It is being developed in the form of an
applique armor kit--known as a "B" kit--for ground vehicles, The kit consists of panels that are attached to the vehicles' exteriors for increased protection.
Applique armor for the BMP-2 appeared in the last years of the Afghanistan War, and the survivability upgrades built into the BMP-3 reflect those experiences of the 1980s.
One type of Lanxide ceramic
applique armor was shipped to Saudi Arabia during the recent Persian Gulf war, but arrived too late to participate in the brief ground battle, Wolffe noted.
The materials, dubbed nano-laminated alloys, can be added to the core structure of a vehicle to make it even more resistant to enemy fire, therefore reducing the need for add-on
applique armor, says Christina Lomasney, scientist and founder of Modumetal, based in Seattle.
That
applique armor will offer the same level of protection currently available only in factory-armored Humvees.
The Army spent the past two years rushing to Iraq thousands of armored Humvee trucks and
applique armor kits.
To minimize these hassles, O'Reilly said, the Army will build
applique armor that does not require heavy tools.
To minimize the installation and maintenance hassles, O'Reilly said, the Army should consider building
applique armor that does not require heavy tools.
For the FTTS program, Luther said, the company is developing an
applique armor kit that would hang on top of the armor cab, bolstering the levels of protection by orders of magnitude.
The Army also requested an additional
applique armor package for protection against rocket-propelled grenades, known as RPGs.