Honeywell (Morris Township, N.J., USA) announced on June 24 that it has introduced a new Gold Shield material with improved ability to stop bullets and fragments in military and police armor applications.

The new ballistic material, Honeywell Gold Shield GN-2117, has demonstrated up to a 10 percent weight reduction when compared to Honeywell's traditional Gold Flex material, which is also used in soft armor applications. The new product also is said to provide increased surface durability and chemical resistance, allowing it to meet the toughest global body armor standards for military and law enforcement applications.

Gold Shield GN-2117 builds on Honeywell's proven Gold Flex ballistic material, a soft armor material that combines Honeywell's patented Shield technology with aramid fiber. For more than 10 years, Gold Flex has been one of the most widely used ballistic materials in police and military vests. The new Gold Shield GN-2117 incorporates a proprietary resin and coating system, which provides increased environmental and chemical resistance, as well as improved fragment protection.

This patent-pending technology helps Gold Shield GN-2117 meet stringent global body armor standards, including those of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Multiple vest models containing Gold Shield GN-2117 have successfully completed certification testing under the new NIJ 0101.06 standard for body armor.

The new material was announced at the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement's fourth-annual Military Armor Protection conference in McLean, Va., and was highlighted in a presentation by Dr. Lori Wagner, technology leader for armor for Honeywell's Advanced Fibers and Composites business.