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Posts Tagged ‘Morgan Advanced Materials’

Morgan Helps Veterans Challenge for Paralympian Dream

Thursday, March 15th, 2018

World leading composites and defence systems manufacturer designs and builds two bespoke sit skis, in time for Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Paralympics.

When Steve Arnold and Scott Meenagh joined the Armed Forces, it is probably fair to say that they would not have thought that they’d be competing in the 2018 Winter Paralympics being hosted in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Both Steve and Scott are double amputees, caused by injuries in the line of duty. They are being supported in their pursuit for Paralympic selection by a partnership between Help for Heroes and the Armed Force Para-Snowsport Team. If successful for selection, Steve and Scott will be the first Para-Nordic skiers to represent GB at the Paralympics for 20 years.

Scott was part of the recovery operation in Afghanistan when he stepped on a roadside IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Steve Arnold was serving as a Staff Sergeant that was leading a search team in Afghanistan when he also lost both of his legs in an IED explosion.

Even though both members have suffered life-changing injuries, they now find themselves on the verge of qualification for the Paralympic Para Nordic Skiing event, thanks to some help from the Composites and Defence Systems business of Morgan Advanced Materials.

Morgan was approached by Elizabeth Winfield, Chief Operating Officer for Armed Forces Para-Snow Sport, and Jayne Kavanagh, Performance Pathway Manager at Help for Heroes, in September 2017 to design and manufacture bespoke sit skis for Scott and Steve. Morgan’s relationship with the Armed Forces follows on from its recent win of the £4.49m contract to supply body armour to the Ministry of Defence.

Qualification for the games started in December 2017. This gave the manufacturer just six weeks to produce the sit skis in time for training and qualification.

“We were incredibly honoured to have been able to help Scott and Steve on their extraordinary Paralympic journey”, said Greg Aratoon, Principal Engineer at Morgan Composites and Defence Systems.

“Before we got involved, they were using off the shelf ice hockey seats that were ill-fitting and heavy. We knew that we’d be able to help create bespoke, lightweight sit skis which would give them the best chance of reaching Pyeongchang”.

Nordic Para Skiing tests athletes on varying inclines, while they also must roll the sit skis over to shoot at targets and then sprint to the finish.

To design the new seats, Morgan started by 3D scanning the team members. This helped get Scott and Steve’s unique measurements for the seat moulds and tailor the designs where waist strapping would be situated.

The sit skis were then manufactured out of mainly carbon fibre. The seats weighed less than 1kg each when finished, not including the metallic frames.

“Not only does the seat look good and make us look professional on the racing circuit, but it is also very robust and has held up to me putting it through its paces”, said Steve Arnold.

“I feel very secure in the seat and all the strapping was designed to keep me in when in the prone shooting position, making it feel like part of my body while skiing. I believe the seat has helped me with the marginal gains you need when competing in high level sport”.

Special thanks go out to companies involved in the project, including Morgan Advanced Materials Base Group, Pattern & Moulds, SHD Composites and ADV Metal Craft.

For more about Morgan’s Composites and Defence Systems Business, visit http://www.morganadvancedmaterials.com/en-gb/our-product-groups/composites-and-defence-systems/

Morgan to Exhibit Cutting Edge Vehicle Armour Technology at International Armoured Vehicles

Sunday, January 14th, 2018

The Composites and Defence Systems business of Morgan Advanced Materials will be showcasing its latest ultra-lightweight composite CAMAC® platform armour technology at the upcoming International Armoured Vehicles conference, taking place at Twickenham Stadium in London from the 23rd-24th January.

IMG_6051Delegates at the conference will be able to learn more about Morgan’s range of vehicle survivability solutions, including applique armour and spall liner. Morgan’s applique armour, available for STANAG 4569 Levels 2-5 has been designed to deliver outstanding multi-hit protection against theatre threats at a considerable weight reduction in comparison to steel alternatives. Furthermore Morgan has specific expertise to form spall liner to meet specific platform requirements including shaping to complex geometries and integrating with existing fixtures.

As well as platform armour, Morgan will also be exhibiting its LASA® portfolio of solider protection, including advanced hybrid composite ballistic helmets, ultra-lightweight ballistic shields and a range of modular hard body armour plates for covert operations, NIJ 0101.06 level III and armour piecing special threats.

James Kempston, Business Development Director of Morgan’s Composites and Defence Systems business, commented “following a successful show in 2017, we are excited to be supporting the prestigious International Armoured Vehicles conference in 2018. This year we will be showcasing our range of high-performance and lightweight armoured vehicle survivability solutions which have been fielded on over 2,000 vehicles globally and most recently have been selected and fielded by SAIC for their ACV1.1 bid to the United States Marine Corps as well as FFG for their Wiesel 1 upgrade for the German Bundeswehr.”

The Morgan stand at International Armoured Vehicles will be located at C11 in the Rose Room and further information about Morgan’s range of CAMAC platform armour is available here.

Morgan Advanced Materials Wins £4.49 million Contract to Supply Body Armour to MoD

Wednesday, December 13th, 2017

A £4.49 million defence contract has been agreed between Morgan Advanced Materials and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

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The contract will see the Composites and Defence business of Morgan deliver hard body armour that has been designed and manufactured to bespoke requirements. The armour, which will be designed and manufactured at Morgan’s UK factory in Coventry, draws on the company’s class-leading composite armour technology capability. The agreement comes a year after Morgan won a £1.1m contract with the MoD to supply ballistic shields and supporting services.

Simon Pickin, President of Morgan’s Composites and Defence business commented: “We are honoured to extend our relationship delivering bespoke protective body armour to the UK Ministry of Defence. Through a combination of extensive composite and ceramic materials knowledge, rigorous testing, and careful application, we are able to deliver ultra-lightweight body armour offering class leading levels of protection. From ballistic helmets, to rifle protected shields and personal armour plates, we are experiencing high demand for our range of ultralight personal armour from our global customer base. We continue to work with major defence and law enforcement organisations and are thrilled to further our products with the UK Ministry of Defence.”

Alongside bespoke products for customer specific requirements, Morgan offers a modular off-the-shelf portfolio of lightweight LASA® hard body armour for a range of mission critical requirements.

For further information please visit: here

Morgan Advanced Materials Wins Contract to Supply Armour System for WIESEL 1AWC Upgrade

Monday, November 6th, 2017

FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH has awarded Morgan Advanced Materials a contract to provide the complete armour solution as part of its upgrade of the German Army WIESEL 1 Armoured Weapons Carrier (AWC) vehicle.


The Composites and Defence Systems business of Morgan will initially deliver its CAMAC® armour and survivability package for three variants of the WIESEL 1 platform. Morgan’s CAMAC® armour provides a significant survivability increase for this platform and crew, with minimal additional weight, allowing the Wiesel vehicle to maintain high levels of air transportability and ground manoeuvrability. All armour will be manufactured at Morgan’s UK site in Coventry.

This project is the first time the two businesses have worked together, and marks an important breakthrough into the German market for Morgan. The WIESEL 1 was originally developed for the German Army to meet a requirement for an air-transportable light armoured tracked vehicle, for use by airborne troops. Given its small size and agility, the WIESEL 1 has a requirement for a lightweight armour solution which provides high levels of ballistic protection, without impeding manoeuvrability.
Duncan Eldridge, President of Morgan Composites and Defence Systems business, commented: “Being selected to provide a complete armour system for the Wiesel upgrade project is an exciting prospect for Morgan, we are delighted to be working with FFG to support the German Army. The WIESEL 1 Armoured Weapons Carrier is a vehicle built with versatility in mind, making it ideal for our high performance, lightweight, multi-hit armour solutions.”

Morgan’s role in the programme is part of a wider project, which will see FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH upgrade other elements of the vehicle.
For further information please visit:www.morgandefencesystems.com/Wiesel

Morgan Advanced Materials to Unveil Lightest Ballistic Helmet Models to Date at DSEI

Friday, September 8th, 2017

Visitors to this year’s DSEI exhibition can experience first-hand two new ultra-lightweight ballistic helmets, being launched by the Composite and Defence business of Morgan Advanced Materials.

The AC912 and AC913 are new additions to Morgan’s acclaimed Lightweight Armoured Soldier Architecture (LASA) range, and the result of Morgan’s world-leading expertise in advanced ballistic composite technology. While both models have been specially designed to be lighter than their AC914 and AC915 counterparts, they retain impressive ballistic, fragmentation, flammability and blunt trauma characteristics, ensuring maximum manoeuvrability without compromising on protection. The helmets are highly suitable for elite and regular military, defence, security and law enforcement personnel operating in protracted combat scenarios. The AC912 and AC913 helmets come with D3O TRUST® padding and Team Wendy’s CAM-FIT™ retention systems as standard, delivering maximum comfort and stability to the wearer.

Designed as a standard issue solution for combat operations, the AC912, weighing just 1.18kg (medium helmet) is a full cut helmet that covers the ears for greater protection. By contrast, the AC913, weighing just 1.05kg (medium helmet) features a high-cut design to ensure enhanced situational awareness for end-users, allowing elite police and special forces to remain fully alert to potential threats and dangerous situations. Both helmets can be upgraded to include lightweight open architecture slide rails, bungees and a shroud for mounting tactical accessories, helping users to gain the upper hand in combat.

James Kempston, Director of Business Development – Composites and Defence Systems, explains: “For decades, advanced composite technology from Morgan has played a vital part in ensuring that military and law enforcement personnel are fully protected in the line of fire. Our new helmets continue to provide high levels of protection, combined with extraordinary low weight properties. The AC912 and AC913 have been developed to enable defence and security personnel to remain safe against a diverse range of threats.”

For further information on the AC912 and AC913 helmets, please visit: www.morgandefencesystems.com/AC912 and www.morgandefencesystems.com/AC913.

Alternatively, please visit DSEI 2017 stand S5-265, where the helmets will be on display.

Morgan Advanced Materials Enhances Bomb Suit Capability with Specialist Silverback CBRN Visor

Friday, July 21st, 2017

A specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) helmet visor has been launched by Morgan Advanced Materials, which integrates with its cutting edge Silverback® 4020 Elite bomb suit. This has been made available in response to increased demand for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protective garments.

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Designed as an additional option for Morgan’s acclaimed Silverback® 4020 Elite bomb disposal suit, the Silverback CBRN visor allows for the seamless integration of in-service CBRN masks. Featuring a wider surface area to accommodate the wearing of a CBRN facemask and respiration equipment, the visor delivers a range of benefits including powerful demisting technology and a wide field of vision for optimal situational awareness, helping to maximise the safety of the wearer. The latest innovation is the outcome of more than a year of research and development, and has undergone extensive blast testing to ensure full protection for the wearer.

The unique design of the Silverback CBRN visor allows for seamless integration with leading in-service CBRN facemasks and protective undergarments. Designed to ensure full compatibility as a complete CBRN garment system, the Silverback 4020 Elite features Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (MOLLE) attachments on the rear of suit jacket which allow for air purification and respiratory systems and other critical accessories to be attached.

Chris Davies, Technical Director at the Composites and Defence Systems business of Morgan Advanced Materials, explained: “The launch of our Silverback CBRN visor represents a significant technological breakthrough and step change in the application of our bomb suits. We are proud to have developed an EOD suit solution, which is compatible with most in-service CBRN garments to protect EOD teams from an array of threats.”

The Silverback CBRN visor is available to buy with the Silverback 4020 Elite bomb suit, or as a standalone purchase for existing Silverback 4020 Elite customers who wish to upgrade to a CBRN protective solution.

For further information, please visit www.morgandefencesystems.com/CBRNVisor

Trolley Mounted Ballistic Shield System from Morgan Advanced Materials Enables Superior Manouevrability for Elite Forces

Thursday, July 6th, 2017

To enhance mobility while delivering maximum protection against a range of potential enemy threats, Morgan Advanced Materials has developed a lightweight, highly mobile trolley system to complement its series of LASA® Ballistic Shields.

The latest innovation from Morgan Advanced Materials’ Composite and Defence Systems business acts as a mobile wall in the event of enemy fire. The presence of a trolley system ensures that soliders can continue to move uninhibited, confident in the knowledge they are well protected from enemy bullets. In situations where conflict can break out at a moment’s notice, it is important that soldiers are fully equipped to respond quickly and efficiently to any potential threats. The unique design of the system ensures that shields can be quickly removed and reconnected to the trolley as required, offering increased protection without hindering agility.

A pioneer in world-leading ballistics technology, Morgan’s range of LASA® Ballistic Shields have been proven to offer superior protection to NIJ 0101.06 Level III and against the following special threats: 7.62 x 51mm 149gr M80 FMJ; 5.56 x 45mm 55gr Ball (M193); and 7.62 x 39mm 123gr PS Ball (Mild Steel Core). Despite the superior levels of protection on offer, the use of specially-developed proprietary composite materials allows for exceptional multi-hit performance at a significantly lower weight than many alternative solutions currently available on the market, in some cases by up to 20%.

Chris Davies, Technical Director at Morgan Advanced Materials’ Composites and Defence business, explained: “By ensuring that elite soldiers remain responsive to a varied range of threats, this innovation will play an important part in minimising casualties and loss of life in combat. Our systems are built using best in class composite materials which deliver superior protection at comparatively lower weights. The lightweight aspect of our LASA® Ballistic Shields enables greater mobility for elite forces, while the introduction of our new trolley systems ensures that manouevrability benefits are maximised to their fullest extent.”

For further information on Morgan Advanced Materials’ range of soldier systems and ballistic technology, please visit www.morgandefencesystems.com/TrolleyShield.

US Marine Corps’ ACV Competition Gathers Pace as Morgan Advanced Materials Teams with SAIC for Vehicle Protection

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017

Sixteen development prototypes for the U.S. Marine Corps’ next-generation Amphibious Combat Vehicles 1.1 (ACVs) will be fitted with special composite armour systems from Morgan Advanced Materials, after the business was awarded a contract with Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC).

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The Composites and Defence Systems business of Morgan will supply a complete composite armour solution, consisting of appliqué armour and spall liners which are part of its established CAMAC® composite platform armour portfolio. Furthermore, Morgan will deliver lightweight composite flotation boxes, specifically designed to fit the vehicle’s geometry. The development of this high performance, low mass armour system is a result of working with leading materials and decades of engineering experience in ballistic and blast protective technologies.

The selection of Morgan’s armour solution and composite flotation boxes is the latest stage of a wider tender process from the Marine Corps. SAIC is one of two prime contractors selected to develop next-generation ACV 1.1s for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of this competition. Once completed, the company’s prototypes will be tested in 2017, with the potential for both SAIC’s design and Morgan’s CAMAC® armour to be down selected for the full programme.

Duncan Eldridge, President of Morgan’s Composites and Defence Systems business, commented: “We are honoured to be selected by SAIC to deliver the armour solution and composite floatation boxes for their ACV. Our platform armour solutions are a result of extensive materials and product development, ensuring our armour delivers outstanding multi-hit protection at an extraordinarily low weight. This is the latest in a number of significant project wins for our composites and defence business, and is a huge endorsement of Morgan’s composite armour technology and product development team.”

For further information, please visit:
www.morgandefencesystems.com