With the new events occurring in Iraq many heads of security have been given the task of ordering an armored car.
The first decision is the level of protection required. Several different standards exist. Being the most widely known three: NIJ 0108.01, UL 752, and European Norm (CEN).
- NIJ Level I .38 and .22
- IIA .40 and slow speed 9mm
- II .357 Mag. and medium speed 9mm
- IIIA .44 Mag. and high speed 9mm
- III 7.62 ball Nato Five hits minimum 2 inch spacing
- IV 30.06 armor piercing one hit
- UL 1 slow speed 9mm three hits
- 2 .357 Magnum
- 3 .44 Magnum
- 4 .30 rifle
- 5 7.62 ball Nato one hit
- 6 high speed 9mm five hits
- 7 5.56 five hits
- 8 7.62 ball Nato five hits hits
- CEN B1 .22 all levels three hits five inch spacing
- B2 9mm
- B3 .357
- B4 .44 Mag
- B5 5.56 SS 109
- B6 7.62 Ball
- B7 7.62 Armor Piercing
When analyzing these norms one can tell that they all left out the weapons and ammunition we are being fired with in practically every conflict we have participated since world war II including Iraq.
They all some how left out the famous AK-47 that fires 7.62 X 39 also known as 7.62 Soviet Short.
If you search a little more you will find another norm that even though it is not intended for vehicles it does include a soviet round that is not fired from the AK-47 but from a snipper rifle or the Druganov light Machine gun (belt fed). This round it 7.62 X 54 also known as the 7.62 russian rimmed.
This norm is the military Small Arms Protective insert (SAPI).
- Here they test the plates with three types of rounds:
- Nato 7.62 X 51mm M-80 at 2,750 +/- 50 feet per second
- Soviet 7.62mm X 54R Ball Type LPS at 2,300 +/- 50 feet per second
- U.S. 5.56 M855 Ball at 3,250 +/-50 feet per second.
- Each plate is hit three times with the same type of round five inch spacing
Even this norm falls short because it does not test the armor with the 5.56 SS109 (steel penetrator tip) or the 7.62 Short (ball or Armor piercing projectile).
| Tipo Proyectil | Distancia al blanco en metros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 600 | 700 | 800 | 900 | 1000 | |
| 5.56 mm M193 | 847 | 730 | 625 | 533 | 460 | |||||
| 7.62 mm Ball M80, M59 | 765 | 693 | 630 | 571 | 522 | |||||
| 7.62mm APIM43 Soviet short | 594 | 502 | 426 | 362 | 301 | |||||
| BallX54R Soviet, Type L | 781 | 702 | 630 | 564 | 504 | 450 | 402 | 364 | 334 | 311 |
| 7.62mm APIX54R Chicom, Type 53 | 798 | 720 | 655 | 591 | 531 | |||||
| 7.62 mm AP M61 | 780 | 707 | 634 | 564 | 502 | 445 | 394 | 353 | 324 | 307 |
| Cal .30 Ball M2 | 774 | 693 | 617 | 358 | 475 | 410 | 358 | 317 | 289 | 277 |
| Cal .30 AP M2 | 772 | 708 | 645 | 583 | 527 | 475 | 423 | 382 | 347 | 326 |
| Cal .50 Ball M2 para 36" barrel | 823 | 777 | 734 | 693 | 655 | 615 | 579 | 542 | 507 | 472 |
| Cal .50 BallM2 para 45" barrel | 849 | 809 | 768 | 727 | 689 | 649 | 612 | 568 | 538 | 504 |
| Cal .50 APM2 para 36" barrel | 823 | 778 | 740 | 695 | 660 | 621 | 586 | 548 | 516 | 478 |
| Cal .50 AP M2 para 45" barrel | 850 | 810 | 769 | 728 | 693 | 652 | 618 | 582 | 542 | 512 |
| 12.7mm API & T, B32 Soviet | 783 | 746 | 708 | 673 | 639 | 608 | 576 | 542 | 512 | 481 |
| 14.5mm API & T, B32 Soviet | 950 | 911 | 865 | 826 | 789 | 752 | 713 | 679 | 646 | 609 |
| 14.5mm API- BS-41 Soviet | 848 | 809 | 768 | 727 | 688 | 649 | 612 | 568 | 537 | 504 |
| 20mm APT M602 (HVAP-TDM-43) | 1048 | 1005 | 957 | 914 | 868 | 826 | 786 | 740 | 698 | 664 |
| 20mm AP M75 | 746 | 701 | 655 | 615 | 571 | 536 | 493 | 457 | 420 | 397 |
| 20mm APT-M95 49,5" barrel | 807 | 763 | 717 | 669 | 627 | 588 | 548 | 509 | 474 | 443 |
| 20mm APT-M95 67,5" barrel | 867 | 821 | 774 | 730 | 684 | 640 | 597 | 557 | 518 | 483 |
| 23mm API-T-BZT Soviet | 947 | 899 | 850 | 804 | 758 | 716 | 672 | 629 | 586 | 547 |
| 37mm AP –M74 | 841 | 801 | 765 | 726 | 691 | 658 | 627 | 595 | 566 | 537 |
Taking all of this into consideration one can conclude that the purchaser of the armor has to state what specific rounds, spacing and speed they want to stop.
My suggestion is that the armor has to stop what the enemies are using plus our own in case of friendly fire at maximum speed (point blank).
It has to stop 7.62 X 54, 7.62 X 39 ball and armor piercing, 5.56 ball and SS109, and 7.62 Nato M-80 (ball).
As an option I would include 7.62 Nato armor piercing round.
In a following paper we will mention this particular round and the types of materials that are available to armor vehicles.
We will mention weights of armor and how it is related with the types of rounds used and the spreading of the hits. What can and can’t be done with glass, ceramics, polietherin and steel.