Maryland firm to develop new metallic armor for U.S. Army vehicles

The U.S. Army awarded Hardwire LLC a $99 million contract to develop advanced processing methods for metallic armor, the Department of War announced August 24. The contract runs through Phase III of the Small Business Innovative Research program and has an estimated completion date of August 23, 2031.

Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is managing the contract, designated W911QX-26-D-A006. Bids were solicited online, and the Army received one bid.

The award falls under an Army SBIR topic focused on laminated metallic armor, which calls for low-cost, high-yield domestic production processes for laminated armor plates and high-strength structural components that can be welded directly into vehicle structures using existing manufacturing techniques. The Army has said that approach could reduce vehicle armor weight while maintaining current levels of ballistic protection. Hardwire is listed as one of the participants in that SBIR topic, alongside Alotech Limited, QuesTek Innovations and Hy-Tek Manufacturing.

Work locations and specific funding will be determined as individual orders are placed under the IDIQ structure, meaning the $99 million figure represents a contract ceiling rather than a guaranteed payment.

Hardwire, based in Pocomoke City, Maryland, operates a 130,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and has built its business primarily on body armor and ballistic protection products for the military, law enforcement and civilian markets. The company has won several other Army contracts in the past 18 months. In September 2025, the Army awarded Hardwire and Leading Technology Composites a combined $65.5 million in delivery orders for lightweight small arms protective plates. In March 2025, the Department of War awarded Hardwire a $416 million IDIQ contract, also running through 2032, to produce Vital Torso Protection Lares Small Arms Protective Inserts, a lighter-weight body armor plate developed under the Army’s push to offer more size and fit options for soldiers.

Hardwire’s prior work has centered on personal protective equipment rather than vehicle-integrated armor systems. The new SBIR Phase III contract shifts toward structural and vehicle-mounted metallic armor applications, according to the Army’s program description, rather than body-worn plates.

SBIR Phase III contracts are awarded to small businesses that have already completed earlier research and development phases under the program, typically without additional competition, to transition a proven technology toward production or operational use. The single-bid solicitation process reflects that structure.