According to a recently-awarded contract received from the US Army and Marine Corps, Saint-Gobain will develop bullet-resistant windshields and door windows to be used on the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Launcher.
Saint-Gobain was recently awarded a three-year, USD 20 million contract with the US Army and Marine Corps to develop bullet-resistant windshields and door windows at its Milford, N.H. plant.
The technology, which will be used on the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Launcher, will feature the use of sapphires. The sapphire sheets will be laminated with several layers of both glass and polycarbonate.
According to a statement issued by Saint-Gobain, “the superior mechanical and optical properties of sapphire armour meet the higher threat levels that combat vehicles now endure while providing greater than 50% weight savings, better night vision effectiveness and higher lifetime durability in challenging environments (including the desert).”
Natesh Krishnan, director of global sales and marketing says, “As sapphire is second in hardness only to diamond and is chemically inert, it is excellent for use in sandy desert conditions, and resists etching from gases emitted after a rocket launch.”