Plasan Armour Systems for Military Vehicles

Plasan is a leading provider of mission-ready armoured vehicle solutions. The company has designed more than 150 armoured hulls, and delivered more than 30,000 armour solutions to armed forces and security organisations worldwide. Plasan offers full design, development, integration, testing and delivery under one roof.

Passive protection kits for military vehicles

Plasan develops and manufactures passive protection kits for military and civilian vehicles that are exposed to attack from small-arms fire, grenades, anti-personnel mines and RPG missiles.

Plasan designs and produces complete armoured hulls as well as add-on armour. Its expertise in materials, ballistics and vehicle design produces armour systems that can meet a wide spectrum of threat and weight requirements. Therefore, armour kits can be made of lightweight materials to provide maximum vehicle protection without limiting automotive performance.

Plasan´s survivability solutions include:

• Detachable and easily mounted protection kits designed for replacement and sustainability.
• Lightweight multi-layer protection solutions using compound materials with multi-hit capabilities.
• Customised mine protection solutions, despite the challenging structure of the vehicle.

Blast management solutions for vehicles

Plasan has unique expertise in blast management techniques, and can offer blast solutions for any vehicle by combining geometrical, structural and energy-absorbing materials with advanced seat technologies for maximum protection.

Plasan’s ‘Kitted Hull’ design approach features a pre-manufactured kit with bolted panels replacing welded components. Besides supporting ease of upgrade and repair, this design facilitates mass production by allowing multiple facilities to work in parallel, alleviating the dependence on skilled and expensive welders as well as avoiding time-consuming work backups that may develop at a single production site.

This feature was put to the test during the M-ATV programme, when Oshkosh and Plasan ramped-up quickly to more than 1,000 vehicles per month. Using the ‘Kitted Hull’ concept, the supply chain could certify multiple subcontractors and utilise them for manufacturing the hull components before forwarding them to the assembly lines.

Armoured hulls, ballistic protection kits and personal protection products

Plasan has played a critical role in many high-profile programmes around the world, including MRAP, MTVR and M-ATV in the US, Hawkei in Australia and many European armoured vehicle programmes. Plasan typically teams up with the vehicle manufacturer to supply fully armoured hulls and/or add-on ballistic or mine protection kits.

Over 20,000 tactical vehicles and a wide range of helicopters and transport aircraft, all armoured by Plasan’s technologies, are today deployed in the battlefield and are saving innumerable lives.

Plasan provides personal protection products to the IDF, US, NATO and other countries in South America and the Far East.

Passive RPG defeater

One of Plasan’s innovations is the UFF (Ultra Flex Fence) family of RPG passive defeaters, which outperforms the previous generation of passive RPG.

Plasan’s UFF solution, shown in image 4 installed on a Sandcat vehicle, is a next-generation passive RPG defeater with a protection performance of 80% neutralisations (90% of which are ‘silent’, non-damaging neutralisations) thereby bypassing previous solutions. It presents a robust exterior that is free of the field durability issues associated with net-based products.

RPG protection solutions by Plasan:

• The new generation Hybrid Slat Fence (HSF), a lightweight flexible steel and composite bar armour that uses unique technology to protect against even the newest RPGs which feature an insulation layer between the cones. HSF can be installed over openings and transparent areas in the vehicle, providing maximal levels of protection regardless of door or hatch type. Installation over the vehicle openings doesn’t block the field of view, with crew members being able to move the lattice backwards or break it for easy escape during emergencies. The system can also be quickly installed – or removed – by soldiers in the field.
• FlexFence passive RPG defeat armour with advanced neutralisation mechanism, designed for maximum protection at a light weight and affordable cost. It can be easily mounted onto any hull or existing platform or structure.

Fully armoured hulls

For the M-ATV programme, Plasan supplied Oshkosh Defense with a fully armoured hull. The M-ATV is the first large-scale tactical wheeled vehicle programme to incorporate a complex mix of metal composite armour, SMART™ advanced ceramic composite armour and fibre laminates into a complete ballistic solution. Its monocoque hull is outfitted with Plasan’s patented SMART™ technology for ballistic protection.

Composite-based vehicle armour

Plasan supplied a composite-based armour solution for Navistar’s MaxxPro – a mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle based on a Navistar COTS truck chassis. Complete driver and crew cabin protection is achieved through an integrated design concept protecting against small-arms fire, fragments, IEDs and blast force attenuation in a positive pressure compartment.

Add-on armour and mine blast protection kits

Oshkosh Defense’s MTVR, in production since 2006, was Plasan’s first large-scale order from the US DoD/USMC for an up-armoured troop carrier and logistics vehicle. Add-on armour and mine blast protection kits were designed for the cabin and rear cargo sections.

Armoured personnel carriers

Image 8 shows an Oshkosh fully-protected, wheeled, armoured personnel carrier, based on an ‘off-the-shelf’ Ford Truck chassis cab, customised for homeland security and military applications. Several variants have been supplied since 2008.

Armour protection for trucks

The Oshkosh HEMTT A4 recovery truck, or wrecker, offers heavy-duty power and extreme performance for the most difficult recovery missions. It has the manoeuvrability to traverse any type of terrain and the power to recover vehicles weighing in excess of 10t that are mired in mud, sand, water or snow. Plasan has been supplying armour protection for this truck since 2009.

Armour protection for all-terrain vehicles

The Viking BvS-10 is an all-terrain armoured vehicle produced by BAE Land Systems’ Hägglunds of Sweden. It was originally developed as a collaboration between Hägglunds Vehicle and the UK MoD on behalf of the Royal Marines. Plasan has been supplying armour protection (including SMART armour) for the Viking since 2009.

Armoured 4×4 vehicles

The SandCat family of 4X4 armoured vehicles has been designed to support a wide range of challenges and missions, including: law enforcement, SWAT, special forces, peacekeeping, homeland security, border patrol and armed conflicts. The SandCat is fielded in over 15 countries across five continents.

The SandCat is available in three variants, which can be adapted to the specific needs of every security, police or armed force. Each variant is designed for optimised operational functionality:

1. Stormer-troop carrier for up to 11 occupants or protected payloads ideal for SWAT teams.

2. Transport for up to 8 occupants or protected payloads. Ideal for tactical missions.

3. Utility for up to 5 occupants, plus unprotected rear payload. Ideal for patrols or as a system/weapon carrier.

The SandCats are also used to transport troops, as a command and control or communication centres, weapon carriers and to transport VIPs through conflict zones. A unique kitted Hull built to meet STANAG 3 protection level, puts SandCat in a class of its own. Lightweight composite materials and unique cabin designs ensure added protection, which does not come at the expense of added vehicle weight or reduced performance.

SandCat can be easily configured for advanced surveillance equipment, including mast mounted observation systems, all around sensor systems, and a gunner protection turret.

The Guarder is a high-performance, 4×4 armoured vehicle designed for military and peacekeeping operations, homeland security, border patrol, SWAT and police forces. It has a combat weight of 22 tons, and curb weight of 18.5 tons.

The Guarder is based on a man-truck chassis, fitted with a spacious protected capsule that can be configured to accommodate 22 troops in addition to the two men crew, a command post, medical facility etc.

Guarder’s lightweight steel composite hull on a robust 4X4 chassis provides impressive manoeuverability, with a small turning radius making it ideal for dense urban environments. The vehicle’s unique design and high-clearance enables it to travel through fields, over ditches and obstacles, as well as hilly and rocky terrain.

The crew compartment has armour conforming to STANAG Level III, with Level I protection for the floor. The vehicles are equipped with fire protection systems, chemical attack protection equipment, observation navigation, driving systems and mast mounted cameras, for situational awareness.