New Airbag Armor Protects Vehicles

YouTube ^ | Nov 5th, 2009 | me

[gaijin]

RPG's are cheap, lethal, and they're everywhere. They operate by focusing a jet of explosive gas on one tiny point of armor, piercing it with a tiny stream.

Currently, heavy "birdcage"-type armor serves to prematurely detonate that gas stream, diminishing it to a level that proves comparatively harmless --but cage armor is HEAVY.

This new armor concept is like a car air bag; the incoming warhead detonates, emitting a recognizable flash. The special light flash is picked up by the vehicle receiver, causing micro-second release of the airbag on the vehicle area of interest. The lightweight but sturdy airbag meets the incoming warhead, prematurely detonating it --the vehicle survives.

This airbag armor concept is made by Textron Defense Systems:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBvcYckNOTA&feature=player_embedded

The Israeli "Iron Fist" system is similar, but works by firing off an interceptor, which explodes and detonates the warhead further away.

The USA disliked that solution because it might pose high risk to dismounted infantry or civilians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTMkUP17jc

[gaijin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBvcYckNOTA&feature=player_embedded

[gaijin]

Tons of info here regarding new RPG stuff:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1998/infantry-rpg.htm

[miliantnutcase]

Brilliant. Much safer than projectiles.

[Yo-Yo]

Then what happens to the second shot at the same part of the vehicle?

[Spktyr]

Same thing that happens if you have a vehicle with reactive armor - you have problems.

Then again, if you wreck part of slat armor with the first round, your second round cruises right on in at the same point.

[cpdiii]

Then what happens to the second shot at the same part of the vehicle?

The guy in the vehicle will be most irritated with you and will vent his irritation by filling your ass with 7.62-51 lead or call on MA DUCE which is considerably more filling than Mr. 7.62-51.

[Yo-Yo]

Fewer panels detonate with reactive armor, so it would take a golden BB to hit the same panel twice with an RPG. Same with slat armor. The hole is relatively small, leaving the rest of the side of the vehicle protected.

These airbags, on the other hand, deploy on the entire side of the vehicle when it detects a flash. In any case, the video showed a roadside IED, not an RPG.

Check out this old video I found as a "related video:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=333cImJqOfY