Saint-Gobain awarded major contract to supply sapphire armor

Saint-Gobain Crystals has been awarded a three-year contract, valued at approximately $20 million , to supply the U.S. Army and Marine Corps with sapphire engineered armor and tooling to make bulletproof windshields and door windows for the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Launcher.

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This next-generation transparent armor replaces conventional glass-glass armor.  The superior mechanical and optical properties of Sapphire armor meet the higher threat levels that combat vehicles now endure while providing greater than 50 percent weight savings, better night vision effectiveness and higher lifetime durability in challenging environments (including the desert).