out and originally had a very simple laser cut, bikini-style band made from Trelleborg fabric that fit around the RPC. Interstingly, the feedback they received from government customers was to go back to a tried and true Cordura and webbing PALS solution.
