Army to kick off industry competition for next-generation laser-protecting eyewear

NATICK, Mass., 21 July 2016. U.S. Army land warfare experts are ready to kick off an industry competition to develop a new generation of laser-protecting goggles and other eyewear that safeguards soldiers' eyes from shrapnel, laser beams, sand and dust, and bright sunlight.

Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Natick, Mass., issued a presolicitation Wednesday (W911QY-16-R-0043) for the Next Generation Eye Protection (NGEP) project. Army officials say they plan to award one or more one-year contracts to develop prototype protective eyewear.

These eye-protection devices must offer ballistic fragmentation protection per MIL-PRF-32432, high optical quality, configurations for laser eye protection, accommodate varying light conditions, and be compatible with the Universal Prescription Lens Carrier (UPLC) to accommodate vision correction for warfighters.

Army experts are placing heavy emphasis on manufacturing capabilities for production quantities since they envision follow-on production contracts. A formal solicitation is expected by 3 Aug. 2016.

Related: Air Force uses optical simulation software from Optis to simulate and evaluate military laser eye protection

The Army's point of contact for the NGEP program is John Conlin. His email address is [email protected], his phone number is 508-233-6164, and his postal address is Building 1, Kansas Street, Natick, Mass. 01760-5011.

Army officials caution, however, that they will not answer questions over the phone, and will offer a question-and-answer period after release of the formal solicitation. More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/be634592f80d6a2dd37190adbb88f4a1.

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