3M subsidiary Ceradyne will provide 177, 000 body armor plates to the U.S. armed forces under a $92.7 million contract from the Defense Logistics Agency.
The Minnesota-headquartered company said Wednesday the lightweight “enhanced” small arms protective inserts are embedded into tactical vests in efforts to protect military personnel against small-arms fire.
Cheryl Ingstad, 3M business manager for the advanced ceramics platform for the defense sector, noted that the body armor inserts are also designed to comply with the Defense Department‘s requirements.
Ceradyne is scheduled to begin production and delivery of ESAPI plates within the year.
3M said its subsidiary has delivered more than two million body armor plates and 100, 000 “enhanced” combat helmets to the U.S. military.
