Ordered by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), it is a deal worth in excess of £150 million, and will see UK based Permali Gloucester Ltd manufacturing the appliqué armour and spall liners used to ‘morph’ Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd’s (ST Kinetics) Bronco All Terrain Carrier into a variation that the MoD has designated the 'Warthog.'
Appliqué armour is essentially extra plates mounted or welded on top of the hull or turret of a vehicle. They can be made of any material, but are frequently made of ceramic or laminated materials. Like reactive armour, appliqué armour is an easy and cost-effective way of improving the protection of older vehicles. In this instance, the material is ACG’s phenolic prepreg.
Spall liners are used inside vehicles such as the Warthog to offset shock waves caused by impact from explosives, which would otherwise break the softer metal on the inside of the vehicle. This would be hazardous to the crew and could potentially disable the vehicle.
For the contract , which will be completed by mid 2010, Permali has developed the armour system to meet an exacting ballistic specification and to integrate with other essential equipment installed on the ST Kinetics’ Warthog vehicle. Using technologies developed around ACG’s ballistic phenolic prepreg materials, Permali will provide a solution that provides cost efficiency and offers a significant weight saving compared to traditional metallic solutions.
Permali will deliver sets of armour to ST Kinetics in Singapore and also to Thales in the UK, which is responsible for system integration for the programme.
The Warthog is a development of ST Kinetics' Bronco all terrain carrier, a robust and proven articulated platform with a payload of more than 5 tonnes. The platform's articulated design delivers exceptional mobility across a wide range of terrain and climate, and is extensively armoured. Described as a 'beast of a vehicle,' delivery of the Warthog will begin at the end of 2009.
