Special operations forces’ body armor plates are undergoing a recall due to a manufacturing issue detected in a small percentage of Generation III ballistic armor plates, as confirmed by the U.S. Special Operations Command. While no USSOCOM service members have been harmed by these defective plates, they are being removed from operational use.
Examination of production lots revealed a failure in the lamination of ceramic and steel sections in less than 5% of the GEN III ballistic plates, typically worn beneath armored vests in combat. Consequently, the affected vests and specific production lots are subject to recall, with field testing procedures now in place to detect issues.
The root cause of the problem lies in the manufacturer’s internal manufacturing and quality control processes. Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, California, the manufacturer, has cooperated fully, providing all relevant information and devising a corrective plan to address the delamination problem.
During this recall period, Special Operations Command is distributing an earlier generation of plates, with plans to manufacture a full inventory of GEN III replacement plates through Leading Technology Composites Inc. of Wichita, Kansas. Ceradyne will also produce replacement plates following revised manufacturing and quality assurance protocols.
