Safariland™, a BAE Systems line of business, announced today that it has satisfied the hard armor plate requirements of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) new Voluntary Body Armor Compliance Testing Program under NIJ Standard-0101.06 (NIJ-06).

Safariland’s PROTECH™ 2120-5 plate is one of three newly certified PROTECH Tactical Level (Type) III hard armor plates to successfully complete the National Institute of Justice’s updated testing protocol for Level III rifle threat compliance under NIJ-06. In addition, the 2120-5 plate has undergone a series of special threat testing to include multiple impacts against 7.62mm 180gr PSP, 7.62 x 54R 150 gr. LPS, 5.56 mm 62 gr. M855 and 7.62 x 39 mm 123 gr. MSC ballistic rounds.

“We are very pleased that our PROTECH Tactical product line is leading the way with our Level III plates being the first to meet the NIJ’s new standard,” says Dan McNeil, Category Director of Tactical Hard and Soft Armor. “Not only are we the first manufacturer to successfully certify a Level III plate under NIJ-06, we’ve had three Level III plates pass the compliance testing, plus additional special threat testing.

Also, as with all of PROTECH’s NIJ-06 certified rifle plates, the model 2120-5 plate was tested as a stand-alone plate, which means its performance is not dependent on the addition of “in conjunction with” body armor. This allows greater flexibility in using PROETCH’s plates with any ballistic or non-ballistic vest configuration without compromising the safety of the officer, first responder or operator.

Additionally, the model 2120-5 is manufactured in a contoured, multi-curve design with a military-style shooter’s cut configuration, which affords greater range of motion in the arm and upper chest area while shouldering a long arm weapon. The 2120-5 is manufactured using an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and Alumina blend, which makes the rifle plate high performing and lightweight at less than 6 pounds.

The NIJ introduced the Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06 to establish minimum performance requirements and test methods for the ballistic resistance of personal body armor in order to improve performance so that officers receive adequate protection against those threats likely faced over the next decade. According to the new NIJ-06 standard, body armor must now be able to defend against common street threats and law enforcement duty weapons. These new performance requirements are critical components to improving the life-protecting equipment being used by law enforcement. Hard armor plates are the only hard armor product tested under the new Body Armor standard. The previous standard was 0101.04/2005 Interim Requirements.

Safariland, LLC is a premier provider of law enforcement and security products and services, delivering a full-range of customer-specific solutions. Offering many of the world’s most recognizable branded products in the public safety market, Safariland is committed to saving lives. For more information about Safariland and its body armor products, as well as information on the new NIJ-06 standard, please visit www.safariland.com.

About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defense, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.

Source: Company release, Jacksonville, FL, January 14, 2010