Craig International Ballistics has been awarded a major long-term contract to supply advanced protective body armour to the Australian Defence Force under LAND 125 Phase 3B.
The new four year contract with a three year option is expected to be valued at approximately A$49AUD million and involves manufacturing some 20,000 sets of body armour for use by the Australian Army in training and on combat operations. Craig International Ballistic’s protective body armour solution is a new design that gives Australian Defence Force personnel improved protection against small arms fire, high-velocity fragments and knife attack while being significantly lighter and more durable. This new design was developed by the company’s in-house Research and Development team and is based on experience gained from working closely with the Australian Army over the last 15 years. Extensive testing will certify the new design to the highest Australian and International standards ensuring it meets the key purpose of body armour, that of saving lives.
The contract was won by the Gold Coast company against tough competition from other Australian and overseas suppliers. CEO James Craig sees: “the contract award is a reflection of our company’s proven ability to continually innovate, develop new solutions and exceed our customer’s expectations in supplying on-time, high-quality, affordable body armour.” The contract will allow Craig International Ballistics to expand and offer new long-term skilled employment opportunities in the QLD Defence sector.
Craig International Ballistics is now the leading Australian manufacturer of protective body armour systems. Since inception the company has supplied over 60,000 body armour panels to the Australian Defence Force. These panels have protected Australian soldiers on operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The company is now also a significant supplier of police body armour in Australia. Almost 40,000 units of police body armour have been acquired by Australian and international police forces, agencies and organisations.
LAND 125 3B – Protection Elements – Contract Signing: from left, Mr Robert Craig, Mr James Craig, Brigadier Simon Welsh & Mr David O’Brien.