Honeywell has been awarded a three-year contract from the U.S. Army to provide advanced ballistic materials that will improve the performance and reduce the weight of combat helmets.
Under the contract, Honeywell will deliver helmets made with next-generation Spectra Shield® and Gold Shield® ballistic materials to the Army for testing and evaluation. Honeywell’s goal is to reduce the weight of the Army’s current helmet design by 16 to 24 percent, and also help to improve both the ballistic and non-ballistic performance of helmets beyond what is currently available today.
Honeywell’s patented Spectra Shield products are manufactured by bonding parallel strands of fiber in place with an advanced resin system. Spectra® fiber is made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene using a patented gelspinning process. The fiber exhibits high resistance to chemicals, water and ultraviolet light. It has excellent vibration damping, flex fatigue and internal fiber-friction characteristics. It also has up to 60 percent greater specific strength than aramid fiber.
For more information, read the press release.
