BREWER, Maine — As turmoil unfolds across the Middle East and Europe, a group of Maine engineers hopes their invention will keep American troops out of harm’s way.
The Expeditionary Shelter Protection System (ESPS) is a lightweight, shielded perimeter designed by Brewer-based contractor Compotech to protect soldier tents and shelters from small-arms fire and metal fragments from artillery.
“It catches everything, so nothing gets through the backside,” Compotech CEO Tyler Jolicoeur said Wednesday.
Jolicoeur and his co-founders developed the technology for the armor at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. They launched Compotech in 2011. Now their flagship product, ESPS, ships to Army depots across the world, where it is a preferred alternative to sandbags when it comes to protecting troop shelters.
The entire armor can be set up by a team of four in an hour, company leaders say, allowing for a quick response to new threats. “If you get information that you’re going to be attacked and you currently don’t have armor set up, this can be deployed,” Jolicoeur explained.
In addition to serving a military role, the C-suite at Compotech hopes their ready-made armor shell can find use for non-governmental organizations operating in dangerous parts of the world.
Compotech President Paul Melrose said the company has been in contact with chef Jose Andres’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen, whose convoy in Gaza was attacked in Israeli airstrikes that killed seven aid workers, including one American citizen, April 1.
“I do think there’s a great application for [our product] there,” Melrose said.
For now, the U.S. Army remains Compotech’s sole client. Melrose said the company is planning to present its armor to the Marines in the coming weeks.