Blücher GmbH - SARATOGA™ Permeable NBC Protective Clothing

Blücher GmbH, a German company based in Düsseldorf, together with its US licensee Tex-Shield Inc., are internationally renowned in the NBC defense industry. The heart of our business is the continuous development of the SARATOGA™ technology, the world market leader for permeable NBC protective clothing.

COMPOSITE FILTER FABRIC

SARATOGA™ is a unique patented composite filter fabric based on highly activated and hard carbon spheres fixed onto textile carrier fabrics. With a carbon density of between 180g/m² to 220g/m², the maximum on the market, it provides a minimum of 24 hours protection and at least 45 days of wear under battlefield conditions, including several field washings.

Over 85% of the sphere's outer surface is freely accessible to harmful gases, resulting in an extremely rapid and firm adsorption.

NBC OVERGARMENTS, DUTY UNIFORMS AND UNDERGARMENTS

SARATOGA™ incorporates an entire family of products for military and civilian personal NBC protection:

• Overgarments (worn over regular clothing)
• Duty uniforms (worn over underwear)
• Undergarments (worn instead of underwear in combination with regular clothing)

Garments are also available in flame retardant versions. NBC protective gloves, socks and hoods complement the range of SARATOGA™ garments.

We can also supply:

• SARATOGA™ filter fabrics as roll goods
• Sets consisting of a SARATOGA™ garment, protective gloves and overboots in a protective carrier bag

We can also offer research and development support and manufacturing assistance.

Alongside military users, civilian organizations such as civil defense, police, fire fighters, EOD, coast guard and inspectors (OPCW and UNMOVIC) use our garments.

REFERENCES

Over 4.5 million suits have been sold to 25 nations and ten out of 19 NATO member states protect their forces with SARATOGA™. Since 1997, SARATOGA™ has been the standard for all US forces as it is the only technology to fulfill the stringent requirements of the JSLIST Program (Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology).

The United Arab Emirates recently awarded us with a contract to protect their forces with SARATOGA™ suits. Other countries with hot climates using SARATOGA™ include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

SARATOGA™ NBC protective garments can be worn under all climatic conditions with minimal impact on combat effectiveness. The JSLIST suit was tested at ten locations worldwide including arctic, tropic and desert environments.

WEAR PHYSIOLOGY: SPHERICAL ABSORBERS

The better the wear properties of a protective suit, the longer it can be worn for preventive protection without fear of serious loss to operational strength.

The microclimate between skin and clothing has a great influence on the wearing properties. The pore structure of the SARATOGA™ spherical absorbers and their hydrophilic properties has the effect that sweat impulses are caught and continuously decomposed. This causes a low increase of humidity and a low atmospheric humidity in the area very close to skin. For that reason SARATOGA™ is pleasant to wear.

The high flexibility of SARATOGA™ filter materials leads to a "pump effect" which increases the microclimate such as a quick exchange of the air in between the inner and outer textile layers. The suits are also highly air permeable meaning that sweat and heat stress are reduced.

REUSABILITY

SARATOGA™ has a very high mechanical stability, guaranteeing reusability. Due to excellent mechanical properties, SARATOGA™ protective suits can be used for training purposes without problems; after being washed and packed, the protective suits are fully suitable to be re-used.

POSITIVE EFFECTS ON THE SKIN

Different tests (conducted by TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory and during the JSLIST program) have revealed that SARATOGA™ protective suits do not expose the wearer to any danger (such as skin irritations).

STORAGE TIME

Annual controls prove that more than enough chemical protection exists even after 15 years of storage under correct conditions.

COST

From an economical aspect, SARATOGA™ is the best NBC protective garment system money can buy. Garments can be worn up to 60 days and laundered over ten times under field conditions. Together with a storage time of at least 15 years and its logistical advantages, SARATOGA™ demonstrates by far the lowest life cycle costs.