Honeywell grows Spectra Shield portfolio: new ballistic materials lighten body armour

Honeywell announced today that it has added new ballistic materials to its Spectra Shield II line that offer further weight reduction, greater ballistic performance, and improved safety in soft armour applications, including military and law enforcement vests.

The new product, Spectra Shield II SA 4144, offers a 25 percent improvement in ballistic performance compared with the first generation of Spectra Shield products, helping keep military and law enforcement personnel safer against a variety of threats, including military-grade pistol rounds and fragments. The material can also reduce the weight of personal armour systems by as much as 30 percent, allowing frontline personnel greater mobility in dangerous situations.

“Honeywell’s latest Spectra Shield II product reflects our continued commitment to lightening loads and improving maneuverability in the field for soldiers and law enforcement officers, while providing them with a world-class bullet-resistant material,” said Phil Wojcik, global business director for Honeywell’s Advanced Fibers and Composites business. “The development of new materials that reduce weight and improve ballistic performance is critical to protecting those in harm’s way from the dangers they face.”

The material achieves new levels of weight reduction while meeting the NIJ .06 ballistic vest certification standard set by the National Institute of Justice, the research, development, and evaluation agency of the US Department of Justice.

Spectra Shield is an advanced ballistic-resistant material that incorporates Honeywell’s high-strength Spectra fiber, which is 15 times stronger than steel pound-for-pound, but is light enough to float. Shield technology is a patented Honeywell process designed to optimize the ballistic performance characteristics of Spectra as well as aramid fiber.

Spectra fiber is made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene using a patented gel-spinning process. It has up to 60 percent greater strength than alternate aramid fiber.

Spectra Shield and Spectra Shield II products have been widely adopted and proven for the most advanced armour applications globally - from bullet-resistant vests, breast plates, and helmets, to combat vehicles and military aircraft - where lightweight solutions and durability are critical.

Source: Honeywell

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