Andres Industries: Diamond Age for Europe

The Andres Industries AG, previously known for highly innovative thermal imaging devices (TIMRO-X, TILO-3 here in the SPARTANAT Review), is entering into a cooperation with the US company Diamond Age for the development of ballistic protection systems and taking over its distribution in Europe. Diamond Age has been intensively involved in the development of new materials for years and has specialized in the production of high-performance ceramics for armor.

At IWA and EnforceTac in March, the company will present the BASTION Helmet announced last year. This helmet stands out for providing unprecedented ballistic protection up to the level of long guns (VPAM 7). Despite using thin special panels, the total weight of the helmet remains below 1.9kg, which is no more than a normal fragmentation helmet.

Even without the additional VPAM-7 tiles, the helmet still achieves protection class VPAM 3 at an even lower weight of approximately 930g (shell weight). In the lightest "combat

ready" version, the helmet weighs only 1.15kg. Another special feature is the very low trauma depth of only one centimeter when hit by handgun ammunition (NIJ-Level IIIa). This extremely low value

will become increasingly important in the future, as newer studies show that it is often not enough for projectiles to be stopped. It is equally important that the indentation created by the projectile on the helmet does not lead to a serious skull injury.

The CEO of Andres Industries AG, Björn Andres, on the new cooperation with Diamond Age: "For over a year, we have been intensely involved in the topic of ballistic protection systems and have successfully developed a new business segment. Most manufacturers, including ourselves, have mainly focused on new techniques to improve existing materials further. However, we have realized that we need to work more closely with developers of such materials because we need new and even better materials. With Diamond Age, we have found such a partner. Where others stop at boron carbide, Diamond Age is just getting started."