Composite Structures for Ballistic Protection

Current armor solutions for wheeled vehicles, are heavy, can be costly, and are limited in their ability to survive from Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats. They are very much in evidence and can be seen daily on the news from Iraq. What is needed is an armor solution that meets 7.62 AP and Ball ammunition threats and will have a high likelihood of surviving roadside IED explosions. Armor solutions using Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA) are heavy. They severely limit the capability of the vehicle, and worse, when used with a thinner gage they may not be capable of protecting from 7.62AP and IED threats. Composite armor solutions have historically been costly, susceptible to fire damage, and can be difficult to attach to existing vehicles. Foam Matrix is proposing an innovative armor solution that utilizes commercial off the shelf materials combined with a low cost net molding process. This process was developed for commercial applications, and has demonstrated successes in testing during phase 1. In phase 2 we will build a door for a military ambulance that demonstrates the weight, cost, and ballistic protection capabilities.