Honeywell announced that it has released Centurion™, a composite fabric designed to make law enforcement apparel and equipment 35 to 40% lighter. Centurion is the latest performance fabric made from Honeywell Spectra® fiber and is suitable for any type of application where the product needs to be strong but lightweight. By contrast, vests made with Centurion fabric are 35 to 40% lighter because they do not require extra fabric. Centurion is laser-cut according to user preference, resulting in slits along the vests from which officers can hang, hook or tie gear as needed. Spectra fiber is made from ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene using a patented gel-spinning process. Pound for pound, Spectra is 15 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float. It has up to 60% greater strength than alternate aramid fiber. Spectra fiber is used to create Spectra Shield®, an advanced ballistic-resistant material. Honeywell's Shield technology is a patented Honeywell process designed to optimize the ballistic performance characteristics of Spectra as well as aramid fiber in Gold Shield® materials.