XTEK Limited announced that the collaboration between its HighCom Armour Solutions business and Tata Advanced Systems had taken a significant step forward, with a batch of sample RCH helmets, reported to have achieved ‘excellent results’ and passed independent ballistic laboratory performance validation testing in India.
Manufactured using XTEK’s XTclave technology, the advanced ballistic helmets can prevent AK-47 and other high-powered assault rifle bullets, the company said in an ASX announcement.
Beginning in FY2024, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is slated to launch a major capability upgrading program for its soldier ballistic head protection for specialised military units, which could result in the need for many thousands of new advanced helmets annually.
This collaborative arrangement with TASL comes after XTEK announced on 31 January 2023 that it had been awarded a grant from the Australian Department of Defence worth $0.8 million to increase the output of its XTclaveTM RCH helmets.
According to XTEK, the positive result places the collaboration between XTEK’s HighCom and Tata Group’s TASL in an excellent position to potentially supply the Indian military with the most advanced next-generation “rifle-rated” helmets.
These helmets are claimed to provide superior protection from the widest range of ballistic threats while remaining as light as possible.
Scott Basham, XTEK’s Group CEO, said the independent laboratory evaluation on the company’s RCH’s ballistic performance is an excellent boost for the collaboration agreement.
“The independent laboratory feedback received on the ballistic performance achieved by our RCH, is excellent news for the collaboration agreement we have with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., and further strengthens our positioning to supply our unique XTclave made ‘rifle rated’ Rifle Combat Helmets into the Indian Defence market,” Basham remarked.
The collaboration to supply the Indian military is expected to expand the parties’ relationship and demonstrate the possibility of local XTclave production capability being built in India with TASL.
