Kelly Space and Technology has announced it has awarded a contract to Bristol, Rhode Island-based Goetz Custom Boats for prototype production of Kelly's ballistic protection armor technology focused on watercraft and related applications.
Best known for their America's Cup boats, Goetz's involvement in the grand-prix sailing world has enabled it to develop a sophisticated in-house production and engineering capability that has been applied to a wide variety of projects in the aerospace, architectural and alternative energy industries.
"The prototype production work performed by Goetz will provide key inputs for our company's manufacturing and business considerations at our Rhode Island operations which was established earlier this year to commercialize our armor technology," said Karen V. West, Executive Vice President and CFO of Kelly Space and Technology.
"We are pleased to be working with one of the leaders of Rhode Island's marine industry. Goetz's unerring attention to detail, coupled with its knowledge of handling and utilizing advanced materials, were key factors in our selection."
The new ballistic protection system is expected to be ready for deployment in 2009.
In April 2008, Kelly announced the establishment of its East Coast operations in Rhode Island citing the State's prominent marine and defense industry as well as programs such as the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) that facilitates private and public sector cooperation.
Centered at its Aerospace Research and Development Center in San Bernardino, California, Kelly Space has developed a lightweight polymer-based ballistic protection system that is capable of being molded into any shape for a wide variety of applications, and possesses substantial weight-strength advantages over leading ballistic armor products.
Incorporating Kelly Space's ballistic protection material into subsystems, such as watercraft hulls, significantly increases buoyancy and will cost-effectively offer virtually any desired level of ballistic protection.
