DuPont today announced the availability of DuPont Kevlar XP, a new patented technology that provides ballistic and trauma protection in a more comfortable body armor solution.

Kevlar XP technology has been designed to provide end-users with higher performance body armor that is more comfortable, while meeting the most demanding requirements of current and pending global standards. Both DuPont and independent tests show that Kevlar XP consistently stops bullets within the first three layers of a vest designed with a total of 11 layers. The remaining layers of Kevlar XP absorb the energy of the bullet, resulting in less trauma, or backface deformation, to the vest wearer. Based on DuPont experience, significantly more layers are typically required to stop a bullet in other commercially available lightweight technologies.

Kevlar XP initially will be available for body armor, but DuPont already is developing additional ballistic applications for the future, as well as products for other industries.

“In our experience, we have never seen a technology that works as effectively as Kevlar XP at stopping bullets and reducing body trauma in a lightweight solution. This is an exciting new ballistic technology platform and the latest example of continued innovation in personal protection products from DuPont,” said Thomas G. Powell, vice president and general manager—DuPont Advanced Fiber Systems. “Kevlar XP technology has been designed to provide end-users with higher performance body armor that is more comfortable, while meeting the most demanding requirements of current and pending global standards.”

Kevlar XP typically provides a 15 percent reduction in backface deformation and at least a 10 percent lighter weight vest design against the most challenging National Institute of Justice (NIJ) level IIIA threat, a .44 Magnum bullet. Additionally, Kevlar XP provides excellent layer to layer abrasion resistance.

Kevlar XP is targeted to the growing global market for ballistic protection, a market DuPont estimates is growing at more than 10 percent annually, and in which DuPont Kevlar has over 35 years of proven performance.