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Armor/AFV: Modern Armor
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Brits develop electric reactive armor
keenan
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Indiana, United States
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 06:11 AM UTC
The British have developed electric reactive armor to protect AFVs from shaped charges. "Raise the shields, we have incoming RPGs" Read the article at the linkage. Pretty neat stuff...

Shaun

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/08/19/boffins_invent_grenade_vaporising_electric/

:-)--<
Mech-Maniac
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Virginia, United States
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 06:21 AM UTC
didnt we (the U.S.) already have the reactive armor, if so, what took the brits so long to catch up, i figured the u.s. and brits would share...
keenan
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 06:33 AM UTC
Yeah, reactive armor has been in use for a while but it is chemical, that is, blocks of explosives. This is electric and vaporises the copper stream when a capacitor discharges...
Shaun
LogansDad
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 06:39 AM UTC
Mech- We (& "the Brits") have had several types of EXPLOSIVE reactive armor for several years. Many countries have. The basic principle is a layer of shaped charge explosives (think Claymores) attached to standoffs on the vehicle. When a round strikes the reac armor, the contacted area detonates away from the vehicle, dissipating the kinetic energy of the projectile or explosive. Supposed to be hell on the crew, especially in lightly armored Vehicles(M113) . The post from Keenan describes a new process in which the superheated jet of molten copper in an RPG round is vaporized by an ELECTRICAL discharge before turning the crew into bloody, stinking chunks.
While I'm not keen on the Idea of being in a vehicle that's supposed to Explode to protect me, I'm also quite leery of the idea of several 100-1000 volts of Electricity zipping through the Steel/Aluminum Chassis of my ride with me in it...
HTH
CRS
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 06:56 AM UTC
Should be quite a sight in a rain storm, get a picture. :-) Oh, that's right it never rains in Europe, particulaly the UK.
Mech-Maniac
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 08:27 AM UTC
thats gotta be a rush, electric volts going through a stell vehicle as an rpg explodes wahoo!!! gimme some of that baby

mikeli125
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England - North West, United Kingdom
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 10:21 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Should be quite a sight in a rain storm, get a picture. :-) Oh, that's right it never rains in Europe, particulaly the UK.


yeah CRS you're right and Scotland is well known for its arid dry, desert like conditions LMAO

tell me have they developed teh Phased plasm rifles yet or are they still experimenting with the prototypes? LMAO


Pm is that your sence of "DRY" hummor?
Jacques
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 10:32 AM UTC
Electric "force field" + M113 varaint = Microwave?

"1 crew done in just a few seconds! Just like chicken."

LMAO

I suppose you could put it on the "tupperware tank" and have the crew fresh to serve...
SgtDinkyduck
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Colorado, United States
Joined: April 20, 2004
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 12:12 PM UTC
yum instant hot dogs, can you imagine what kinda bbq's you can cook up with that thing?

yagdpanzer
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Ohio, United States
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 12:18 PM UTC
Sounds like a Bolo Mk 1 is in the making.
Trackjam
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2004 - 01:40 PM UTC
Sounds cool. But like many of these great ideas, it may be a long time before it is practical to be fielded. The article is vague about the power supply, the effect on comms eqpt and other minor details like the length of the extension cord. I think ERA will be the way to go for a while.
RAF-Mad
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Posted: Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 07:33 PM UTC
Wow that is pretty cool stuff, but who comes up with this idea a vehicle that explodes to protect you...

As for the weather thing scotlandds the prefect country to try it out, being a native i no such things expecialy the Fife area some blistering hot tempratures there never rains.
greatbrit
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Posted: Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 08:48 PM UTC
well i think it sounds like a good idea,

and take the mickey all you want but the british have long been great inovators in weapons design,

dont you think that they will have thought of some way of insulating the afv to stop the electricity reaching the hull?

cheers

joe
w31b
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Posted: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 02:22 AM UTC
They do have a way of insulating the hull, they also use the same system to insulate the hull in current armour.
CRS
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Posted: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 05:34 AM UTC
Joe - We all had a bit of fun with this but yes, The British "been great inovators in weapons design". Some of the things they have come up with and passed on to others like the US, have greatly increase battlefield survivability and science in general. Anyone remember the jet airplane for example? Our the code breaking efforts in WWII?

This topic just looked like one to have some fun with. No harm intended.
okievit
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Cadiz, Spain / Espaņa
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Posted: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 06:30 AM UTC

Quoted Text

While I'm not keen on the Idea of being in a vehicle that's supposed to Explode to protect me, I'm also quite leery of the idea of several 100-1000 volts of Electricity zipping through the Steel/Aluminum Chassis of my ride with me in it...
HTH


As long as you're inside the vehicle you should be alright. An IFV is a bit more complex than a physics experiment, of course, but in essence you're in a big Faraday's Cage, and all the charge will be on the outside of the vehicle.

Olaf
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Posted: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 07:22 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Joe - We all had a bit of fun with this but yes, The British "been great inovators in weapons design". Some of the things they have come up with and passed on to others like the US, have greatly increase battlefield survivability and science in general. Anyone remember the jet airplane for example? Our the code breaking efforts in WWII?

This topic just looked like one to have some fun with. No harm intended.


Not to mention the Chobam (sp?) armor that the M1, Chally, and Leopard 2 tanks use. Invented by Brits, in Britain.
yagdpanzer
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Posted: Monday, June 21, 2004 - 10:02 AM UTC
Let us not forget the L7 105mm tank gun.
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