SBIR-STTR Award

The overall objective of this proposal is to develop body armor capable of defeating high power rifle threats that are designed as armor piercing; in a flexible manner, that is thinner, lighter, multiple threat resistant, and capable of sustained multiple repeat hits. This armor will also be configured in two formats: conceallable and overt tactical. This armor will be substantially superior to current utilized plate technology with its limited capabilities. Potential post military applications would be flexible and rigid varieties of the same armor, designed for attachment to vehicular, vessel and aircraft upgrade armor applications. This has exceptionally mid to long term enhancements for the U.S. military. This leads to the recapitalization requirement the U.S. Army has to ensure that its equipment remains safe to operate and to provide soldiers with reliable and effective systems to go to war. This new felxible high power armor piercing rifle protection system can be easily integrated into current body armor systems that currently employ a plate component; that is either damaged, missing or ballistically inferior to the current deployment requirement. This makes recapitilization for body armo and hard armor upgrades economically feasible, as it can be interfaced through replacement, extended service programs, pre-planned product improvements, and technology insertion. Potential commercial applications would be all fields of law enforcement such as federal, state and local jurisdictions, to coperate high-risk security concerns. Both of these would also have international markets. Military concerns such as overmatching, could be ensured by offering a lower threat defeating material substrate composite. The post applications are very diverse, but well within current and future demand.

To develop a flexible body armor system, that is comfortable to the wearer's torso, capable of providing NIJ level IV protection (National Institute of Justice Standard 0101.04, "Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor", Caliber .30 Armor Piercing M2 @ muzzle velocity). The system should also provide multiple repeat hit protection (3-hit minimum), knife and other circular penetrator type threats, with modular design to allow the user to adjust the protection level based on the tactical situation. This system should also have the ability for increased protected areas of rifle defeating coverage and decrease the weight as compared to current systems.The anticipated benefits to this technology are applications in armor for vehicles, vessels, aircraft, and facilities. In addition to military applications, this technology also has applications for ballistic protection for foreign service personnel Federal Law Enforcement and Security Personnel, and Civilian Law Enforcement body armor applications.

Keywords:
body armor, ballistics, armor, protection, flexible armor, modular body armor, armor piercing protection, armor system