Honeywell’s Spectra Shield ballistic material will be used to improve armour protection on U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
The Protective Group, Inc. (TPG) will incorporate Spectra Shield material into armor upgrades for approximately 200 Chinook helicopters over the next four years under a contract from the U.S. Army, and is also working to meet the needs of the Black Hawk community.
Roy Ash, global marketing manager for Honeywell’s Advanced Fibers and Composites business said;
Spectra Shield material provides an ideal combination of proven ballistic performance and light weight, which is critical for applications ranging from body armor to aircraft Armour that uses Spectra Shield material provides a superior level of protection for helicopters and the personnel inside, while the material’s lighter weight will allow the aircraft to carry heavier loads and save fuel.
The new TPG solution is expected to reduce the armour weight on the Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters by as much as 40 percent compared with the currently fielded system.
Spectra Shield is a composite material made with Spectra fiber, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber that, pound for pound, is 15 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float. Honeywell ballistic materials have been trusted to protect military and police forces around the world for more than two decades.
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