MEXAS, less-explosive reactive armour

The German company IBD-Deisenroth Engineering (manufacturers of MEXAS applique armour), have made a technical breakthrough in active defence systems. It utillises a classified kill mechanism which does not incorporate interceptor missiles, blast/fragmentation warheads or flying plates.
HEAT warheads are destroyed, completely, not merely detonated prematurely. Kinetic energy darts are fractured into several seperate pieces.Video presentations show KE rounds disintergrating a couple of meters from the target.
I have NO idea of how the kill mechanism works. Known armour analysts sit almost slack-jawed after the presentations. A couple of people, who are not given to flights of the imagination, have even wondered out aloud about extremely powerful electro-magnetic pulses.
People would know some of the analysts that went into shock. It would not be fair to name them. Reaction from senior representatives for various military manufacturers ranged from angry disbelief to anxious conversations with each other. It was simply the most surprising event I have witnessed at any military conference or arms display.
I have no idea of the type of KE dart or what the HEAT projectile was. The video was very clear that flying plates were not incorporated in the kill mechanism. Very hard to explain it. The video footage was of the threats being defeated. The X rays were a series of stills.

Its like a less-explosive reactive armour.
With normal ERA (explosive reactive armor) the steel plate of a ERA tile is propulsed away from the vehicle, creating a shering effect on the penetrator/jet (and endangering friendly infanty around).
In a MEXAS tile the less-explosive filling is pressing ceramic particles against the penetrator/jet only in close surrounding of the impact and only inside the tile.
The abrasice effect of the ceramic particles is quite high, and the tile is only expended at the spot of the impact.

One of the leading manufacturers of passive armour packages is German company IBD - Deisenroth Engineering - and supplies more than 7,000 armour packages for a wide range of tracked and wheeled AFVs. It has also supplied packages for trucks used in peacekeeping operations. The company markets three basic packages called MEXAS light, medium and heavy. The company also allows licensed production of its armour packages and has the capability to develop armour for specific applications.
German Leopard Upgraded C2 MBT with MEXAS armor:
www.sfu.ca... (C2 is an upgraded Leopard I version in the canadian forces)

(MEXAS is not brand new: all German Leopard 2 have that type of armor since the version A5 (its that wedge on the turret front).)


Does your country use similar systems?
Whats their name?
What do you think about MEXAS?

[edit on 29-3-2005 by Wodan]

[edit on 29-3-2005 by Wodan]

Its been reported that MEXAS to cover Stryker cost about 1/4 million dollars. MEXAS is a range of products light medium and heavy of which Stryker has the light version.

I don't think you mean that but the new defeat mechanism designed by IDB [the same people who make MEXAS]. We discussed this last year and here are some links.....


www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 7-4-2005 by psteel]

Thats some pretty impressive stuff, Wodan.

My understanding, though I am not sure if the Europeans have concluded the same so far, is that in the next round of base closures and military cutbacks, that a couple of US MBT manufacturing plants will be shutting down. It is not yet been mentioned publically as fact, but the US armor doctrine is shifting away from MBTs.

Its like in WWI when the dreadnought became obsolete by the production of the battleship.
In WWII, the battleship became obsolete by the aircraft carrier.
The MBT is becoming obsolete and will be replaced. By what? Not sure yet. But the signs indicate, at least within US armed warfare doctrine, a shift away from the MBT.






seekerof

[edit on 7-4-2005 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Seekerof
Thats some pretty impressive stuff, Wodan.

My understanding, though I am not sure if the Europeans have concluded the same so far, is that in the next round of base closures and military cutbacks, that a couple of US MBT manufacturing plants will be shutting down. It is not yet been mentioned publically as fact, but the US armor doctrine is shifting away from MBTs.

The MBT is becoming obsolete and will be replaced. By what? Not sure yet. But the signs indicate, at least within US armed warfare doctrine, a shift away from the MBT.

General of armoured battle forces Wolf-Dieter Langheld, of german armed forces said almost the same!

he says, that there is a need for a new system, which has the same capabilities likea main battle tank, but has to weight less than 70 tons it should be part of a complete familiy of weapon systems (to keep it cheap and easy to maintain) it has to be extreme assertive and have a good armour so it could be used in conflicts of the categorys low (peacekeeping) to high (hot war)
Langheld said "it will be a revolutionary change"
....................................

My guess on the armour is a mixure of traditional alloys, re-active armour, mexas and muss like armours

I also think it will have a modular design, on arms and armour

For the arms it will be either PARS(anti-tank rocketsystem) against MBTs, helicopters and low flying planes + 30mm air burst ammonation against lightly armour and not armoured vehicles and infantrysts plus a 7,62 mm machine gun which can be remote-controlled from inside the tank, or as other avaible version a 120mm cannon, plus a remote controlled 7.62mm machine gun

In future Rocket-Tankhunters (armoured tracked vehicles that carry at-rockets), mechanized infantry combat vehicles and MBTs will melt to just one vehicle, In my opinion

The PUMA could be the fundament of this for the german forces..

It is deployable in the A400M the german standard transport plane in future

It has two kinds of protection:

Protection Level A: all around protection against 14.5mm projectiles, allround protection against normal mines, front and side protection against 30mm projectiles, front protection against hollow explosive charges

Protection Level C: protection against attacks from hand-held anti-tank weapons, 30 mm machine guns and bomblets all around. Its mine protection is highly effective against blast and projectile-forming mines.

It will be even protected against 120mm projectiles and big anti-tank rockets with MUSS and MEXAS which it will get in future

At first germany will get 410, later more

It has a Unmanned RC turret with digital fire control system and stabilisation
An automatic 30 mm gun with double belt feeder for two types of ammunition and ABM technology (Air Bursting Munition), Stress reduction by decoupled running gear, Mine protection against very heavy anti-tank mines and EFP mines according to STANAG 4569


Max. loaded weight 43 tons
Weight (Protection Level A) 31.45 tons
Weight (Protection Level C) 40.7 tons
Crew 9 (6+3)
Maximum speed/roads 70 km/h
Power to weight ratio depending on the weight 20-25 kW/t
Length 7,330 mm
Width 3,430 mm
Height (total) 3,050 mm




In future it will be equipped with onoe 7.62mm machine gun, two Anti-Tank rockets, one 30mm cannon with KE, Air Burst and explosive ammonation



a version with 120mm cannon and 7.62mm machine gun controlled from interor, would be also possible the producer said.



I guess that is what they are searching for, dont you think so?


[edit on 9-4-2005 by Wodan]

Yeah the current climate isnt suitable for mbt's but for now they are still very usefull. Shouldnt it be possible to make a urban tank? Unlike current mbt's which have all theire amour at the front why not a similair total weight or mm of amour but spread around the whole tank.

If a tank like the one i just suggested will get in service then it would work best in this way i think. First the easily transported vehicles like the puma but later these would get in and would take the role as a heavy urban tank. Providing more protection than the puma but totally optimized for urban warfare.

Originally posted by tomcat ha
Yeah the current climate isnt suitable for mbt's but for now they are still very usefull. Shouldnt it be possible to make a urban tank? Unlike current mbt's which have all theire amour at the front why not a similair total weight or mm of amour but spread around the whole tank.

If a tank like the one i just suggested will get in service then it would work best in this way i think. First the easily transported vehicles like the puma but later these would get in and would take the role as a heavy urban tank. Providing more protection than the puma but totally optimized for urban warfare.

I think a Puma Level C would have no problems:

Every MBT, Armoured Vehicle, Rocket Launcher System, Planes, Combat Helicopters... the enemy has is destroyed from the air by bombs/rockets/cruise missiles...

The open land is free of enemies, the ones in town just have assault rifles, machine guns, Rocket Propelled Grenades, Antitank Mines and hollow explosive charges.


"Protection Level C: protection against attacks from hand-held anti-tank weapons, 30 mm machine guns and bomblets all around. Its mine protection is highly effective against blast and projectile-forming mines."