Case Histories
MAS-WM & The Inflatable Body Armour System (IBAS) Safe in the line of fire
Birmingham-based England 's Specialist Safe ty Equipment has developed a world first with the help of the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands (MAS-WM).
The Inflatable Body Armour System (IBAS) is a unique jacket which incorporates
a life jacket with added armour to protect the wearer from bullet and fragmentation
attack. The energy absorbing materials sit behind bullet-proof panels and
the inflatable bladder gives the jacket the necessary buoyancy to keep
military personnel afloat after the jacket has been hit by a bullet.
The key to developing the new body armour lay in impact absorbent materials. MAS-WM advisor Roy Pulley put Andrew Kerr of England's in touch firstly with RAPRA who helped with some material selection and sampling and then with experts at the Royal Military College at Cranfield University, where further stringent trials and ballistics tests were carried out on various fabrics and materials.
The company has since developed and launched IBAS using ballistic armour protection which exceeds the requirements of US NIJ Lever 3A.
Weighing only 3.5 kilos, the jacket uses revolutionary fabrics providing the wearer with 80 percent more protection than conventional body armour, including the ability to inflate even after multiple pistol and armour piercing rounds.
Since the launch, England 's has been presented with two SMART awards for innovation and a Queen's Award. It has also secured half a million pounds worth of orders from the Middle East and Far East , including contracts with the Kuwaiti army worth £250,000. Significantly, the Inflatable Body Armour System has already saved 29 lives.
Director Andrew Kerr enthused:
“Working with MAS-WM has been really refreshing. The fact that advisors have proven business experience gave us even greater confidence when applying for assistance.
“Using excellent guidance and support we have successfully applied the design and textile experience of two local firms to transform very good products into the very best.”
MAS-WM Chief Executive David Wright concluded:
“This excellent innovation highlights the level of expertise that is available in the West Midlands . The intervention made by MAS-WM has helped England 's to win contracts in the face of stiff competition worldwide and perhaps more importantly save lives.”
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