Summer 2023 is here! That naturally brings a bit of a lull to activity as people go on vacation and spend time with families. It's the perfect time for us to make plans for the rest of the year. That's exactly what we're doing. Here's what's coming up:
Our GTS Carrier: We are working with several firms to provide final quotes for building our new ballistic plate carrier that is specially designed for ceramic armor plates. Our GTS ceramic armor line incorporates aramid and carbon fiber layering which interrupts the ejection of ceramic particles from the strike face. When you combine this crack arresting technology with a well-built carrier (multi-layered plate pockets) - the user gets a clean carrier experience. Projectiles make a small entry hole, but the ceramic particles are completely caught by the carrier due to its design and the functionality of the well-built armor plate.
GTS ceramic plate durability cover: We are continuing to make progress on this project with additional prototypes emerging in the next month or so. We anticipate being able to eliminate the cloth/nylon covers on some models and replace it with the hard cover that will assist in ceramic particle control and plate durability/handling.
NIJ application for the NIJ Compliance Testing Program: This is a big one! We are finalizing the layup of the plate that we will submit to the NIJ compliance testing program for NIJ certification. Our testing in the next couple of weeks will determine the composition of the backplate, the layering and the adhesive used. We will keep you updated. We anticipate entering the application before the end of the 2023 calendar year.
Further development of two distinct product lines: Lots of people tell us that they want an "American-made plate." Through the years, I've respected that idea. But, there's a larger segment of the customer population that is price dependent. They just want something that "works." In light of this, we have developed a basic OA+ line of plates that you will begin seeing more of in the coming months.
However - we will still be building our GTS line in North Carolina, USA. Our GTS line will incorporate all of the strike face and trauma reduction elements. The GTS line is more expensive, but the performance increases are noticeable and show up in the data. The trauma reducing layers available in some models reduce backface deformation over Asian-made plates by up to 20%. The aramid and carbon fiber we use on the strike face controls ceramic particles so that fabric in a quality carrier can contain them. These are characteristics that ONLY our GTS line (not OA+) retains.
