BAE Systems last week said it received a $35 million order from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for the production of tactical vests equipped with body armor.
DLA Troop Support ordered the vests as part of a four-year contract issued in March, which could reach a cumulative value of $267 million. To date, BAE has received a total of $83 million under the contract. Production will be done at the company’s Jessup, Penn., facility, and this order is scheduled to be complete by October 2013.
The Improved Outer Tactical Vests (IOTV) include both soft-armor ballistic inserts and hard-armor plates, which provide soldiers with lighter weight, advanced features and increased mobility in the field.
The IOTV is the most widely deployed bullet and fragmentation protection soft armor system for the Department of Defense, the company said in a statement. Since 2007, BAE has produced more than 800,000 outer tactical body armor vests for U.S. troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.
Eric Gavelda, director of Warfighter Protection at BAE’s Protection Systems business, said: “The vest helps shield vital organs and protect against a variety of battlefield threats. Our ultimate goal is to help our warfighters return home safely to their families.”