Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) revealed details of two new armour solutions, called the Telford Enhanced Spaced Armour (TESA) and the Telford Enhanced Ceramic Armour (TECA), during a 3 February presentation at the 2021 International Armoured Vehicles online conference.
TESA is a perforated armour, which utilises a novel geometry within the structure of the armour, to cause a projectile to interact with the armour plate at an oblique angle, Tony Wilkes, head of export sales for RBSL, explained during the presentation. It is currently in the final stages of development and the armour packs are being taken through validation trials, and a full product launch is anticipated later in 2021, Wilkes said.
This image shows the TESA armour array, the fractured elements of a projectile have been caught by the armour plate to the rear. (RBSL)
The TESA can be specified to provide either STANAG 4569 level 4 or 5 protection, which requires the armour to defeat a 14.5 × 114 mm round fired from 200 m and a 25 mm armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) round fired from 500 m. Each armour pack is fully enclosed with a front and rear cover plate, meant to improve performance and reduce maintenance, Wilkes explained, adding that the armour could be made neutrally buoyant by filling the internal voids. The outer skin can also be used to limit the radar cross section, he said. The modular nature of the armour means that armour packs can be replaced or repaired in the field.
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