NEW YORK, April 28 (UPI) -- A more efficient and lightweight range of armor for U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan is one of the priority solutions sought by industry experts who will meet at the annual Military Armor Protection Summit in May.
The summit, the fifth annual event of its kind, is a key forum for experts and scientists involved with developing military armor protection devices and equipment.
Aside from being a multibillion-dollar segment of the defense industry business, armor development is critical to the effectiveness of the war effort, especially as troop buildup in Afghanistan gains momentum.
The summit, opening May 24 in McLean, Va., will bring together leading military and industry experts for a series of mission-critical issues pertaining to the military vehicle and individual body armor community, the organizer said.
"The summit couldn't happen at a more critical time," said Elliott Jones, program director at The Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, a non-partisan information-based organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense.
The IDGA campaigns for adoption of innovative ideas in industry through live conferences and events such as the scheduled 5th Military Armor Protection Summit.
Jones said, "With the increase in U.S. soldiers sent to Afghanistan, the demand for enhanced protection of military assets has become an ever-increasing challenge and opportunity for those involved in military armor solutions."
He said, "2010 is the year to develop and fulfill a definitive set of requirements for vehicle and personal armor capabilities suited for the battlefield in Afghanistan."
The summit is the IDGA's premier forum for the military armor community to exchange ideas on new armor technologies, challenges and developments in protective equipment, and recent research on armor systems.
The event also provides an overview of the latest requirements and opportunities in the vehicle and individual body armor industry, said the organizer.
This year's event would look at innovations in the survivability of ground vehicles, holistic protection in a complex operating environment, weight reduction without compromising ballistic protection, optimizing the performance of ultra-light composite armor solutions and protecting equipment and personnel from improvised explosive devices and blast shock waves.
Among recent innovations, mainly response to advanced and deadlier ballistics, is liquid armor. The Science Central Archive at ScienceCentral.com cited research conducted at the University of Delaware and the U.S. Army Research Lab in Aberdeen, Md., that focused on light, flexible full-body armor.
"Flexible full-body protection that could save our troops' lives and limbs is at the top of the list for many researchers and technology companies," said the Web site. In liquid armor, the key ingredient is a liquid that turns lightweight material into full-body armor.
The "liquid armor" is meant to protect the parts of the body that aren't covered by standard-issue ballistic vests.
