Gilliam Technical Services
We are currently in the process of consolidating from three operating locations to one. Additional details will be provided regarding our address change.
General correspondence and returns only. Suppliers please request appropriate shipping address before shipping.
GTS ADMINISTRATION
142 Eastview Drive
#4872
Emerald Isle, North Carolina USA 28594
TikTok: GilliamTechnicalServices
If you would like to communicate by phone, please use the "chat" feature on the website to contact us. Tell us what your inquiry is about, along with your name and phone number. We will return the call promptly.
We focus on the design and assembly of ceramic armor... not everything under the sun.
Product reviews are appreciated!
I started Gilliam Technical Services (GTS) after discovering that bullet resistant products were out of financial reach for most of the public. I want to make protection affordable for everyone - especially in an increasingly violent society.
I am an ex-inner city law enforcement officer. I served in Norfolk, Virginia in the department's First Precinct. I was awarded the Kit Hurst Award, Honor Graduate, several commendations and Lifesaving Medal. I also earned a Master Marksmanship award. My main duty was patrol work, but I also worked the warrant car and vice-narcotics details.
I eventually left the force to start my own aviation business (Chesapeake Bay Helicopters). For twenty years, I flew airplanes and helicopters under contract with large utility companies. During those years I earned the following flight ratings and designations:
Private Pilot - Airplane SEL
Instrument Pilot - Airplane SEL
Commercial Pilot - Airplane SEL
Certified Flight Instructor - Airplane SEL
Commercial Pilot - Additional Rating - Rotorcraft Helicopter
Certified Flight Instructor - Rotorcraft Helicopter
Certified Flight Instructor Instrument - Rotorcraft Helicopter
Airline Transport Pilot - Rotorcraft Helicopter
Designated Pilot Examiner Federal Aviation Administration
Aeronautical Information Specialist - FAA
Advanced Ground Instructor Instrument
Chief Pilot 133 and 135 Helicopter Operations
I attended Embry Riddle University and earned a Master's Degree in Aviation Safety.
I sold Chesapeake Bay Helicopters in 2014.
I have also worked as an aviation intelligence analyst with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and have been published in several aviation trade publications.
During this time, we continued to grow and develop Gilliam Technical Services. As I developed glaucoma, I had to leave the flying behind and focus on building GTS.
My interest in body armor is more than superficial. I have been testing armor for over twenty years and actively building custom ceramic armor plates for over ten years. I started by having our designs built overseas with quality materials and noticed that there were still some improvements that I could make to increase performance.
I began to ascertain a real need for adhesives that performed well under multiple hit scenarios. I wanted the adhesives to have USA sourced ingredients and 100% manufactured in the USA. The adhesive design that we came up with allows tile pieces to act independently - whether they are pieces of broken monolithic or mosaic tile arrays.
As armor builders and suppliers - we are not all considered equal. On top of our top-notch raw ingredients, our adhesives are one of a kind. We use very low VOC compounds that are California Prop 65 compliant. If you don't have our adhesives, you don't have our armor.
I have fine-tuned our mission statement to reflect our true purpose: to find the highest performing materials in the world at the best price and assemble the them with an outstanding, super strong, purposefully developed adhesive. That's what we did.
To this day, I offer a friendly challenge to all ceramic armor manufacturers: if you send us your RF3 plate, we will test it in the field, side-by side with ours and post the unedited video. We match or beat the performance of any of the larger, well-known armor brands, hands down at our price point. That's why we post every single one of our ballistic test reports.
We offer well-designed armor with functional ballistic resistances at or above what's on our product labels. We accomplish this through proprietary ballistic material layering and assembly, polyethylene and ceramic design and thickness variations, mosaic tiling for armor plates and inter-layered weaves of ballistic materials that provide for defense-related goals (like better defense against close contact shots). These aren't fancy, overpriced products - but they are professionally built, designed and effective.
We are now manufacturing hard armor plates in North Carolina, USA - from the best, long-standing, high quality, global sources. The bottom line is this: performance speaks for itself.
We add things others don't: crack arresting plates, adhesive between mosaic tiles to enhance multi-shot performance, wear face trauma reduction plates and other special performance enhancements. These components mean that we work with thermoplastic carbons and aramids, even some graphene. We are constantly stepping up our game and improving our product lines.
At our price points, we offer the strongest and best-performing plates on the market - without a doubt. We are also the most transparent in the industry today. We post all of our testing data related to on market armor products. You don't see this very often. Click NIJ Testing Data for our testing data from NIJ-approved labs.
For more information on our supply chain, please click GTS Supply Chain.
We want to thank our customers, suppliers and employees for making this venture possible. We value each and every one of you!
Please read our section on ballistic resistance and plate weight and feel free to ask any questions that you may have.
Sincerely,
W. Gilliam
