Local Security Pro Aims To Save Lives With Innovative ‘Armor’

By John Voket

Watching the promotional DVD from Armor Dynamics, you almost expect to see a cameo from action movie star turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. The video depicts an officer, apparently under fire, moving with gun drawn behind a police vehicle. The driver and officer are protected from enemy fire by several large orange-colored plates hung from the SUV’s doors and windows.

You later see, in slow motion, how these brightly colored plates virtually eat high powered rifle rounds and bomb fragments — swallowed into a “self-healing” skin and safely dissipated by a ceramic and polymer gel filling and shock absorbing infrastructure.

If this sounds like some futuristic invention form Robocop, take another look. The invention, and innovative product line aimed for use by the military, homeland security forces, and police agencies, is being made available today from the Kingston, N.Y.,-based company that was co-founded by Newtown resident James Rancourt.

Mr Rancourt, a former Monroe police officer, entrepreneur, and corporate security specialist, joined with five other acquaintances recently to patent and market the scientific process and designs that Armor Dynamics, Inc continues to refine in conjunction with several prominent New York universities. He said he and his partners, one a retired Marine, were becoming increasingly upset “seeing the number of injured soldiers coming back who are victims of IEDs.”

He said these improvised explosive devices are being used increasingly in the Middle East, and that the “bad guys,” are improving their effectiveness “every day.”

“They’re increasing the force by combining the chemical composition and directing the force of the explosives,” he said, typically going after smaller numbers of armed forces riding in Humvees and small nonarmored transport vehicles. “We all have a lot of friends over there and we’ve got to do more to keep them safe.”

During a recent groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new world headquarters, New York Governor George Pataki harkened back to September 11 in recognizing the need for such an important, life-saving product. Governor Pataki also heralded the significant financial investment the company is making in the Upstate region, as well as the many job opportunities Armor Dynamics is expected to create.

“Armor Dynamics’ decision to create 570 new jobs in the City of Kingston is great news for the working families of the Mid-Hudson region,” Governor Pataki said. “We’re committed to fighting for every job using the pro-growth, pro-job policies that help businesses like Armor Dynamics grow.”

Armor Dynamics will invest more than $20 million to build a new 58,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located in the Ulster County Empire Zone in the Kingston Business Park, and create 570 new jobs over the next five years.

Magmacore At The Core

The company, based in Kingston, manufactures products using a unique material called Magmacore™, a one-of-a-kind lightweight material that provides an extremely effective barrier against high-velocity artillery rounds and explosives and offers a much lighter, more effective, and less expensive alternative to conventional armament.

During a visit to The Newtown Bee earlier this week, Mr Rancourt noted that this space-age product has many applications, including providing a safer alternative for high traffic public areas by integrating the Armor Dynamics “SecureCan” trash can.

“Due to post 9/11 federal requirements, explosion-safe trash receptacles must now be used in high traffic areas like train stations and airports,” Mr Rancourt said. “Besides protecting passersby if an explosive device is dropped inside, the SecureCan can serve as a stopgap measure if a threatening device is located in the vicinity. It can be placed inside the can until explosive experts can deal with it.”

The company’s V-Blast protective shields and Bunker Blocks can be used to fortify military or civilian structures. Further development is being conducted to use this revolutionary material in bullet-proof vests, reinforced cockpit doors, and vehicle armor (including aircraft), providing greater protection for the military, law enforcement, civilians, buildings, and infrastructure.

The New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR) has partnered with Armor Dynamics and relevant high-technology academic research centers and scientists on many of these projects to help further development of the company’s products.

NYSTAR recently awarded $522,800 to Armor Dynamics, Inc and its academic partner SUNY Geneseo to begin the commercialization of the ballistic panels that provide new protection for military personnel with about one-third the weight of existing products. That partnership dovetails with New York’s Technology Transfer Incentive Program (TTIP), which includes the SUNY Geneseo staff and PhD candidates working with Alfred University students on R&D.

“The TTIP partners are actually building a supercomputer right now to help model the continuing development of our technology,” Mr Rancourt said.

Range Of Experience

The Newtown partner in Armor Dynamics was not only recruited because of his background in law enforcement and security. Mr Rancourt, who serves as Armor’s managing director, brought more than 30 years of security domain experience to the table.

According to his company bio, he has product development experience during his years at Radia Technologies Inc, where he served as vice president, market development. He guided product design and market penetration strategies and sought alliances with corporations and entities to gather traction and acceptance in the security industry.

Mr Rancourt also served for 19 years as the senior director of corporate security for United States Surgical Corporation, reporting directly to the CEO. He holds a BA from Western Connecticut State College (Cum Laude).

In some of his most recent security consulting work, the soft-spoken gentleman humbly discussed recovering millions in cash for one client and millions more in stolen medical equipment for another. Yet another client recently contracted with Mr Rancourt to provide security when a group of corporate executives traveled to South Africa for a photo safari.

Speaking of the innovative materials that go into Armor Dynamics products, he pointed to the fact that the material can be applied to doors, floor boards and seats, which could provide significant protection against small explosive attacks.

“When you’re dealing with the kinetic pulse of the explosion, you’re talking about a force that can blow a vehicle apart or toss it into the air,” he said. “But our products are already field-tested to absorb projectiles projected with a force of 20,000 feet per second. You can compare that to the average force of a high powered rifle bullet that carries a force of 3,000 feet per second.”

And the material can absorb “thousands of fragments” before losing its effectiveness, with less or no ricochet or deflection, Mr Rancourt said. In another practical test, he described a small piece of the material absorbing 47 rounds fired by an AK-47 rifle before it began to fail.

As Armor Dynamics begins to occupy its new headquarters and begins its manufacturing in earnest, Mr Rancourt will ramp up his work with military and government agencies and clients to hopefully begin widespread distribution of the company’s product line.

While he is obviously hopeful that Armor Dynamics will enjoy financial success, Mr Rancourt especially wants to see his company’s technology implemented as quickly as possible to keep our nation’s military personnel from harm’s way.

For more information about Armor Dynamics, Inc, visit its website at www.armordynamics.com.