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This page is part of the Body Armor Body for IED Information Research Center.
25 Oct 2007 USA Today "Ex-Body Armor CEO Indicted for Insider Trading" reports David H. Brooks,
former CEO of the leading U.S. body armor manufacturer, DHB, and manufacturer of the Interceptor Vest
was indicted today on "charges of insider trading, fraud, and tax evasion." Prosecutors say he profited
over $185 million from the scheme. Among the charges, was inflating the value of Interceptor Vests
in inventory to meet profit margin projections.
21 Sep 2007 PBS "Defense Department Examines Body Armor"
reports on
the debate over Dragon Skin and the process that had got us here. You can read the transcript
as well as watch the original video.
24 May 2007 Stars & Stripes "Army Awards Contracts for Lighter Body Armor"
reports contracts have
been awarded for the new Improved Outer Technical Vests (IOTV) (3 pounds lighter that OTV).
On Monday, two contracts were let. One to Point Blank Body Armor for 75,000 vests and one to Specialty
Defense Systems for 155,000 vests.
20 May 2007 Are U.S. Soldiers Wearing the Best Body Armor? NBC News Investigative Unit. MSNBC
reports recent tests performed in an independent
lab in Germany commissioned by NBC indicate Dragon Skin (flexible armor composed of intrerconnected
ceramic disks) that has been banned by the U.S. army significantly outperforms U.S. Army issue
Interceptor armor and also results in significantly less body trauma. As a result of the testing,
Democratic Senators have called for an Independent Investigation.
17 April 2007 The U.S. Marine Corps banned the use of commercial body armor (such as
vests shipped by families to soldiers) with their directive
MARADMIN
262/07 see item #5. The U.S. Army previously banned the use of such vests. The
Marine policy covers an extensive range of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in
addition to vests.
April 2 to 5, 2007 Reports on the new Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) also referred to as
Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) anticipated to replace the Interceptor OTV body armor.
- 5 April 2007 Marine Corps News-Okinawa "Okinawa Marines First to Receive New Body Armor:
Initial Reviews Positive for Corps Next Vest"
reports
initial feedback on the new MTV from the marines.
- 4 April 2007 Stars & Stripes "Soldiers in War Zones to Get New Lighter Armor"
reports
all soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will be issued new lighter body armor by the end of the year.
The new "Modular Tactical Vest" features carriers for side ballistic plates, a better fitting
throat protector, an additional 52 square inches of protection to the rear, and a quick release
handle, all at three pounds less than todays OTY.
- 3 April 2007 USA Today "Army Readies New Body Armor for Soldiers"
reports the new
"Improved Outer Tactical Vest" will be put on over the head, similar to armor used by special
operations forces armor and some of the weight of the vest has been transferred from the shoulders
to the waist.
- 3 April 2007 Military.Com "Army Fields New Body Armor"
reports on the Improved
Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) to be field tested by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army claims
it has more comfortable fit. Its higher cut under the arm makes the Deltoid Axillary Protector
set no longer needed. The vest will also be available in "Long" sizes resulting in 11 sizes being
offered.
- 2 April 2007 Army.Mil/News "Army to Field Improved Body Armor" is the
official press release
announcing the new IOTV armor.
30 March 2007 Canada Newswire "U.S. Troops to Gain Additional Side Armor Body Protection"
reports a $5.6 million
contract has been awarded to ArmorWorks for 14,000 sets of S-SAPIs for use as side protective
inserts in Interceptor Body Armor. The contract is to be filled by the end of 2007.
26 March 2007 PRNewswire "Armor Holdings Inc. Receives $25.5 Million U.S. Army Body Armor Order"
reports the receipt of
a new delivery order for ESAPI (Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts) to be completed during 2007.
26 March 2007 PRNewswire "Ceramic Protection Corporation - Protective Products International (Subsidiary)
Announces Expanded Relationship With Ford Motor Company"
reports
Ceramic Protection Corporation, a major manufacturer of ceramic inserts for body armor, announced an expanded
relationship with Ford, allowing Ceramic Protective Corporation to manufacture, market and sell retrofit ballistic
door panels for Ford's Crown Victoria Police Interceptors for model years 1998 to the present.
25 March 2007 The Washington Times "Body Armor Success Spurs Surge in Sales"
reports the excellent performance
of body armor in Iraq is spurring sales from several U.S. companies. The Pentagon has spent "nearly $5 billion
on body armor oer the past five years..." Each of our 175,000 overseas fighting troops has a $3,150 set
of armor. Companies making body armor and inserts are doing very well.
23 March 2007 Nanotechnology Now "Researcher's Light Body Armor May Save Soldier's Lives"
reports on nanotechnology efforts
at Florida State University where they are developing a manufacturing process for constructing
body armor from carbon nanotubes to protect a "soldier's legs, arms and head." Okenwa Okoli, part
of the High-Performance Materials Institute at FSU is working with the U.S. Air Force on the project.
22 Mar 2007 Christian Science Monitor "Congress Eyes US Effort to Defeat Roadside Bombs"
reports
on the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and the difficulty of their task.
The organization operates in secrecy, once meant to be a clearinghouse of information, it now employs
about 300 people in secure building in Crystal City, VA. A new more powerful roadside bomb called
Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) is coming on the scene. The agency is also said to be moving some
from trying to detect and clear them to trying to keep them from being placed in the first place.
19 March 2007 Corporation Announced New Order for United States Marine Corps. PR Newswire
reports
Ceramic Protection Corporation announced its subsidiary, Protective Products International, received a purchase
of from a strategic partner, Eagle Industries Unlimited, for approximately $1 million Canadian for ballistic
fiber components destined for use by the U.S. Marine Corps. Deliveries are to be completed by the end
of September 2007. This order covers throat and groin components for the USMC's F.S.B.E. ensemble.
6 March 2007 Stars and Stripes. "Army Adding Neck Pad to Body Armor"
reports
the Army will be immediately shipping 430,000 small neck pads (called nape pads) to troops in
Iraq and Afghanistan. They weigh about 2.9 ounces and attach to a rear strap on the helmet via
hook and loop fasteners (like Velcro) to protect veterbrae from the rear. Crye Precision LLC
showed them to the Army at an Industry Day, they passed ballistic tests, and now they are the
"8th" improvement to body armor in the last three years per the Commanding General at the
PEO Soldier's Natick Soldier Systems Center. Other vest advancements include improved SAPI
plates (inserts), and deltoid protectors that snap onto the vests.
28 Feb 2007 Knight Ridder Washington Bureau "Sunni Insurgents Remain Biggest Threat to
U.S. Troops in Iraq" reports U.S. military officials have held briefings to publicize their
concerns over Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs), also called Penetrators. Attacks with
them have escalated 150 percent over the past year. They can fire a molten slug of metal through
the thickest American armor. Roadside bombs have killed 1,150 Americans since the war began.
EFPs are thought to be coming from Iran.
24 Jan 2007 "Bear-Suit Inventor Makes Bullet-Proof Body Armor Exoskeleton" Majikthiseb blog by
Lindsay Beyerstein reports
the Trojan, made of high impact plastic and lined with ceramic armor over ballistic foam, has
stood up to an elephant gun. The whole suit weight 28kg and covers everything but the fingertips
and major joints. The inventor hopes to get it deployed for Canadian soldiers. Includes a nice
photo of the armor.
20 Feb 2007 "Ceramic Protective Corporation Announces $21 Million in New Orders and Contracts". PR Newswire.
Ceramic Protective Corporation announced its subsidiary, Protective Products International, received
a new contract to produce another round of the Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) to the US Marine
Corps with delivery to be completed by end of second quarter 2007.
20 Jan 2007 Boston Globe. "The Next Body Armor Design Gets a Show in Natick". Available from
ESBSCO Newspaper Source.
The U.S. Army's research center at Natick showed its "next generation" body armor to the Secretary
of the Army yesterday. It hangs on a frame suspended 2 inches out from the soldier's body to limit
impact and injury from IEDs and mortar shells. The new design has not yet been funded by Congress.
Side armor is also being requested. New York Times reported a secret pentagon study found about
80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq could have survived with side armor. The next generation
armor is still built from Kevlar and ceramic plates (like the current Interceptor) but the new
armor (called Chasis) is 2 to 4 pounds lighter, has larger ceramic plates, is suspended out
from the body, and includes two 8 inch underarm panels that hang about an inch from the body.
December 2006 "Life-Saving and Armor Protection Systems are Focus of New Army Contract" URDI News
(University of Dayton)
reports
receiving a $15 million contract, part of which is toward developing carbon nanocomposite materials
for body armor.
26 Sept 2006 "Contracts" M2 Presswire. Announces Protective Products International is being awarded
a $33.6 million contract for 60,000 Modular Tactical Vests (MTV) for the U.S. Marine Corps. Delivery
is to be completed in December 2007.
7 Sept 2006 "MSA Expands Body Armor Line With Acquisition" MSA Press Release reports they purchased
Paraclete Armor and Equipment, Inc of St. Pauls NC for $30 million. Paraclete's most recent development,
the AV2007 Tactical Body Armor System, features a modular design of 23 vest configurations allowing
users to tailor the level of protection to the situation.
27 May 2006 Nano Techwire.com "Virginia Tech Materials Researchers Selected to Improve Military
Armor" reports the establishment
of a "Materials Center for Excellence" at Virginia Tech to develop polymer based materials to "protect
personnel and equipment against weapons attack." The new Multilayered Technologies for Armored Structures
and Composites (MultiTASAC) Materials Center of Excellence will involve researchers from eight different
areas.
25 May 2006 "Ceramic Protection Corporation - Purchase of Protective Products International"
Canada NewsWire. Ceramic Protection Corporation announced its purchase of Protective International
Corporation (PPI). Note - PPI later (Sept 2006) received a contract to product the Modular Tactical
Vest or MTV for the U.S. Marine Corps.
14 APRIL 2006 "DefRev Sees Test Data: Dragon Skin Hands-Down Superior to Army's Interceptor"
Defense Review. One of many reports about Pinnacle's Dragon Skin testing against the
Interceptor. This one provides links to several life fire tests of Pinnacle's Dragon Skin Body Armor.
10 April 2006. "Armor for Legs, Arms Cited as Example for Business Innovation. Associated Press
Newswires reports QuadGuard body armor designed at Oklahoma State University and produced by
Covercraft in Pauls Valley Oklahoma was displayed at a news conference in Stillwater yesterday.
University and political officials praised the project as an example of the type of development
they would like to see across the country.
21 March 2006 "Army Bans Non-Military Issued Body Armor". National Public Radio (NPR). All Things
Considered. Available on EBSCO Newspaper Source.
The U.S. Army has banned the use of any body armor it did not issue (many families
had bought armor for their own soldiers) stating it might not provide the protection
needed. Pinnacle Armor's Dragon Skin was specifically mentioned as not meeting Army requirements.
Pinnacle's CEO is unhappy with the rejection of their product they feel to be actually
superior to that issued by the government.
24 Feb 2006 UDaily (University of Delaware) "Liquid Body Armor Technology Licensed by UD"
reports the University of
Delaware has licensed their Shear Thickening Fluid approach to improving the performance of
ballistic fabric armor to Armor Holdings who will partner with Barraday for further development
and production.
14 Feb 2006 "DHB Industries Receives $14 Million Delivery Order for Dorsal Axillary Protective
System (DAPS). PRNewswire reports DHB's subsidiary, Point Blank Body Armor, received a $14 million
order for its Dorsal Axillary Protection System (DAPS) for shielding the underarm, upper arm, and
shoulder of Interceptor Outer Tactical Vest users. Point Blank began work on DAPs in May 2004.
14 Feb 2006 "Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)" DOD Directive 2000.19E
reports the joint coalition
working on IEDs changed its name from Joint Improvised Explosive Defeat Task Force to Joint
Improvised Explosive Defeat Organization (JIEDDO).
14 Feb 2006 "Paraclete Briefs Special Operations Officials on its 'Greatly Enhanced' Body
Armor System". InDefense reports Paraclete's new design, the AV2007 Tactical Body Armor
System, offers enhanced protection for the extremities against fragmentation and small arms.
23 Jan 2006 "Beefier Body Armor: Weighing Safety vs. Mobility". Air Force Times. Vol.66. No.27.
(23 Jan 2006). U.S. Armed Forces hope to equip themselves with improved, lighter body armor
in 2006 as the competition for the next design will be soon. A 2004 study by the U.S. Navy found
wounds near the edges of the current Interceptor armor were the most common cause of death
and injuries.
10 Jan 2006 "Army Continues Changing, Improving Body Armor". American Forces Press Service.
(article dated 10 Jan 2006) Defense AT&L. May-June 2006. Available from EBSCO Newspaper Source.
Planned improvements to the Interceptor will add weight. SAPI side plates will add 3 pounds,
side-panel plates another 3 pounds, shoulder and side protection 5 pounds. All the pieces could
add about 27 pounds to the soldier's already heavy burden. Commanders can assess the threat and
select how much armor their soldiers will wear each day.
7 Jan 2006 "Pentagon Study Links Fatalities To Body Armor". New York Times.
A secret Pentagon study shows as many as 80 percent of Marines killed in Iraq by
upper body wounds would have survived with addition armor that has been available since
2003. Also provides a nice recent history of body armor use in Iraq and problems in
getting it to the field.
19 Nov 2005 "Army, Marine Corps Order Recall of 18,000 Body Armor Vests". Newsday.
Available from EBSCO Newspaper Source.
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps ordered a recall of more than 18,000 vests built by Point Blank
Body Armor just one day after Point Blank received an order for $30 million more. The military said
the body armor failed to meet test specifications.
14 Nov 2005 "ONR Funds Basic Science in Support of Counter-IED Efforts. ONR Media
reports on efforts the Office of
Naval Research is taking to deny access to IEDs as a terrorist tool, as well as to discourage
their use from a society behavioral standpoint.
19 Sep 2005 "Up in Armor; U.S. Military is Designing Body Armor with More Protection and a New Look".
Defense Technology International: Developments in Body Armor. Aviation Week reports the first shippment
of 500 sets of QuadGuard armor to protect arms and legs is expected to be delivered to Iraq by the end
of September. It will be worn in addition to the Interceptor Body Armor. QuadGuard provides protection
against 9mm and .40 handgun bullets, but its primary purpose is to stop shrapnel and fragments from
explosions (IEDs). Covercraft Industries of Pauls Valley Oklahoma will manufacture the 4,300 sets
on the initial contract.
24 Aug 2005 "Department of Justice Announces Findings on Body Armor Safety Initiative Testing"
reports recent
tests indicate the performance of Zylon (used instead of Kevlar in some vests) can degrade
as a result of exposure to environmental conditions. Zylon will not meet new interim requirements
being put in place and the Dept of Justice is urging public safety agencies to only purchase
vests meeting the new standards. Officers are encouraged to wear their Zylon vests until they
are replaced.
23 Aug 2005 "Up to $160M for Enhanced Interceptor Vest Protection". Defense Industry Daily
reports
The U.S. military is replacing many of the ceramic armor plates for their Interceptor Body Armor
with new thicker armor plates (ESAPI). Ceradyne, Armor Holdings and ArmorWorks are among
the companies supplying them.
29 July 2005 "Body Armor Saves Lives, But Army Seeing More Injured Limbs From Iraq". Defense
Daily. Vol.227. No.20. The Army's Surgeon General told reporters the body armor and helmets being
used are "superb", but the extermities are exposed, especially the arms and legs. This combined
with IEDs and vehicle borne IEDs is resulting in a lot more extremity injuries and lower pelvic
injuries. (Available on Factavia).
18 July 2005 "Joint IED Task Force Helping Defuse Insurgency’s Threat". ARNews (Army News Service).
reports on the Joint Improvised
Explosive Defeat Task Force (JIEDD TF) established in the Fall of 2003 to deal with the issues surrounding
IEDs. There are reportedly about 140 members with a couple hundred more communicating through channels.
3 June 2005 "Prototype Lower-Body Armor Unveiled". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
reports Scott Buke of Concurrent
Technologies Corp. in Johnstown PA invented the "Ballistic Gauntlet", armor that "wraps" about the lower
body to protect it from roadside bombs. He reports a capacity to manufacture 6,000 units a week, and
it the military acts slowly in accepting it, he may go direct to family groups and organizations purchasing
armor for U.S. soldiers.
7 March 2005 "Many Missteps Tied to Delay of Armor to Protect Soldiers" New York Times
reports the
comedy of errors and bureaucracy that resulted in American troops not being supported with
the proper body armor. These events were cited in part in many other articles in this time
frame, but this article does a nice job of bringing them all together.
7 Jan 2005 "Improved Body Armor May Lessen Injuries, Reduce Deaths for U.S. Troops". Associated Press
Newswires reports Florida State University researchers, working with Armor Holdings of Jacksonville FL
are developing a lightweight body armor to protect arms and legs from roadside bombs (IEDs) built
from carbon nanotubes.
August 2004 "Humvee Armor Suppliers Working Around the Clock". Joe Pappalardo. National Defense (NDIA). August 2004.
This report is
representative of many news reports in this time frame on the frantic efforts to armor Humvees in Iraq
to improve their resistance to roadside bombs (IEDs).
14 July 2004 "Sandia Creates Kevlar Gauntlets to Protect Arms of Soldiers in Combat". Sandia
National Labs News Center reports
on the development of oversized Kevlar sleeves to protect soldiers from IEDs. They also mention their
ability to mitigate thermal effects of blasts.
21 April 2004 "Army Scientists , Engineers Develop Liquid Body Armor". Army News Service
reports Kevlar
soaked with a shear thickening fluid (STF) has been found to be much more effective in blocking
rounds fired into it. Army researchers have been working with researchers at the University of
Delaware to develop this new armor for three years. They see the possibility of adding the material
to pants and sleeves to protect the extremities, yet retain flexibility.
4 May 2003 "U.S. Troops' Injuries in Iraq Showed Body Armor's Value". Washington Post reports
most American soldiers receiving life threatening wounds in combat in Iraq were hit in the limbs,
not in the torso. These statistics show the body armor now being worn is "remarkably effective." The
article compares wound frequencies in Iraq (58 percent to the arms and legs) to that of Vietnam,
and the Civil War.
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