Novel Field Repair for Composite Armor (FRCA) (1000-754)

There is a need to develop field repair methods for Future Combat Systems (FCS) composite armor to restore ballistic threat protection until depot-level repairs can be made. Building upon the composite armor field repair database generated under the Composite Armor Vehicle and Crusader programs, Triton shall develop the Field Repair of Composite Armor (FRCA). FRCA has the potential to restore a significant portion of the as-made ballistic protection, yet repairs can be performed relatively quickly without the need for specialist skills. This is accomplished using a special repair tool that performs several critical process steps while assuring repair integrity, minimizing operator skill requirements and reducing repair time. In Phase I, materials, processes, tools and equipment used in the FRCA method shall be developed to the point of demonstration. Guided by team partner BAE Systems (was United Defense), composite armor panels representative of anticipated FCS configurations shall be produced. Ballistically damaged panels shall then be repaired using the FRCA repair method, demonstrating the applicability, final quality, skills and time required to perform the repairs. Both undamaged and damaged panels will be ballistic tested against representative FCS threats. Residual ballistic protection capability shall be measured to define the effectiveness of the repair.