Marine Corps Technological Breakthrough – Composite Armor System

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Sixteen development prototypes for the U.S. Marine Corps’ next-generation Amphibious Combat Vehicles 1.1 (ACVs) will be fitted with a special composite armor system from Morgan Advanced Materials, due to a contract signed between the company and the Science Applications International Corp (SAIC).

According to Morgan’s site, the Composites and Defence Systems business will supply a complete composite armor solution, consisting of armor and spall liners which are part of its established composite platform armor portfolio.  

Furthermore, the company will deliver lightweight composite flotation boxes, specifically designed to fit the vehicle’s geometry.  The development of this high performance, low mass armor system is a result of working with leading materials and decades of engineering experience in ballistic and blast protective technologies.

The selection of Morgan’s armor solution and composite flotation boxes is the latest stage of a wider tender process from the Marine Corps. SAIC is one of two prime contractors selected to develop next-generation ACV 1.1s for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of this competition. Once completed, the company’s prototypes will be tested in 2017, with the potential for both SAIC’s design and Morgan’s armor to be down selected for the full program.

Duncan Eldridge, President of Morgan’s Composites and Defence Systems business, commented: “We are honored to be selected by SAIC to deliver the armor solution and composite floatation boxes for their ACV.  Our platform armor solutions are a result of extensive materials and product development, ensuring our armor delivers outstanding multi-hit protection at an extraordinarily low weight.  This is the latest in a number of significant project wins for our composites and defense business, and is a huge endorsement of Morgan’s composite armor technology and product development team.”