Due to the recent increase in IED bombings on military vehicles around the world, the need of a revolutionary body armour for military vehicles is more pressing than before. An American company Survivor Consultants International has come up with a solution : Airbag Armour.
This armour uses high-tech air bags to absorb the blast of a roadside bomb. The layers of ballistic material also help mitigate shrapnel, but the primary mission of the armor is to negate the overpressure that causes human casualties. Light sensors are installed on the sides of the vehicle that detect sudden changes in lighting around the vehicle. These sensors are then connected to the Processing unit through a fiber optic Connection so that the signal from the sensors can reach the processor without delay. The processing unit decides whether to actuate the airbags or not on the basis of data from the sensors. The airbags are made from Kevlar, polyethylene or some shock absorbing material that bears the shockwave from the IED explosive. So whenever an IED explodes near the vehicle, the sensors send a signal to the processor and the airbags are deployed which absorb the shock waves.
The effectiveness of this new armour will be tested once the new armour comes into service next year. Till then we will have to keep our fingers crossed.
