We offer a full suite of technologies to protect against all the threats to occupants from under-belly mine blasts and IEDs.
ASST’s Armored Vehicle Protection Systems consists of 5 elements:
- Energy Absorbing Sandwich Belly Plate (CRBP)
- VGAM™ function
- Vehicle Active Floor System (VAFS™)
- Ergonomically Designed Blast Seats
- Military Video / Artificial Intelligence GPS Denial of Service Mitigation System
Energy Absorbing Sandwich Belly Plate (CRBP)
Based on a flat sandwich structure, the whole volume of the belly plate is involved in absorbing energy, reducing local deformation levels and enabling fitting the design to lightweight commercial vehicles with low ground clearance whilst also avoiding the negative effects of raised centre of mass on military types. This forms a passive belly plate capable of withstanding 4kg . The CRBP minimises deformation, prevents contact with floor and fragment penetration.
accelerated very quickly up into the air. The occupants can be killed or severely injured just by the rapid acceleration upwards.
VGAM™ function
The novel patented Linear Rocket Motors (LRM™) can eliminate Global Acceleration completely by providing up to 1,000tonnes of ‘artificial mass’ for 20 – 30ms after the mine or IED explodes (i.e. the duration of the mine/IED blast effects).
Low profile design, aAn EFI initiator runs in safe mode, unpowered until sensor/control system recognises a mine blast requiring a response.
Using the VGAM system enables the development of a completely new range of armored vehicles with massive IED blast capability. Potential for dealing with 50kg to 100kg IEDs is possible compared to the current standard levels of 6 to 14kg usually specified.
Vehicle Active Floor System (VAFS™)
The VAFS™ prevents lower limb injuries due to floor shock.
Two different automatically re-setting active floor systems to suit different vehicle designs. The belly plate design incorporates energy absorption materials which may reduce secondary shock effects.
Ergonomically Designed Blast Seats
Blast seats have long been used in armored vehicles to absorb the energy from vertical movement and protect the occupant.
ASST has an agreement with a leading Israeli supplier with many years of experience in designing energy-absorbing seats with a focus on ergonomic designs and the very best protection levels against high-G loading scenarios which can cause spinal injuries.
These seats will be marketed to armored vehicle manufacturers, offering an exceptional patented energy absorbing mechanism to help protect against the rapid acceleration and deceleration created during an explosion. The seat will be manufactured from advanced materials using a unique manufacturing process that the company developed in-house.
Military Video / Artificial Intelligence GPS Denial of Service Mitigation System
Many US Army, UK and NATO armored vehicle systems rely on GPS, and not just for location
It is very easy to disrupt or jam the GPS signal and adversaries have powerful systems to do this.
The system will offer both GPS location and situation awareness for military applications.
How widespread is the Problem?
Mines and IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) accounted for over 80% of UK and US army casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan. The IED threat is worldwide as various groups use these devices to disrupt Government authorities and normal civilian life.
42% of US, and 49% of UK military deaths in Afghanistan were caused by IEDs.
To counter this, massively heavy vehicles were developed to reduce the acceleration injury threat, but were so heavy they could not operate off road, and broke bridges.
The armoured vehicle market ranges from lightweight Special Forces vehicles such as Toyota Land Cruisers to very large 30-40ton Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC’s) and Main Battle Tanks (MBT’s) some of which still lack basic protection against the impact of mines and IEDs.
The Effect of a Deep Buried Mine
An under body blast from a buried mine or IED can be devastating – causing even the heaviest vechicles to be lifted into the air. That can result not only in the blast penetrating the vehicle, but also throwing personnel and contents of the vehicle around inside; exerting large G forces on personnel and transferring shock through limbs potentially smashing bodies.
One blast can result in probably 40 to 50 tons of asphalt and ground being moved to lift vehicle
ABBS have investigated whether it is possible to counteract this level of impulse, using our patented Linear Rocket Motors with safe arm (LRMs).
What if we add 500 tons effective weight to the vehicle with eight of the current small 7kNs LRMs?
Or 800 tons with six 15kNs LRMs?
Will that counteract the effects of Vehicle Global Acceleration?
Integrated ABBS Countermeasure Systems
To test our theory, ABBS designed the VGAM™ (Vehicle Global Acceleration Mitigation) system which is mounted on the top of the vehicle and fires to keep a 4.5 tonne Vehicle Test Rig on the ground over a 6kg TNT-equivalent blast.
- Automatic, adjustable response system measures mine blast strength and responds accordingly.
- Two lightweight (45kg) Linear Rocket Motors (LRM’s™) to overmatch mine blast.
- VAFS™ effectors (Vehicle Active Floor System) onto false floor.
- CRBP™ – Composite Reinforced Belly Plate to maintain cabin and floor integrity.
Modified Snatch Land Rover Test Vehicle
This test uses a 6kg TNT Equivalent charge 100mm under the surface of moist soil.
The snatch land-rover is a common light-armoured vehicle and is adapted by the addition of a flat ABBS CRBP (Energy Absorbing Sandwich Belly Plate) to provide protection against the mine blast; and VGAM™ active countermeasures to prevent Vehicle Global Acceleration and ensure that the vehicle remains on the ground.
The VAFS™ (Active Floor system) ensures that the floor is pulled away from the vehicle occupants in order to prevent transmission of shock into the lower limbs.
The test rig is set with the ABBS belly plate at 300mm above soil surface.
The following technologies can then be seen in action:
- CRBP (Energy Absorbing Sandwich Belly Plate) – based on a flat sandwich structure,the whole volume of the belly plate is involved in absorbing energy, reducing local deformation levels and enabling fitting the design to lightweight commercial vehicles with low ground clearance whilst also avoiding the negative effects of raised centre of mass on military types. This forms a passive belly plate with 15mm Hardox 450 main plate. The CRBP minimises deformation, prevents contact with floor and fragment penetration.
- VGAM™ function – two 7kNs LRM™ countermeasures which eliminate G-load injuries – 100kg system weight.
- EFI initiator runs in safe mode, unpowered until sensor/control system recognises a mine blast requiring a response..
- VAFS™ (Vehicle Active Floor System) prevents lower limb injuries due to floor shock – 10kg system weight
We used various instruments to measure the results:
- Hybrid III secured in Jankel Mk 3 Crew Seat
- DRI Device – Direct mechanical measurement of dynamic response index in standard Snatch driver’s (non-blast) seat.
- Accelerometers and LVDTs into off-board data acquisition system
- Blast Gauge system sensors around ATD at head and chest height.
- Five High-Speed Video Cameras
The Final Result following the test using ABBS Mine and Blast Protection Systems
- Driver’s door closed and latched normally after test.
- No significant body distortion
- The composite beam structure was intact and the Hardox 450 faceplate showed only 30mm indentation above charge and no penetration.
- The standard driver’s seat measured only DRI 16 (below the injury threshold)
- Jump height limited to only 0.3 metres.
How can the ABBS Mine and Blast Protection System Benefit You?
We continue to work with the US Army and the UK MOD on development and proving the system, and welcome further enquiries from armed vehicle manufacturers around the globe.
The latest version of the ABBS CRBP passive belly plate design has shown that not only can this be used as a flat belly plate to provide protection for civilians and aid agencies working in former war zones, but it is also potentially suitable as an upgrade for existing MRAP V-hulls.
As an upgrade, to V-hulls, the energy absorbing technologies of the CRBP can mitigate the initial peak shockwave loads and increase blast capability to a level above what exists already. This would result in only a 50mm decrease in ground clearance and fairly insignificant weight addition.
Shock transfer into the main vehicle structure should be reduced as well as making it less likely that belly plate failure will occur due to the peak loading.
We have used these technologies to develop unique anti-mine active protection ranges for uncrewed ground vehicles – particularly useful for CASEVAC and battlefield supply drones. This includes our novel minefield breaching vehicle concept.
If you are interested – then please Contact Us