US Military Buying Body Armor Side Inserts (updated)
There has been a lot of discussion about the USA’s Interceptor OTV body armor lately, but few include the much-neglected procurement/ supply capacity dimensions. We hope to have a DID article covering that aspect as time permits. Meanwhile, some soldiers serving on the front lines believe that even more weight and restricted mobility (especially in Hummers) are more likely to get them hurt than protect them. Army Secretary Francis Harvey, on the other hand, believes every GI should wear a couple of extra protective panels along the sides of the armor vest.
The US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD recently issued a pair of side panel related contracts to Ceradyne and Point Blank Body Armor, worth a total of $88.9 million.
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Ceradyne Inc in Costa Mesa, CA received a $70 million firm-fixed-price contract for Enhanced Side Ballistics Inserts and Carriers. Work will be performed in Costa Mesa, CA, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2006. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 11, 2006 (W91CRB-06-C-0002).
DID recently noted a recent $14.6 million Ceradyne contract of special ceramic inserts for certain elite U.S. fighting units that are shaped to protect other areas of the body in addition to the chest and back. Ceradyne uses a hot-pressing process that they claim enables them to produce flat and multi-curved plates with equal ease. They also have in-house graphite tool design and machining capability.
Point Blank Body Armor Inc. in Pompano Beach, FL, who one of two companies that makes the Interceptor OTV bullet-resistant vests, received an $18.9 firm-fixed-price contract for Enhanced Side Ballistic Insert Carriers. Work will be performed in Pompano Beach, FL and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2006. Bids were solicited via the World Wide Web on Jan. 12, 2006, and one bid was received (W91CRB-06-F-0098).
Ceradyne CEO Moskowitz further commented: “On January 12, 2006, the U.S. Army issued a presolicitation notice regarding a significant proposed 5-year requirement for side plate protection. It is anticipated that the government will issue orders against their 5-year requirement early in 2006, with initial deliveries starting in third-quarter 2006.”
