Ballistic plates for combat body armour to protect Australian troops can now be made in Australia thanks to the development of new manufacturing technology.
The new technology to manufacture the ballistic plates has been developed through a partnership between the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) in Victoria, Australian Defence Apparel, CSIRO and the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing.
Most ballistic plates used by the ADF are currently imported from the US, but their manufacture by ADA in Bendigo has advantages and will allow for new technology to be prototyped quickly and for product development to occur in Australia.
The DMTC is a not-for-profit company jointly funded by the Commonwealth Government’s ‘Defence Future Capability Technology Centre’ program, the Victorian Government, and industry and research body participants.