US Army will make lighter and more comfortable bulletproof clothing from synthetic spider silk
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, the leading developer of spider silk based fibers, announced that the U.S. Army awarded the optional phase of its contract with the Company valued at more than $900,000. Under this exercised option, the Company will work to design, produce, and deliver additional recombinant spider silk materials tailored for the protective needs of our Soldiers. With this additional award the total contract is now valued at more than $1.0 million.
Genetically modified spider silk could be used to make more protective armor and underwear for soldiers. Spider silk isn't as strong as Kevlar, it's more flexible.
In 2014, there were several efforts working towards synthetic spider silk.
"When I founded this Company it was with the dream that one day we would work with the US Army to produce ultra-high strength materials in support of our Warfighters," said Company CEO and founder, Kim K. Thomson. "The Army's exercise of its option under our agreement validates that dream. Our team is honored to be working on this noble project and we intend to provide this very important customer with the very best high strength polymers using our recombinant spider silk technology."
"We are extremely excited to continue our work with the US Army to deliver revolutionary materials to support the Warfighter," stated Jon Rice, COO. "Under this new phase we will be working closely with our sponsor agency to match the performance of our spider silk to their specific use cases and protective applications. I would like to thank our team for the incredible amount of effort they've put in to make the first phase of this project a success and express my gratitude to our sponsor for the trust and confidence they've placed in us to deliver the next generation of spider silk solutions. The potential uses of spider silk are nearly limitless, but one of the greatest honors is being able to apply our technology to serving those who dedicate themselves to serving and protecting all of us."
