U.S. Marines will be wearing the latest in tactical body armor with ballistic panels manufactured by Armor Express.

Receipt of an order of 50,000 sets of Full Spectrum Battle Equipment Ballistic Inserts (FSBE) was announced this week by Matt Davis, Armor Express president and CEO.

The direct five-year contract is with the U.S. Department of Defense. It was processed by the U.S. Army's RDECOM (Research, Development and Engineering Command) Contracting Center, Natick Contracting Division, and in support of the U.S. Marine Corps' Systems Command.

Work has already begun on producing the first phase of the order, some 9,000 front and back ballistic panels, Davis noted. "Most of the work will be handled by our existing staff, but we have added nine additional employees.

"Our company is proud to have been selected for this contract," he remarked. "Marines are one of our first responders in hot spots around the world. It's an honor for us to have been selected to provide life saving equipment like anti-ballistic body armor for them."

About Central Lake Armor Express

With headquarters in Central Lake, Mich., and a nationwide network of sales representatives, Armor Express, Inc. is an ISO 9001 registered company. It manufactures quality body armor with outstanding protection, comfort, wearability, and service. A range of products includes concealable and tactical body armor, accessories, and hard armor. "Body Armor Reborn" is the company motto.

For more information visit www.armorexpress.com.