PHOENIX — December 16, 2010 — AmSafe Industries Inc., the leading provider of engineered
textile products for the aviation, defense and specialty vehicle markets, announced today that its
AmSafe Bridport Ltd. unit has been given earned the Dorset Business Award for Innovative
Technology.
Among the several technology companies represented in this category, AmSafe was selected for
its innovative approach in developing a textile-based product to protect military vehicles from
rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). The product, Tarian, protects military ground vehicles from
rocket propelled grenades and is designed to help save lives of military personnel while in harm’s
way.
“The AmSafe team in Bridport takes enormous pride in receiving this award, especially since
it represents our efforts in providing technology to help save lives of military personnel,” said
Neal McKeever, Vice President of Defense for AmSafe. “This latest technology innovation is a
further example of AmSafe’s world leading application of engineered textiles in support of critical
aerospace and defense applications.”
Extremely lightweight, this product uses the latest high-tenacity fibers to produce a net
which defeats a critical RPG mechanism. Mounted on the outside of ground vehicles, Tarian provides
a weight savings of 90% when compared to traditional steel bar or slat armor. The weight saving
allows additional protection to be applied elsewhere on a vehicle or can translate to improved
vehicle mobility, reliability and transportability.
In-service in Afghanistan since 2009, Tarian is currently being used on British Army Heavy
Equipment Transporters and AmSafe is working closely with the UK Ministry of Defence on a wider
vehicle application. Tarian was originally developed partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence
and has garnered interest in the US by its Department of Defense counterpart DARPA and the US
Marine Corps.
Posted on January 4, 2011
Source: AmSafe Bridport
