Mil-Tech

Vector Strategy Reports On US Military Body Armor Trends And Offers Webcasts.

In a recently published report, Vector Strategy forecasts that the US Military will procure $6 billion of body armor for US Army Soldiers and Marines between 2009 and 2015 and require between 70 and 75 million pounds of material to produce that armor including ceramic tiles, aramid and UHMWPE fibers, and other non ballistic materials. This procurement includes sustainment needs required to maintain current body armor system components, as well as next generation body armor components such as the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH), Plate Carriers, the Improved Modular Tactical Vest (IMTV) for the Marines, and the Next Generation Vest which will replace the US Army`s current Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV).

According to Marcia Price, President of Vector Strategy, “That $6 billion of body armor will not be procured evenly between 2009 and 2015. There will be surges required for specific theater needs; and the development and procurement of the Next Generation Vest and Plate will cause procurement volume fluctuations between now and 2015. The market will rely substantially on sustainment requirements in certain fiscal years.”

Military priorities and initiatives in the next two to three years include enhancements and improvements to current body armor components, as well as procurement of body armor to fulfill special near term theater needs. Specific programs within this timeframe include the IMTV for the USMC, USMC and US Army Plate Carriers, design enhancements to the current IOTV, the ECH, lighter weight ESAPIs and XSAPIs with current ballistic performance requirements, and lighter weight plates with lower ballistic protection levels.

It is important for body armor producers to understand the Land Warrior (LW) and Ground Soldier Ensemble (GSE) systems. Although body armor is not a primary component of these systems, these systems must be integrated with body armor worn by the Soldier. Integrating LW and GSE with body armor will become increasingly important as these systems undergo prototype and operational testing through 2010, and possibly broader deployment in 2011 or 2012 with spinouts of the Future Combat System network.

Although development has been initiated on scalable and mission tailor able body armor systems, Vector Strategy believes these systems will not be prepared for procurement until 2012 or later. The Next Generation Body Armor System will be developed and procured between 2012 and 2015. This system will exhibit new design and performance characteristics.

Vector Strategy believes that flexible body armor systems will not be ready for large scale procurement and deployment within the US Army or USMC until approximately 2015. This is due to a need for development of specifications and test protocols, a lack of current technical maturity, prohibitive cost, and the need to integrate the technology into a total body armor system redesign.

The USMC and US Army are conducting a joint effort to develop requirements for the Next Generation Combat Helmet (NGCH). Natick has proposed a development project that would initiate design work on a headgear system that would spin off technologies to support the NGCH program. This project is proposed for 2010, but is not yet approved. Natick hopes to transition the project to PEO Soldier or a joint program office in 2013. Vector Strategy has forecasted initial low rate production orders of the NGCH in 2015.

Additional industry insight is available in Vector Strategy`s most recent report, titled US Military Body Armor Industry: Forecast and Analysis. This 272 page document was published on August 10, 2009 after 10 months of extensive primary and secondary research. More information is available on Vector Strategy`s website at www.vector-strategy.com. Vector Strategy will host webcasts throughout September for parties interested in viewing and discussing the report in further detail prior to purchase.

Point Blank Solutions Informs About $18.2 Million Body Armor Contract.

Point Blank Solutions, Inc. (“PBSI”, OTC Pink Sheets: PBSO), a leader in the field of protective body armor, informed that its wholly owned subsidiary, Point Blank Body Armor, received an award in the amount of $18.2 million to supply ballistic components (Outer Tactical Vest Ballistic Conversion Kits) to meet an international requirement. The Company will begin production in October 2009 and expects to complete the order by January 2010.

Jim Henderson, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Bard said, “A key element of our strategy is to gain market share and diversify our sales mix. Our first half of the year results coupled with this latest award demonstrates that our strategy is working.”

Henderson added, “Currently, there are several solicitations out for bid and others that we anticipate will arise over the coming months. While challenges remain, I believe Point Blank is heading in the right direction and has greatly enhanced its competitive position both domestically and internationally.”

Body Armor Needed

Body Armor Needed

Yury informed his body armor was under the bed, lying there unused — not protecting, not being shot at, doing nothing. “Perhaps the white body armor, with a few flaws here and there, can help someone,” he thought and stuck up an advert for 7,000 rubles.

There is plenty of secondhand body armor out there for sale. One ad from an ex-security guard boasted that it had only been worn seven times. The armor was sold within a day or two.

Yury talked of the layers and layers that are supposed to protect you from attack, muttering a few words on their poor condition but remaining ever-so reassuring as he spoke in a voice so jolly you could say that he has Humor FM on the radio all the time.

Body armor isn’t hard to find if you look around you, too. It is on the security guard who waves his gun round on its strap as if he has forgotten it is there or the bodyguard who is ready to take one for the team.

There are at least 10 factories that make body armor all over Russia, and in a few years when the day comes when every second workingman is a security guard/bodyguard protecting every first workingman, there will probably be more.

Body armor has its own gradation system that shows what it can actually protect you against. There are different systems in different countries, as you are protecting against different weapons. For instance, you don’t really expect to face a Makarov pistol that often if you are in the police force in England, but a month without the sight of a Makarov in Moscow is like a day without a grimace from the metro ticket lady. Rare and somewhat unnerving.

If you do face a Makarov, then a Class 1 body armor is fine. An AK-47 requires Class 3 or above.

Back in 1983, two soldiers in the Urals decided to have a duel using their body armor to protect themselves. They stood about 20 meters apart from each other. One fired and missed. The other fired and hit. The results were not pretty, and the soldier died three days later.

The word most often avoided when talking about body armor is “bulletproof.” Bullet resistant is the better term, as the armor will resist, but it still may yield enough to slam into your body and cause severe damage.

One military historian worked out the force of the bullet according to this formula: E=mV2/2, which he also put in plain language, saying the bullet had the force of a 2 kilogram weight dropped from a 2 meter height.

Add in the armor hitting against your chest or ribs, and the results aren’t good.