3/11/2015 HowReactiveArmorWorks:GreatHistory

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HowReactiveArmorWorks Advertiser

December17th,2010inCurrentEventsbyFrankChadwick

Ifyouveseenphotosoftanksinthelasttwentyyears,youreseenreactivearmorthoseblocks
festoonedalloversomearmoredfightingvehicles.Haveyoueverwonderedwhattheydoandhow
theywork?Youhavecometotherightplace.

Reactivearmor,morecompletelyknownasExplosiveReactiveArmor(ERA),wasoriginallydesigned
todefeatHighExplosiveArmorPiercing(HEAT)warheads,thesortfoundonantitankrocketsand
missiles.BeforeyoucanunderstandhowERAstopsthem,youneedtoknowhowHEATwarheads
work.And,ofcourse,beforethatyouneedtoknowhowconventionalantitankwarheadswork.

Conventionalroundsworkbybruteforce:mass,velocity,allthatstuff.Themomentumofthe
penetratorcarriesitthroughthearmor,ornot,depending.Theimpactingpenetratortransferssomuch
kineticenergytothearmor,thematerialofthearmorlosesitsstructuralintegrityandbehavesasa
fluid,enablingthemovingmassofthepenetratortopushthematerialofthearmoraside..Sofar,
nothingunexpected,right?

TheHEATwarheadusuallymovesatalowerspeed,sometimesamuchlowerspeed,buttheexplosion
ofthewarheadcreatesanarrowjetofsuperheatedmetalmovingforwardatextremelyhighvelocity,
andthisjetofmetaliswhatpenetratesthearmor.Hereswhereitgetsinteresting.Althoughyoumay
haveheardthataHEATwarheadburnsthroughthearmor,youheardthatfromanignoramus.Itdoes
notburnthroughthearmoranymorethanaconventionalrounddoes.Infact,thehighvelocitymetal
jetpenetratesarmorexactlythesamewayaconventionalpenetratordoes,anditsperformancecanbe
calculatedusingthesamefluiddynamicsequations.

TheimportantdifferencebetweenthetwotypesofpentratorsisthatinaHEATroundthepenetratoris
itselfafluid,althoughafluidwithalotofmomentum.Butbecauseitisafluid,itiseasiertodistortit
andbreakitapartintosmallerchunks.ThatshowERAdefeatsit.

ThefirsteffectiveERAblockswereIsraelidesignedBlazerblocks,comingintoservicein1978and
seeingserviceinLebanonin1982.BlazerwaslaterdeployedonUSM60tanks,andphotosofblazer
mountingUSMCM60sintheGulfWarhavebecomeiconic.

TheoriginalBlazerblockshadathinmetalsheetonthefrontandtheback.Thepenetratorjetofa
HEATroundpunchedthroughtheoutercoveranddetonatedtheexplosiveblockbehindit.The
explosionpropelledtheremnantofthefrontmetalsheetcoveroutandup,takingthebackendofthe AboutGreatHistory
pentratorjetwithit.ThatfirstgenerationofERAgeneratedbetween350and400mmequivalentworth
ofadditionalarmorprotectionagainstlargecaliberHEATwarheads.

TheSovietssawtheeffectsofERAinLebanonandhadbeenworkingonasimilarsystemoftheir
own.In1982theydeployedtheirownfirstgenerationERA,calledKontaktEDZ,EDZstandingfor
ElementyDinamicheskoiZashity,roughly,dynamicprotectionelements.Thefirstvehicletosport
thisERAsystemwastheT80BV(theVstandingforvzryvno,orexplosive),butitappearsthatby
1985allSovietvehiclesinGermanyhadEDZpackages.KontaktEDZwasmoresophisticatedthan
Blazer.Theblocksweresmaller,soeachblockwhichexplodedleftasmallerareaexposed.Also,the
blockshadatrapezoidalcrosssectionwhichcausesthefrontplatetorotateawayfromtheexplosion, FollowGreatHistory
increasingitseffectonthepenetratorjet.
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Around1985,theSovietsbegandeployingasignificantlyimprovedversionofERA,calledKontakt5. Emailaddress Go!
Kontakt5usesasignificantlythickerfrontandrearplateontheexplosiveblock.Theresultisthatitis
notsimplyeffectiveagainstHEATrounds,italsoprovidessignificantprotectionagainstconventional Clickheretosignuptoourmonthly
armorpiercingfinstabilizeddiscardingsabot(APFSDS)rounds.Thedesignoftheexplosiveblockis newsletter.
suchthatafterdetonationthefrontandbackplatesacceleratewayfromtheblock,rotatinginopposite
directions.Asthetipofthepenetratorpassesthroughthebackplate,therotationinoppositedirections

http://greathistory.com/howreactivearmorworks.htm 1/3
3/11/2015 HowReactiveArmorWorks:GreatHistory
ofthetwoplatesprovidessufficienttorquetosnapthepenetratorintwo.Thisseemstoprovidethe
equivalentofabout300mmofadditionalarmorprotectionagainstconventionalpenetraringrounds,
andevenmoreagainstHEATrounds.

Toputthat300mminperspective,itisalmosttwicetheequivalentoftheGermanKingTigersfrontal
armorprotection.

JanesInternationalDefenseReviewin1997ranaconfirmingarticle(quotedbbelow)onUStest
firingsatSovietmanufacturedT80swithKontakt5ERAandreachedthesameconclusions.

SpeakingataconferenceonFutureArmouredWarfareinLondoninMay,IDRsPentagon
correspondentLelandNessexplainedthatUStestsinvolvedfiringtrialsofRussianbuiltT72tanks
fittedwithKontakt5explosivereactivearmour(ERA).Incontrasttotheoriginal,orlight,typeof
ERAwhichiseffectiveonlyagainstshapedchargejets,theheavyKontakt5ERAisalsoeffective
againstthelongrodpenetratorsofAPFSDStankgunprojectiles.

SonexttimepeoplestarttalkingaboutERA,youllknowwhattheyretalkingabout.More
importantly,youllknowiftheydontknowwhattheyretalkingabout.

HeresalinktoamoredetailedhistoryofERAdevelopment.

Nexttimewemaytalkaboutactivearmorprotectionsystems. RecentArticles
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RosieTheRiveterDiesatEightySix
AbouttheAuthor:ThemajorlandmarksinFrank'shistoricalinterestsrangefromancientPersia SudanSecessionReferendumNear
throughtheCrimeanWar,WorldWarII,andthemodernU.S.ArmedForces,withalotofstopsin TenMythsAboutAfghanistan
between.Frankisfascinatedbytheunusual,theoverlooked,andthesurprising.HeistheNewYork
TimesnumberonebestsellingauthoroftheDesertShieldFactBook(1991)andheiscurrentlywriting
anhistoricalnovelonAlexander'sconquestofPersiafromthePersianpointofview.

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3Comments

3ResponsestoHowReactiveArmorWorks

1.

shtharsaid:

AddalayerofZimmeritandyoureallset!

Flagthiscomment

December20th,2010at12:20am

http://greathistory.com/howreactivearmorworks.htm 2/3
3/11/2015 HowReactiveArmorWorks:GreatHistory

2.

mikiehornsaid:

Frank:

ThisledtothedevelopmentoftheTOWIIwhossoleredesignwasawarheadmadetodefeat
ERA.

TheotheradvantageofERAwasturretroofprotectionthethinturretroofarmorfirstbeing
vunerabletotheSwedishBuffaloBillandlatertheUSJavelinATsystem.

greatinfoFrank

Flagthiscomment

December20th,2010at12:26pm

3.

FrankChadwicksaid:

Michael,
Thanks.ThereisawholenewgenerationoftwostageATGMwarheadsdesignedto
prematurelytriggertheERA,andtheyhelpreducetheeffectquitealot.Thenewest
versionshaveaverysmallexplosivechargeontheendofalongprobeoutfront.Imsure
thereisgoingtobeabunchofbackandforthmodificationstoERAblocksandwarheads
forawhile.

Flagthiscomment

December20th,2010at8:19pm

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