BAE Systems this week said it received a $2.6 million Army contract to supply Tensylonr composite armor panels for the Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) vehicles.
HET vehicles transport, deploy, recover and evacuate combat-loaded main battle tanks and other heavy tracked and wheeled vehicles to and from the battlefield.
Tensylonr is a state-of-the-art material developed by BAE to improve the readiness and sustainment of survivability products, including ground vehicles such as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and individual soldier equipment.
The award is part of the Army’s Heavy Tactical Vehicle Armor Program and is a direct result of BAE’s Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Army Research Labs (ARL).
The partnership with ARL, initiated in 2007, tests and evaluates composite armor solutions to defeat current and emerging threats in Iraq and Afghanistan. These tests and evaluations resulted in the development of a lightweight appliqu� armor kit, utilizing Tensylonr, a family of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene tape and composite products.
“Tensylonr is a truly unique material that ultimately increases the protection provided to our men and women in uniform through a cost-effective, light-weight survivability solution,” said Tony Russell, president of the company’s Security & Survivability business.
With the development of lighter-weight, more cost effective composite materials, militaries around the globe would be able to depend on better-protected and more maneuverable vehicles. While reducing the weight of the armor system, Tensylonr is ballistically more efficient than other ballistic materials typically used in military ground vehicle platforms. It is green, as well, requiring no environmental permits to produce.