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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 10-31 3M wins U.S. contract to make enhanced combat helmets STAR TRIBUNE .r StarTribune 3M wins U.S. contract to make enhanced combat helmets Article by:Dee DePass Star Tribune October 31,2014-9:07 PM 3M Co.'s safety products division went into overdrive in October as it donated facemasks to fight the Ebola virus --- and agreed to make 37,500"enhanced combat helmets" 'A for the U.S.Army and Navy. f . The new$27 million helmet order is in addition to the 77,000 combat helmets that 3M is making for the U.S. Marine Corps. • The combined contracts are worth$107 million. 3M helmets for U.S.military 3M gained the technology to make so-called enhanced Feed Loader, helmets when it acquired Ceradyne Inc.two years ago. Ceradyne's high-strength ceramic coatings are used to make a helmet that protects the soldier from gunshots and other forms of blunt impact.The helmets are designed to reduce bullet fragmentation by 35 percent,a first for the U.S.military,3M said. In most cases,bullets splinter into pieces upon impact,creating more injury.The ceramics in the helmet reduce the shattering,though 3M and Ceradyne provide little detail about how it works.The helmet is the first to meet a new military standard. Military officials like the helmet because it offers soldiers and service personnel more protection without increasing weight.The new helmet is equivalent in weight to helmets currently in use,3M said. In December,Popular Science magazine listed the new helmet technology as one of the 100 greatest innovations of 2013. The safety products division of Maplewood-based 3M has been making news in recent weeks with its donation of 1 million respiratory facemasks to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.The division earlier this year celebrated its 75th anniversary making reflective highway signs and lane markings. 3M's safety and graphics business reported$1.4 billion in third-quarter revenue and$340 million in quarterly profits. Profits for the quarter jumped an impressive 8.8 percent mainly due to increased safety product orders form the United States and Europe. Dee DePass•612-673-7725 ©2014 Star Tribune