SBIR-STTR Award

The AAAV requires lightweight components that can be affordably produced and assembled. The goal of this SBIR is to develop an effective armor system that can use low cost materials while minimizing overall weight. Reduction in fabrication and material cost of the armor solution translates into a meaningful reduction in the vehicle cost. In this SBIR, we expand the state of the art through the use of conventional materials in innovative ways. The technology focuses of on ways to reduce the overall installed armor costs through material, and manufacturing innovations.

Benefits:
We expect that the technology developed in this SBIR will be immediately applicable to other application areas such as Navy patrol boats, Army spall liners, and aircraft armor, where weight and cost are important. Additionally, we believe that we can modify the material system to allow its use as a flexible body armor material for law enforcement. The law enforcement market is very price sensitive, and many of the materials in use today are very cost prohibitive. This material would provide a very attractive alternative.

Keywords:
Armor, Ballistics, Composite Materials, Low Cost, Light Weight, Laminates, Reinforced Plastics, Non-Metallic armor

The AAAV requires lightweight armor that can be affordably produced. The Phase I effort successfully demonstrated various canidate systems that offered the potential for both weight and cost savings. The Phase II objective will be to qualify the lightest weight and lowest cost system for the AAAV. Processing techiques will be optimized to provide the lowest cost armor systems. The commercial potential of the material will be assessed. We anticipate that this new low cost/high performance armor will be readily qualified and accepted in other commercial armor applications such as military spall liners, rigid shields, and body armor.

Keywords:
Ballistics, Lightweight Armor, Composites, Vehicle Protection, Spall Liners, Body Armor