With our wide-ranging resources, expertise and flexibility, Security & Survivability manufactures an assortment of survivability equipment for men and women around the globe. We provide beginning-to-end support to our customers - from concept and development to prototyping and testing to ramp-up production and aftermarket support.
We have nearly 300 engineers and technicians focused on:
- Design
- Modeling and Simulation
- Safety and survivability analysis
- Rapid Prototyping
- Armor development
- Ballistic testing
- System integration
We utilize the latest in computer-aided design (CAD) and modeling, allowing armor to be fitted to a virtual body or chassis, reducing cost and time during product development. Digital information from the products' components are fed automatically into our CNC (robotic) cutting machines, enabling individual parts to be cut automatically and with exceptional accuracy. Our laser scanners automatically check these individual parts for Quality Assurance, eliminating human error from hand measurements.
We use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to simulate how individual components or entire vehicles will respond to the field environments - exposure to heat, cold, vibration and static loads or high-strain rate events such as bullet impacts or blast shock waves.
We develop many of our materials in house, including lightweight armor solutions based on ceramic, composite and transparent technologies. Our advanced materials science expertise allows us to create optimized armor systems not only for ground vehicles, but also for individual soldiers, aircraft and seating systems.
As an integral part of the armor development process, Security & Survivability engineers and technicians conduct ballistic, dynamic, static and materials testing at our in-house ballistics testing labs for government agencies, military and civilian customers. BAE Systems engineers use this test data to develop safer and better technologies. Our testing facilities are equipped with indoor and outdoor drop towers, a horizontal sled, full-scale impact testing and high speed video and photography to provide clear and precise documentation of tests. These facilities are approved for qualification testing of armor products by the United State Department of Defense (DoD). Testing is conducted in accordance with MIL Spec or National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standards. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepts development and certification testing from our aerospace testing facility.
Our state-of-the-art fabrication processes, equipment and tooling guarantees integrity and quality for high volume components. We have over 1,000,000 square feet dedicated to flexible manufacturing and are certified to the latest ISO standards. Our manufacturing processes and equipment includes:
- Autoclaves and ovens
- Water jet and CNC fabric cutters
- Ceramic machining equipment
- Metallic armor production
- Glass production facilities
- Vehicle modification and assembly
- Seat manufacturing
- Sewing and soft goods production
- Vacuum-sealing equipment
- Rapid production ramp-up
