Battelle, the world’s largest non-profit research and development company, recently announced that it has been awarded a Tier 1 rating, the highest rating available, for its West Jefferson High Energy Research Laboratory Area (HERLA) by the United States Army. This accreditation allows Battelle to conduct Explosive Formed Projectile (EFP) testing at the HERLA using the government provided surrogate EFP devices for third-party armor developers.

The Tier 1 rating will allow third-party developers to test prospective armor solutions under certification standards at a facility other than government facilities. However, final certification of armor solutions still takes place at the Aberdeen Test Center. The availability of an additional testing site will allow armor solutions to be pre-tested under replicated government conditions to ensure they will be successful during official certification testing. This EFP Surrogate Test Program will allow for the facilitation of third party testing providing quick turn around developmental testing and client pre-screening of armor candidate solutions.

For more information visit www.battelle.org or contact National Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or at delaneyk@battelle.org.