Dyneema® and NP Aerospace Advance Personal Protection for Military Servicewomen

GELEEN, Netherlands – June 8, 2026 – Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel. Backed by many years of battle-proven capability, Dyneema® lightweight, high-strength UD materials together with NP Aerospace’s innovative designs are raising the bar for female operators’ mobility, comfort, and safety.

Industry-standard hard body armor does not provide equal protection for female service personnel, as plates are designed around male body geometry, creating coverage gaps when worn by many women. NP Aerospace’s modeling shows that a female-contoured curved hard armor plate delivers more than 10% greater average ballistic coverage across all threat angles, with improvements of up to 40% in certain scenarios (e.g., elevated threat angles), compared to standard ESAPI plates.

NP Aerospace has rectified this issue by producing body armor systems designed to fit the contours of the female body, thereby supporting safer load carriage, better mobility, and improved safety.

NP Aerospace selected Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™, as a key ingredient material in its new personal protection solution for women. All Dyneema® UD material supplied to NP Aerospace is produced at Avient’s Dyneema® manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Each armor system consists of a curved hard-armor plate for the front, an industry-standard ESAPI hard-armor plate for the rear, and a body armor carrier with integrated soft armor. By using Dyneema® UD material, the armor system delivers outstanding ballistic stopping power at an unprecedented low weight and provides excellent protection against rifle and armor-piercing threats. It comes in a range of sizes with varying degrees of curvature and coverage, providing vital protection for organs from all angles, regardless of body shape, while also substantially improving comfort.

James Kempston, CEO at NP Aerospace, said: “We have a long-standing and trusted relationship with Avient and Dyneema®, having used their materials in multiple armor programs for many years. It was the natural choice for us to return to Dyneema® materials to help develop our groundbreaking new women’s body armor solution. Together we are leading the way, globally, protecting women working in high-risk and harsh environments, with a body armor solution that is optimized to address the specific and unique challenges – delivering improved protection and comfort.”

“We are proud to collaborate with NP Aerospace on an armor system that has been purpose-built for women,” said Marcelo van de Kamp, Global Business Director of Personal Protection for Dyneema® at Avient. “By combining NP Aerospace’s expertise in armor design with the outstanding strength-to-weight ratio of Dyneema® materials, we’re delivering unmatched protection for women in the field and enabling the comfort and agility they need to operate at their best.”

As the only ballistic materials manufacturer to produce both its fiber and UD in-house at dual manufacturing sites in Europe and the US, the Dyneema® brand is trusted by the world’s elite forces to deliver reliability and consistency in everything from supply chain to performance. Because it matters where materials for protective armor are made, local production helps ensure consistent quality and reinforces trust for those who depend on uncompromising standards.

Visit Dyneema® at Eurosatory 2026, the global event for defense and security, to learn more about the latest advancements in protective armor solutions made with the world’s strongest fiber™, June 15–19 at Paris’ Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Booth B325 (Hall 5a, USA Security and Defense Pavilion).

The NP Aerospace team will also be at Eurosatory at Booth J25 Hall 6, with Equipment des Metiers de la Defense, showcasing the new armor system in multiple sizes for women to try on.

 Avient

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