About Us
About Gilliam Arms
Performance saves lives. No compromises.
We bring dependable and predictable body armor to the public. We evaluate every design at NIJ labs. We drop test every armor design at NIJ labs, or disclose when we do not. We will not compromise sound design or adequate materials to the detriment of our customers. We will establish and maintain the most well-informed community in the body armor industry.
Nearly Four Centuries of American Heritage
Gilliam Arms traces its lineage to the earliest colonial settlers of Virginia, where the Gilliam name has been documented since 1635. Our family's American story begins with John and Thomas Gilliam, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship George from Gravesend, England, as part of the great wave of English colonization that established the foundations of what would become the United States.
Colonial Virginia Roots (1635–1750s)
The Gilliam family established deep roots in Albemarle Parish, Surry County, Virginia, where they became prominent landowners and community leaders. Hinchea Gilliam (c. 1666–1734) served as a military officer and substantial landholder, with extensive documented presence in colonial court records, land patents, and parish registers. The unusual name "Hinchea" — found in our Virginia Gilliam line — appears to derive from the English surname Henshaw, hinting at earlier English ancestral ties.
Through multiple generations, the Gilliams contributed to colonial Virginia's development as planters, militia officers, and civic leaders in Surry, Sussex, and neighboring counties.
Southward Migration (1750s–1800s)
Following colonial settlement patterns, the Gilliam family expanded southward into North Carolina. Later generations were part of the migration from Virginia's Tidewater region into Franklin County, North Carolina, where they left extensive records of land ownership and community involvement. Family naming patterns honor historical marriages that connected the Gilliams to other prominent colonial families.
Modern American Service
This tradition of service continued through subsequent generations into the modern era. Today's leadership — with backgrounds in law enforcement, military, aviation, intelligence analysis, and advanced technical expertise — carries forward nearly four centuries of American heritage through Gilliam Technical Services LLC, applying the same principles of craftsmanship and innovation that built our nation.
The founder of Gilliam Arms, W. Gilliam, has served as a police officer in Norfolk, Virginia, and as an analyst with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He holds Airline Transport Pilot certification and FAA Flight Instructor credentials, and has authored research publications on aviation safety. He founded Chesapeake Bay Helicopters with his family, where he helped pioneer the world's first aerial platform operating simultaneous LiDAR, infrared, corona, day-TV, and ortho (nadir) imaging.
American Heritage
Our heritage is reflected in the courage of those who crossed the Atlantic to build new lives in colonial America. Our nearly four centuries of documented American presence stand as testament to the Gilliam commitment to excellence, service, and craftsmanship.
From colonial Virginia to today's most advanced ballistic protection systems, Gilliam Arms represents the latest chapter in an unbroken chain of American achievement — built on documented history, not legend.
Why We Are Different
When you really understand something, you seek to improve it. That is why Gilliam Arms is the only armor company that produces its own proprietary ballistic adhesive, ARMORFILM™.
Ballistic adhesive is what holds a hard armor plate's strike face, ceramic, and backer together under impact — and it is the single most overlooked component in the industry. Most armor companies buy adhesive off the shelf and design around its limitations. We engineered ours to perform.
ARMORFILM™ was developed to bond ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and other ballistic substrates to ceramic. It activates at dwell times and temperatures well below the melting point of polyethylene, protecting the ballistic core during processing while delivering exceptional adhesive strength. The result is a plate built with redundancy and consistency that off-the-shelf solutions cannot match.
Gilliam Arms is owned and operated by Gilliam Technical Services LLC. Family Heritage Est. 1635. Gilliam Technical Services founded 2004.
