A reader asked about defense budget bargains. The first example that springs to mind is that of the USAF's B-52 Stratofortress, a remarkably long lived bomber craft that is older than the pilots who fly it. But what about recent examples? Well, we've made a couple of good deals on uniforms and hand grenades lately, but the Shining Star for Acquisition Brilliance goes out to a foreign friendly: the British Ministry of Defence.
According to a report in the London Telegraph, the ministry spent a mere 100,000 pounds sterling on a gel that actually stops a speeding bullet on impact.
Writes the T: "The gel, called d3O, locks instantly into a solidified form when it is hit at high impact." Defense planners hope to apply the gel to the inside of soldiers' helmets. Continues the report: "If the product is taken on by defence contractors it could be used to reduce the current bulky and restrictive armour used by troops on the frontline with gel pads inserted into key protective areas."
I wonder if the stuff also could be applied to the undercarriages of APCs.
(d30 photo swiped from Reuters)
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