A Turkish defense company has manufactured Turkey's first own advanced ballistic shield, the company said on Thursday.

After three years of research and development effort, engineers with the Nurol Technology Corp., an affiliate of Turkey's Nurol Holding, manufactured "T-Zirh" or "the T-Shield", an item which is one of the most needed equipments for the Turkish military.

Fifteen million euros were spent to manufacture the shield that weighs around 4-5 kilograms when applied to body armors, much lighter than its foreign-made counterparts.

The company said that the shield can be used also in ballistic protection of buildings, ground and aerial military vehicles.

The company said raw material, including boron carbide, an element used primarily to reinforce advanced composites, and the machinery deployed to produce the shield were entirely provided through national means.


AA