MKU - Light Weight Armour Solutions

Based on protection, performance & budget criteria, MKU offers a complete range of products and services to cover the entire gamut of requirements for light weight protection of land, air and sea platforms. MKU can provide armour solutions based on the requirement, specifications and structural drawings of the client. These can be delivered as:

• Panels
• Kits
• Add-on armour
• Spall liners

MKU offers panels and kits which are a perfect mix, match and blend of heterogeneous or homogenous materials. These light weight armour solutions are of a specified weight, thickness and project certain chemical and mechanical properties that are important for the specific applications and field requirements for which they are made. These panels supplement the basic hull of the vehicle in order to achieve the specified ballistic performance. These panels or kits can be used as a standalone armour or as add-on armour to supplement the current protection on vehicles as per the requirement or specification.

The cost and time constraints on the procurement of new vehicles have led users around the world to consider the upgradation of existing fleets. The challenge lies in upgrading these vehicles to the currently identified threat levels with cost effective solutions and without affecting the vehicle's engine, payload, suspension and braking capacities.

MKU has developed add-on upgrade armour kits which can be quickly integrated by soldiers in or close to the battle area, onto existing vehicle platforms. The specifications of the kits can be determined by first analyzing the properties of the existing protection (normally steel) and the level of deterioration caused in it by field conditions.

• More cost effective than procuring a new vehicle
• Modular approach facilitates interchangeability amongst similar vehicles
• Minimal or no structural/engine changes required on the vehicles to attain desired protection level
• Easily deployable integration systems and subsystems - These upgrade kits can be easily fitted externally or internally or retro-fitted to attain the desired level of protection
• Environmentally more resistant
• The vehicle can be easily adapted for different threat levels based on demographics and regions they are to be deployed in

MKU Light Weight Armour Solutions address mostly all kind of perceived in theatre threats, namely:

• Armour piercing (AP) ammunition
• Fragments
• Heavy machine guns
• Cannons
• Blast

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. 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) panel - ACC panels from MKU use high performance light weight ceramics
• Standard ceramic composite panels - standard ceramic composite panels from MKU offer the same level of protection and performance as ACC, but at a more affordable cost

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.

Spall liners

Spall liners reduce the cone of fragments when the vehicle is affected by kinetic energy from projectiles. MKU customises spall liners based on end-use applications and environment.

FLEXAR

Flexar from MKU is an innovative material that not only provides reliable ballistic protection but is also highly adaptive to the contours of the vehicle making retro-fitting a much easier task. It also acts as an excellent backing material to ceramic armour panels.