Electric armour

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Electric armour or electromagnetic armour is a type of reactive armour proposed for the protection of ships [1] and armoured fighting vehicles [2] from shaped charge and possibly kinetic weapons using a strong electric current, complementing or replacing conventional explosive reacting armour (ERA).

Contents

Overview

Electric armour is a newer reactive armour technology. This armour is made up of two or more conductive plates separated by an air gap or by an insulating material, creating a high-power capacitor. In operation, a high-voltage power source charges the armour. When an incoming body penetrates the plates, it closes the circuit to discharge the capacitor, dumping a great deal of energy into the penetrator, vaporizing it or even turning it into a plasma, significantly diffusing the attack. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Another version of electric armour uses layers of plates of electromagnetic metal with silicone spacers on alternate sides. The damage to the exterior of the armour passes electricity into the plates causing them to magnetically move together. As the process is completed at the speed of electricity the plates are moving when struck by the projectile causing the projectile energy to be deflected whilst the energy is also dissipated in parting the magnetically attracted plates.[ citation needed ]

Advantages

Weight

A key advantage of electric armour is its lighter weight. [3] Whereas ERA (explosive reacting armour) can add 10 to 20 tons of weight to a tank in explosives, electric armour could be effective with as little as a few tons of weight, [4] [5] [8] significantly reducing the load on the tank and allowing its weight capacity and engine power to be used elsewhere. In addition, electric armour could be mounted on other armoured vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers [4] [6] [7] [8] which had sacrificed the protection of heavy armour and ERA for mobility and lightness, [4] [9] thus improving the survivability of troops onboard.

Coverage

The light weight of electric armour also means that the benefits of its protection can be spread over the whole vehicle. Due to the weight of plating, conventional armour has to be uneven in its coverage, with tanks' thickest armour placed at the most exposed front, the sides less protected, and the top and rear often highly vulnerable in comparison. This fact can be exploited by an agile enemy capable of outflanking their opponents or ambushes such as those common in the asymmetric warfare of modern insurgency. Top attack weapons such as the US FGM-148 Javelin exploit this as well, using a missile which plunges from above to attack and penetrate the tank's thin top. By utilizing electric armour and applying it to the entire vehicle, these risks could be negated. [5]

Operational safety

A secondary advantage is the increased safety of infantry and light vehicles operating near tanks with electric armour instead of ERA. Although ERA plates are intended only to bulge following detonation, the combined energy of the ERA explosive, coupled with the kinetic or explosive energy of the projectile, will frequently cause explosive fragmentation of the plate. The explosion of an ERA plate creates a significant amount of shrapnel, and those in the vicinity are in grave danger of fatal injury.

Disadvantages

Due to the novel nature of electric armour and the secrecy of military development, it is unclear whether it is supposed to function against both shaped charge jets and the more recent kinetic energy penetrators or only the former, with sources mostly focusing on shaped charges, especially that of RPGs. Shaped charges such as those in said RPGs or HEAT rounds project a hypersonic jet of molten metal particles to penetrate armour, whereas kinetic APFSDS rounds, the main anti-tank ammunition in use by modern tanks, utilize a solid rod of metal which require more electrical charge to effectively diffuse the attack, possibly beyond current capabilities. [4] [9] Despite being rather economical in terms of energy, [3] [6] [9] electric armour systems are therefore limited in their effectiveness by the ability of the vehicle equipping them to generate sufficient electricity for the system. [1]

Examples

United Kingdom

Electric armour is a development in the United Kingdom by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, [3] [4] [6] [8] named the 'Pulsed Power' System. [8] A vehicle is fitted with two thin shells, separated by insulating material. The outer shell holds an enormous electric charge, while the inner shell is at ground. If an incoming HEAT jet of a conductive metal such as copper penetrates both shells, it forms a bridge between them, and the electrical energy discharges rapidly through the jet, vaporizing it. Trials with an armoured personnel carrier have so far been promising, and it is hoped that improved systems could protect against kinetic energy penetrators.[ citation needed ] Developers of the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) series of armoured vehicles were considering this technology before its cancellation. [10]

United States

Scientists at the United States Army Research Laboratory have also published details about electric armour in New Scientist . Each tank would be covered with tiles made of strong plastic under which a sandwich of different materials would be installed. A mat of optical fibres would be the top layer, followed by a thin sheet of standard armour plating, and then a series of metal coils. On striking the plastics the optical fibers would be severed, triggering sensors to activate electrical capacitors inside the tank which would then send a powerful electrical current surging through the metal coils at the base of the electric armour. [4] The U.S. Army has also tested electric armour concepts on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaped charge</span> Explosive with focused effect

A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, initiating nuclear weapons, penetrating armor, or perforating wells in the oil and gas industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinetic energy penetrator</span> High density non-explosive projectile

A kinetic energy penetrator (KEP), also known as long-rod penetrator (LRP), is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate vehicle armour using a flechette-like, high-sectional density projectile. Like a bullet or kinetic energy weapon, this type of ammunition does not contain explosive payloads and uses purely kinetic energy to penetrate the target. Modern KEP munitions are typically of the armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reactive armour</span> Type of vehicle armour

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is explosive reactive armour (ERA), but variants include self-limiting explosive reactive armour (SLERA), non-energetic reactive armour (NERA), non-explosive reactive armour (NxRA), and electric armour. NERA and NxRA modules can withstand multiple hits, unlike ERA and SLERA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armour-piercing ammunition</span> Ammunition type designed to penetrate armour

Armour-piercing ammunition (AP) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate armour protection, most often including naval armour, body armour, vehicle armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Composite armour</span> Type of vehicle armour

Composite armour is a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different materials such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the same resistance to penetration. It is possible to design composite armour stronger, lighter and less voluminous than traditional armour, but the cost is often prohibitively high, restricting its use to especially vulnerable parts of a vehicle. Its primary purpose is to help defeat high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terminal ballistics</span> Projectiles behavior after reaching their targets

Terminal ballistics is a sub-field of ballistics concerned with the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits and transfers its energy to a target.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chobham armour</span> British-designed composite tank armour

Chobham armour is the informal name of a composite armour developed in the 1960s at the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment, British tank research centre. The name has since become the common generic term for composite ceramic vehicle armour. Other names informally given to Chobham armour include Burlington and Dorchester. Special armour is a broader informal term referring to any armour arrangement comprising sandwich reactive plates, including Chobham armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-explosive squash head</span> Ammunition type

A high-explosive squash head (HESH), in British terminology, or a high-explosive plastic/plasticized (HEP), in American terminology, is a type of explosive projectile with plastic explosive that conforms to the surface of a target before detonating, which improves the transfer of explosive energy to the target. Squash head projectiles are similar to high-explosive projectiles and are well suited to many of the same targets. However, while HESH projectiles are not armour-piercing, they can defeat armored targets by causing spall, which can injure or kill a vehicle's occupants or detonate some types of ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-explosive anti-tank</span> Type of shaped charge explosive

High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity shaped charge jet; this is capable of penetrating armor steel to a depth of seven or more times the diameter of the charge. The shaped charge jet armor penetration effect is purely kinetic in nature; the round has no explosive or incendiary effect on the armor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kontakt-5</span> Type of explosive reactive vehicle armour

Kontakt-5 is a type of second-generation explosive reactive armour (ERA) originating in the Soviet Union. Due to the shortcomings of Kontakt-1, NII Stali further developed the reactive armor to Kontakt-5, so that it also repels APFSDS projectiles, which is not as effective in combat as stated. In addition, Kontakt-5 is not just additional armor, but is clearly integrated into the vehicle hull. The Kontakt-5 modules have a significantly thicker steel upper side. Depending on the module, they contain one or two 4S22 reactive elements. The explosive of a 4S22 element has the TNT equivalent of 330 g. It is so sensitive that even armor-piercing projectiles cause it to explode. Contact-5 produces a stronger defensive detonation than Contact-1 and the thicker layer of steel thrown at the arrow projectile breaks or bends it. The increase in defensive capability led to the development of reinforced arrow projectiles.

Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World War II, it began to fall out of use on main battle tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles intended to see front-line combat as new anti-tank weapon technologies were developed which were capable of relatively easily penetrating rolled homogeneous armour plating even of significant thickness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sloped armour</span> Type of armour

Sloped armour is armour that is oriented neither vertically nor horizontally. Such angled armour is typically mounted on tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), as well as naval vessels such as battleships and cruisers. Sloping an armour plate makes it more difficult to penetrate by anti-tank weapons, such as armour-piercing shells, kinetic energy penetrators and rockets, if they follow a more or less horizontal trajectory to their target, as is often the case. The improved protection is caused by three main effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle armour</span> High-strength plating used to fortify important vehicles against bullets, shells etc.

Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting vehicles like tanks, aircraft, and ships.

The following is a list of ammunition fired by the 125 mm smoothbore gun series used in the T-64, T-72, T-80, M-84, T-90, PT-91, T-14 Armata, and other tanks derived from those designs, as well as the 2A45 Sprut anti-tank gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaced armour</span> Armour with plates spaced a distance apart

Armour with two or more plates spaced a distance apart falls under the category of spaced armour. Spaced armour can be sloped or unsloped. When sloped, it reduces the penetrating power of bullets and solid shot, as after penetrating each plate projectiles tend to tumble, deflect, deform, or disintegrate; spaced armour that is not sloped is generally designed to provide protection from explosive projectiles, which detonate before reaching the primary armour. Spaced armour is used on military vehicles such as tanks and combat bulldozers. In a less common application, it is used in some spacecraft that use Whipple shields.

In warfare, high-explosive incendiary (HEI) is a type of ammunition specially designed to impart energy and therefore damage to its target in one or both of two ways: via a high-explosive charge and/or via its incendiary (fire-causing) effects. Each round has both capabilities.

Beyond-armour effect is a term coined by Försvarets Fabriksverk (FFV), a semi-governmental Swedish defense firm, while developing the AT4. From the 1980s this phrase was used in its brochures, press releases, weapon instruction manuals and other documentation to denote the post-penetration effect of the AT4's HEAT anti-armour warhead against the interior and occupants of armoured vehicles.

The Modular Expandable Armor System (MEXAS) is a composite armour system developed by the German company IBD Deisenroth Engineering. MEXAS was introduced in 1994 and has been applied on over 20,000 combat vehicles worldwide. The successor of MEXAS is the Advanced Modular Armor Protection (AMAP).

Stillbrew armour, or more correctly, the Stillbrew Crew Protection Package (SCPP) was an add-on passive composite armour applied to the FV4201 Chieftain main battle tank used by the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps in the mid-1980s and early-1990s so as to provide increased protection from anti-tank warfare weapons. It was named after the two men that invented it, Colonel Still and John Brewer, from the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment in Surrey. The tanks to which it was fitted were colloquially referred to as Stillbrew Chieftains.

Non-explosive reactive armour (NxRA), also known as non-energetic reactive armor (NERA), is a type of vehicle armor used by modern main battle tanks and heavy infantry fighting vehicles. NERA advantages over explosive reactive armor (ERA) are its inexpensiveness, multi-hit capability, and ease of integration onto armored vehicles due to its nonexplosive nature.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Surface Forces: Electromagnetic Armor". www.strategypage.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  2. ↑ "The armour strikes back". The Economist. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Electrified Vehicle Armour Could Deflect Weapons". 2011-09-27. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shachtman, Noah. "U.S. Military Uses the Force". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  5. 1 2 3 "'Star Trek' shields to protect supertanks". the Guardian. 2001-08-19. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "news.telegraph.co.uk - 'Electric armour' vaporises anti-tank grenades and shells". 2002-08-22. Archived from the original on 22 August 2002. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  7. 1 2 "I.T. Vibe - MoD Develops 'Electric Armour'". 2010-04-10. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Age Electric Armour - Tough enough to face modern threats - Armed Forces International". 2009-05-02. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Advanced Armour Concepts for Light Vehicles". 2007-10-15. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  10. ↑ "Science Spotlight". 2006-04-27. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 2021-12-06.

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