thedrifter
07-27-07, 01:04 PM
Helmet maker probed over allegations of too little Kevlar
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 27, 2007 10:28:22 EDT
Up to 2 million helmets issued by the military between 1980 and 2003 may have been manufactured with substandard Kevlar.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Sioux Manufacturing Corp. of Fort Totten, N.D., for allegedly producing Kevlar that did not meet minimum standards for safety, which would violate its contract with the Defense Department, according to investigation documents obtained by Military Times.
The Kevlar went into helmets that are part of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops, which is being phased out by the four services. The Marine Corps has migrated to the Lightweight Helmet, while the Army is phasing in the Advanced Combat Helmet. Both services began phasing out the PASGT helmets in 2003.
At issue is the density of the Kevlar cloth — woven by SMC — that is attached to the shell of the helmet and provides ballistic protection. According to the minimum standard dating back to 1987, each square inch of cloth must contain 35 vertical strands and 35 horizontal strands.
“It appears until April 2006, SMC may not have ever complied with the 35 x 35 standard weave density in its construction of complete PASGT helmets or its manufacture of Kevlar helmet cloth,” according to the Justice Department’s Investigative Summary, which was sent to the Pentagon on April 9. “This practice potentially impacts an estimated 2,000,000 PASGT helmets.”
The investigation found the weave density dropped to as low as 32.5 strands.
It remains unclear whether this level of protection presents a risk to service members, but there was no evidence found in the investigation’s documents of helmets failing a ballistics test used to measure its safety due to deficiencies in the Kevlar cloth.
Alexander Reikhert, an attorney authorized to speak on behalf of SMC, said the company will not comment on the investigation or court proceedings.
“But SMC does wish to assure our men and women in uniform that no helmet manufactured by UNICOR using SMC materials has failed any ballistic tests nor has any fabric received by any manufacturer from SMC failed any ballistics test,” he said.
Officials with the Justice Department did not comment, saying the investigation is ongoing. Chris Islieb, a Defense Department spokesman, said the Pentagon would not comment on the investigation either, but reiterated via e-mail that in any event, the military is phasing out the old helmet. Spokesmen for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Army all declined to comment and referred questions to Islieb.
While the Army and Marine Corps are phasing out the PASGT helmet, the Air Force still issues it. The DoD spokesman said he could not release the official number of troops — mostly airmen — in theater with the older helmet.
The Army has purchased more than 800,000 ACHs. Neither the Defense Department nor Marine Corps Systems Command would release the number of new Marine helmets that have been purchased thus far.
The new helmets are designed to stop a 9mm bullet, which the PASGT helmet was not.
The companies that manufacture the new Army and Marine Corps helmets do not have a relationship with SMC.
The Justice Department began investigating after it “received information” about the company in May 2006. Federal authorities raided its headquarters one month later and seized official internal company documents, according to the DoJ letter.
SMC produced the complete PASGT helmet from 1980 to 1994. From 1994 on, SMC produced the Kevlar cloth, cut the pattern sets, covered it in resin and then shipped it to UNICOR, which produced the finished helmets, according to the investigative documents.
Kevlar, a material patented by DuPont Co., is made of strands of fibers that are bundled into yarns. The yarns are then woven together to form a strong composite that is used by the military for personal body armor and helmets.
When a bullet or piece of shrapnel strikes the Kevlar, the yarns of fiber absorb the impact and spread it out away from the initial point of contact to reduce the shock to the person wearing it, said David Roylance, a ballistics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The density of the Kevlar, which provides its strength, is measured by its weave. The investigation summary submitted by Drew Wrigley, U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, alleged that the company was producing helmets with a weave density up to 5 percent less than the military regulated in specification MIL-C-44050A, dated Aug. 18, 1987.
Instead of the regulated 35 x 35 weave, the investigation found the Kevlar produced by SMC had a minimum weave of 32.5 x 34 and a maximum of 34 x 34. At no time did the investigation find that SMC met the military specification, according to investigation documents.
The investigative summary emphasized that a finished Kevlar product depends on the density of the weave used in the manufacturing process.
“Each reduction of yarns per inch reduces the actual armor in and thus the protection afforded in each finished PASGT helmet,” according to investigation documents.
At the same time, Roylance and Howard Thomas, a ballistics professor at Auburn University, who used to work in the Kevlar industry, said that while the number of yarns used in the weave of the Kevlar was vital, the company could have made up for it by using thicker yarns.
The letter sent to the Defense Department by the U.S. attorney’s office for North Dakota requested more information regarding any records of injuries or deaths caused by defective Kevlar in helmets, the impact on “the safety of PASGT helmet users,” and the possibility of restricting SMC from future Defense Department contracts.
The letter set a deadline of May 12 of this year for more information about the safety concerns the possible deficiencies could cause, but Islieb did not comment when asked if the request was met.
Both Thomas and Roylance said the Kevlar weave deficiency could be caused by an accidental error made in the factory or an effort by the company to increase profit margins by using less material.
The DoJ investigation includes both criminal and civil probes. Without a comment from the Justice Department, it remains unclear what prompted the investigation. The civil case investigation is under seal by court order.
Investigators interviewed current and ex-SMC employees and reviewed more than 30,000 internal company documents.
After the company was raided in June 2006, SMC president Carl McKay told The Bismarck Tribune that he was interviewed about the quality of the Kevlar cloth. He also said “some disgruntled former workers might have given federal investigators bad tips.”
The paper reported that the company was audited by the Defense Department in January 2006. Officials also told the paper that revenue was down in 2004 due to a shortage of the special fibers used to weave the Kevlar.
SMC is a Native American-owned company that works solely with Defense Department contracts acquired through the Small Business Administration 8(a) Program, according to the company’s Web site. This federal program fast-tracks small businesses, owned by minorities and women, toward acquiring government contracts.
From 1998 to 2006, SMC was awarded DoD contracts worth over $32.5 million, according to records forwarded to Military Times by a Defense Department official. Records for contracts from 1980 to 1998 were not included, although the investigation documents show the company did have contracts at the time.
Ellie
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 27, 2007 10:28:22 EDT
Up to 2 million helmets issued by the military between 1980 and 2003 may have been manufactured with substandard Kevlar.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Sioux Manufacturing Corp. of Fort Totten, N.D., for allegedly producing Kevlar that did not meet minimum standards for safety, which would violate its contract with the Defense Department, according to investigation documents obtained by Military Times.
The Kevlar went into helmets that are part of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops, which is being phased out by the four services. The Marine Corps has migrated to the Lightweight Helmet, while the Army is phasing in the Advanced Combat Helmet. Both services began phasing out the PASGT helmets in 2003.
At issue is the density of the Kevlar cloth — woven by SMC — that is attached to the shell of the helmet and provides ballistic protection. According to the minimum standard dating back to 1987, each square inch of cloth must contain 35 vertical strands and 35 horizontal strands.
“It appears until April 2006, SMC may not have ever complied with the 35 x 35 standard weave density in its construction of complete PASGT helmets or its manufacture of Kevlar helmet cloth,” according to the Justice Department’s Investigative Summary, which was sent to the Pentagon on April 9. “This practice potentially impacts an estimated 2,000,000 PASGT helmets.”
The investigation found the weave density dropped to as low as 32.5 strands.
It remains unclear whether this level of protection presents a risk to service members, but there was no evidence found in the investigation’s documents of helmets failing a ballistics test used to measure its safety due to deficiencies in the Kevlar cloth.
Alexander Reikhert, an attorney authorized to speak on behalf of SMC, said the company will not comment on the investigation or court proceedings.
“But SMC does wish to assure our men and women in uniform that no helmet manufactured by UNICOR using SMC materials has failed any ballistic tests nor has any fabric received by any manufacturer from SMC failed any ballistics test,” he said.
Officials with the Justice Department did not comment, saying the investigation is ongoing. Chris Islieb, a Defense Department spokesman, said the Pentagon would not comment on the investigation either, but reiterated via e-mail that in any event, the military is phasing out the old helmet. Spokesmen for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Army all declined to comment and referred questions to Islieb.
While the Army and Marine Corps are phasing out the PASGT helmet, the Air Force still issues it. The DoD spokesman said he could not release the official number of troops — mostly airmen — in theater with the older helmet.
The Army has purchased more than 800,000 ACHs. Neither the Defense Department nor Marine Corps Systems Command would release the number of new Marine helmets that have been purchased thus far.
The new helmets are designed to stop a 9mm bullet, which the PASGT helmet was not.
The companies that manufacture the new Army and Marine Corps helmets do not have a relationship with SMC.
The Justice Department began investigating after it “received information” about the company in May 2006. Federal authorities raided its headquarters one month later and seized official internal company documents, according to the DoJ letter.
SMC produced the complete PASGT helmet from 1980 to 1994. From 1994 on, SMC produced the Kevlar cloth, cut the pattern sets, covered it in resin and then shipped it to UNICOR, which produced the finished helmets, according to the investigative documents.
Kevlar, a material patented by DuPont Co., is made of strands of fibers that are bundled into yarns. The yarns are then woven together to form a strong composite that is used by the military for personal body armor and helmets.
When a bullet or piece of shrapnel strikes the Kevlar, the yarns of fiber absorb the impact and spread it out away from the initial point of contact to reduce the shock to the person wearing it, said David Roylance, a ballistics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The density of the Kevlar, which provides its strength, is measured by its weave. The investigation summary submitted by Drew Wrigley, U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, alleged that the company was producing helmets with a weave density up to 5 percent less than the military regulated in specification MIL-C-44050A, dated Aug. 18, 1987.
Instead of the regulated 35 x 35 weave, the investigation found the Kevlar produced by SMC had a minimum weave of 32.5 x 34 and a maximum of 34 x 34. At no time did the investigation find that SMC met the military specification, according to investigation documents.
The investigative summary emphasized that a finished Kevlar product depends on the density of the weave used in the manufacturing process.
“Each reduction of yarns per inch reduces the actual armor in and thus the protection afforded in each finished PASGT helmet,” according to investigation documents.
At the same time, Roylance and Howard Thomas, a ballistics professor at Auburn University, who used to work in the Kevlar industry, said that while the number of yarns used in the weave of the Kevlar was vital, the company could have made up for it by using thicker yarns.
The letter sent to the Defense Department by the U.S. attorney’s office for North Dakota requested more information regarding any records of injuries or deaths caused by defective Kevlar in helmets, the impact on “the safety of PASGT helmet users,” and the possibility of restricting SMC from future Defense Department contracts.
The letter set a deadline of May 12 of this year for more information about the safety concerns the possible deficiencies could cause, but Islieb did not comment when asked if the request was met.
Both Thomas and Roylance said the Kevlar weave deficiency could be caused by an accidental error made in the factory or an effort by the company to increase profit margins by using less material.
The DoJ investigation includes both criminal and civil probes. Without a comment from the Justice Department, it remains unclear what prompted the investigation. The civil case investigation is under seal by court order.
Investigators interviewed current and ex-SMC employees and reviewed more than 30,000 internal company documents.
After the company was raided in June 2006, SMC president Carl McKay told The Bismarck Tribune that he was interviewed about the quality of the Kevlar cloth. He also said “some disgruntled former workers might have given federal investigators bad tips.”
The paper reported that the company was audited by the Defense Department in January 2006. Officials also told the paper that revenue was down in 2004 due to a shortage of the special fibers used to weave the Kevlar.
SMC is a Native American-owned company that works solely with Defense Department contracts acquired through the Small Business Administration 8(a) Program, according to the company’s Web site. This federal program fast-tracks small businesses, owned by minorities and women, toward acquiring government contracts.
From 1998 to 2006, SMC was awarded DoD contracts worth over $32.5 million, according to records forwarded to Military Times by a Defense Department official. Records for contracts from 1980 to 1998 were not included, although the investigation documents show the company did have contracts at the time.
Ellie