Platform Protection

Why light weight armour solutions ?
A comparison - Steel vs Light weight armour solutions

Although steel has been the traditional choice for ballistic protection solutions for quite some time, the changing combat applications and the ever increasing lethality of the modern ammunitions have raised serious doubts in recent times on the versatility of steel alone to overcome the performance and survivability criteria required or expected from performance laden and expensive vehicles of today. Whilst steel has many properties which weigh in its favour, the excessive weight of steel can seriously impair or deter the performance and survivability of vehicles in the field because of:

Increased GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)

Lower power to weight performance ratio in the vehicle

Lower payload capacity

Need to modify the suspension system to support increased inertial energy of the vehicle

Reduced vehicle maneuverability

Higher maintenance costs with regard to mechanical, structural & operational parameters

Increased vibration

Lack of adaptability to diverse mission criticalities

Higher thermal signature

Higher in-cabin air-conditioning requirements

Poor acoustic properties

LWAS Panels & Kits - Standard ballistic solutions

UHMWPE Panels

Lightweight UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) panels offer excellent acoustic properties and have multi-hit capabilities. They are ideal for protection against common handgun ammunition to a subset of non-armour piercing rifle bullets & fragments. They can be used as standalone primary armour or as backing material behind primary ceramic or steel armour. High strength, chemical resistance & high wear-ability quotient make UHMWPE panels an excellent choice for light weight armouring solutions.

Aramid Panels

Highly crystalline aramid fibers offer stable performance and durability over wide temperature spectrums. Aramid panels can be used for flexible, semi-rigid and rigid configurations. The unique lateral fiber structure of aramid material makes it suitable to counter the spall effect, reducing the cone effect arising from high kinetic energy projectiles. Ease of processing and handling with a high degree of projectile engagement properties, makes it a preferred choice for platform armouring. These panels can be used as a standalone solution as well as backing for ceramic, steel or any other material.

Ceramic Composite Panels

Highly brittle yet extremely hard, panels made of ceramic tiles matrixed under heterogeneous layers of material, offer superior resistance against armour piercing rounds and high kinetic projectiles.

	Advanced Ceramic Composite (ACC) Panels
	ACC panels use high performance light weight ceramics, which provide excellent protection against armour piercing ammunition and are more suited for aircraft where payload cannot be compromised and platform engine performance and contingent protection are of the highest priority. They perform well across a wide temperature range and offer multi-hit capabilities.


	Standard Ceramic Composite panels foffer the same level of protection and performance as ACC, but at a more affordable cost. They are ideally suited for protection of platforms where weight is not so critical, yet armour piercing protection remains a major requirement.

Steel Composite Panels

Traditionally, steel has been preferred for armouring due to its low cost and high availability.

Although usage of steel compromises with the performance and load bearing capacity of a vehicle, there are scenarios where performance or payload is not the primary concern. In such cases it is recommended to have an array of armour material mounted behind the outer surface, possibly sandwiched between steel layers to attain the desired protection level. For land applications, ceramics or UHMWPE steel armour solutions are recommended.

Spall Liners

Occupants of armoured vehicles face additional threats of steel fragments, caused by the impact of high kinetic energy projectiles on the steel shell and reinforcements of the vehicle. Spall liners prevent such fragments from striking the vehicle occupants. The spall liner also offers noise and heat insulation, they can be cut and drilled into using with standard equipment. They are easy to shape and are negatively affected by any moisture that might seep into the vehicle

While UHMWPE, Aramid and E-Glass spall liners are offered we recommend S2-Glass spall liner as these provide excellent structural reinforcement to the areas or parts which have to carry structural load and provide ballistic protection due to the high compressive properties of the material. S2-Glass spall liner offers high resistance to corrosion, is light weight and provides good ballistic protection. It is the ideal solution for combat vehicles, ships and aircrafts.

- Flexible Panels

The ever evolving nature of vehicle design is, perhaps, the biggest challenge to the manufacturers of ballistic protection. Steep and curvy contours necessitate the need for adaptive material that traces every inch of the automobile surface without compromising on protection levels.

Flexar is an innovative material that not only provides reliable ballistic protection but is also highly adaptive to the contours of the vehicle making retrofitting a much easier task. Flexar is corrosion & chemical resistant, water repellent and can perform in high temperature zones.

It is suitable as a 'Fragmentation Blanket' for floors and backs of the vehicle seats. It also acts as an excellent backing material to ceramic armour panels. For flat applications, such as vehicle floors, quilted layers of aramid fabric are preferable to Flexar.