DefenceTalkDefenceTalkTiny, 3D printed cubes of plastic, with intricate fractal voids built into them, have proven to be effective at dissipating shockwaves, potentially leading to new types of lightweight armor and structural materials effective against explosions and impacts. “The goal of the work is to manipulate the wave interactions resulting from a shockwave,” said Dana Dattelbaum, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/shock-dissipating-fractal-cubes-could-forge-high-tech-armor-75888/

Working with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army engineers at Picatinny Arsenal have developed a new armored turret to provide greater survivability to TOW missile gunners without heaping extra weight on vehicles. The venerable TOW missile takes its name from Tubed-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided. A spool of wire, thousands of meters long, unwinds while the missile […]

According to ancient lore, Genghis Khan instructed his horsemen to wear silk vests underneath their armor to better protect themselves against an onslaught of arrows during battle. Since the time of Khan, body armor has significantly evolved – silk has given way to ultra-hard materials that act like impenetrable walls against most ammunition. However, even […]

The motivations for using biology as inspiration to engineering vary based on the project, but for Ling Li, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, the combination of flexibility and protection seen in the chiton mollusk was all the motivation necessary. “The system we’ve developed is based on the chiton, which has […]

DefenceTalkGRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany: Tank and maintenance crews from the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment assigned here are giving their M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks a buffed-up look that improves the tanks’ overall defensive capabilities. The crews, with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is serving as the initial ABCT rotational […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-unit-bolsters-abrams-tanks-with-reactive-armor-69413/

DefenceTalkA fleet of M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M1A2 Abrams tanks belonging to 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, arrived in Tapa, Estonia, Feb. 6, 2017. Soldiers assigned to Company C, 1-68 AR, gathered at the railhead to unload equipment as it arrived from Poland following initial reception and forward […]https://www.defencetalk.com/1-68-armor-regiment-brings-armor-to-estonia-69063/

DefenceTalkSafariland continues to innovate with armor purpose-built for performance and comfort The Safariland Group (‘Safariland’) today debuted the all-new Safariland® Armor collection, a complete line of ballistic panels and carriers built for performance. Designed to integrate together, to perform, move, flex and respond as the body does, delivering unprecedented protection, comfort and fit, the line […]https://www.defencetalk.com/safariland-unveils-groundbreaking-armor-at-shot-show-66411/

DefenceTalkIt is not every day you can get half of the latest and greatest product in any industry, but that is exactly what a team from the product manager for Soldier Protective Equipment, or PdM SPE, and Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, or DLA-TS, has done. Their efforts are now culminating in the first deliveries […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-upgrades-body-armor-saves-money-64050/

DefenceTalkFor the past 100 years of mechanized warfare, protection for ground-based armored fighting vehicles and their occupants has boiled down almost exclusively to a simple equation: More armor equals more protection. Weapons’ ability to penetrate armor, however, has advanced faster than armor’s ability to withstand penetration. As a result, achieving even incremental improvements in crew […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-ground-x-vehicle-technology-program-aims-to-protect-with-less-armor-60378/

DefenceTalkResearchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, or ARL continue to expand body armor analysis work to protect Soldiers – not only protecting their lives, but also their daily life functions after treatment and recovery. The team of researchers, who work in the Warfighter Survivability Branch of ARL’s Survivability Lethality Analysis Directorate, implement methodology to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-continues-to-expand-body-armor-analysis-work-to-protect-soldiers-58937/