Protection of armoured vehicles against chemical,biological and radiological contamination

Adam Wisniewski ,Jacek Pirszel

a Military Institute of Armament Technology,Wyszynskiego 7,05-220,Zielonka,Poland

b Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry,al.gen.Antoniego Chrusciela“Montera”105,00-910,Warszawa,Poland

Keywords:Protection of ERA CBR defence Chemical warfare agents Vehicle decontamination Radar absorbent material Additive manufacturing

ABSTRACT

1.Introduction

The use of passive,reactive,hybrid(passive-reactive)armour cassettes[1-4]increases the level of ballistic protection of vehicles,but at the same time reduces their susceptibility to decontamination.Because hazards,including chemical,biological and radiological(CBR),must be taken into account in all constructions,considering their probability and levels of hazard they cause,work on improving sanitizing susceptibility must have high priority for ballistic protection and masking.

CBR defense of the armoured vehicle and its crew is based on the following principles[5]:avoiding contamination,protection(protection of individuals,armoured vehicles)and decontamination(restoration of functionality).

Such a vehicle should contain systems limiting the impact of CBR weapons through a built-in multilayer system to eliminate or reduce the impact of toxic and biological and radioactive substances and gases.

Tanks usually provide the best protection against CBR,but lightweight armoured vehicles can also provide satisfactory protection.

Multilayer armour can provide the best basic protection against CBR for armoured vehicles.The first layer should be a steel plate containing titanium and boron to protect against neutron radiation.The second layer,the middle and thickest layer of ceramic TiB2,steel,plastic,depleted uranium and graphite composite,should provide good protection against neutron and gamma radiation.The last-third layer can provide only slight protection against CBR[5].Additionally,inside the armoured vehicle,the crew is to be protected by the chemical and biological filtration system,i.e.:prefilter,aerosol,adsorption-cohemise,control system,sensors,etc.

Therefore,improving CBR protection requires careful analysis of the processes that occur in the event of contamination and during decontamination.

It was assumed that decontamination will be carried out using liquid disinfectants[6,7].It is the most universal technology,commonly used for decontamination of military vehicles,not requiring the use of technically advanced equipment.The advantage is also the possibility to use the same type of equipment(in the event of a possible disinfectant change)to eliminate different types of contamination.The following analysis considers that both reactive disinfectants that cause destruction of contamination as a result of a chemical reaction and disinfectants that remove physical contamination by washing can be used[6-9].

2.Methods of vehicle decontamination

For the disinfection to be effective,several conditions must be met.When reactive disinfectants are used,these are:

1.Disinfectant access to all contaminated surfaces,

2.Reactivity of the disinfectant towards the removed contamination,

3.Ensuring a sufficiently high dose of disinfectant per unit area(per unit amount of contamination),

4.Ensuring disinfectant contact with contamination for the time necessary for the reaction to occur,

5.Compatibility with materials used in sanitized equipment.

If a physical disinfectant is used,it should have the following properties:

1.Good solubility of the contamination in the disinfectant or the ability of the disinfectant to disperse and wash the contamination,

2.Very good access to all contaminated surfaces of a sufficiently large amount of disinfectant.

The above requirements show that factors related to the construction of the equipment to be disinfected are as important as the properties of the disinfectant.They determine the susceptibility of the construction to contamination and decontamination.The most important are factors related to:

1.Spatial construction,

2.The materials used,especially on the surface of all components exposed to contamination.These factors are presented in Chapter 3.

3.Protection and decontamination of the tank surface

Surface protection and decontamination are shown with the use of the example of the PT-91 Hard with ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes-III generation(Fig.1).

ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes are used on tanks and they protect tanks against shaped charge projectiles(SC)include tandem SC,also against Explosively Formed Projectiles(EFP)and Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarting Sabot(APFSDS)projectiles.Due to high protection capabilities of these cassettes against different types of projeciles it is very important that these cassettes are mechanically protected from contamination and easily decontaminated.

Table 1 presents the parameters of ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes,which must be mechanically protected against contamination and,in case of contamination,decontaminated.

Fig.1.The PT-91 Hard tank with ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes-.III generation-easy and very fast to install.

Taking into account the presence of a=1-2 mm slits between the cassettes,the surface covered with reactive armour is approx.S=5.8 m2.

The shape of the structure is important for both postcontamination processes and decontamination.Due to the anisotropic nature of reactive armour in terms of its impact on contaminants and disinfectants,the surface of the tank and reactive armour can be divided into several categories that take these differences into account:

1.Outer cassette surfaces.This group includes the upper,parallel to the tank armour,cassette surfaces,as well as the uncovered side walls of some cassettes.Their total area is about S=6.5 m2.This surface is most exposed to contamination,but at the same time access to it is the easiest and,as a result,their decontamination is also relatively easy.Application of the liquid disinfectant does not cause technical problems.When reactive disinfectant can be used to eliminate contamination(as in case with chemical contamination),contamination is usually destroyed as a result of an irreversible reaction within several dozen minutes.A more complicated situation occurs when the contamination is removed physically,e.g.by washing.It is not destroyed then,but only removed from the disinfected surface and displaced along with the used disinfectant.In some cases it is possible to get the contamination to places where it will be more difficult to remove.

2.Surfaces of slits walls which are the side surfaces of the cassettes.The total size of these areas is approx.S=4.5 m2in the case under consideration.Between most of the side surfaces there are slits in the shape and width depending,inter alia,on the shape of the surface covered with reactive armour.The presence of slits greatly reduces the susceptibility of the structure to decontamination,because they are places particularly susceptible to the accumulation of various contaminants,impurities,etc.They can be,e.g.drops of toxic agents or particles of contaminated dust.In practice,dirt such as mud,dry leaves,greases,oils,etc.are often present in slits of vehicles.

3.Many of these can help to stop contamination in slits.Drops of liquid flowing from the outer surface of the cassette into the slits can be absorbed,e.g.through dried mud,as well as through the remains of plants.The presence of lubricants is also very disadvantageous because most of the chemical warfare agents(CWAs)dissolve easily.What is more,due to the hydrophobicity of lubricants,water disinfectants are ineffective against poisonous substances dissolved in them.Disinfectants have difficult access to accumulated contamination in slits.Typical nozzles in the equipment for applying disinfectants on contaminated surfaces have a large angle of the discharge cone,e.g.50°-80°.

Table 1Reactive armour cassette parameters on the PT-91 Hard tank.

4.For 1-2 mm slits,only a small percentage of the disinfectant will be introduced into the slits,most of the remaining disinfectant will be applied to the outer surfaces of the cassettes,from where part of it will flow into the slits.This process is unpredictable and which of the surfaces in the slits will be covered with a disinfectant and the amount of this disinfectant will be determined,e.g.by the angle of inclination of the surface covered with cassettes in relation to the horizontal.The greater the slope,the less disinfectant will flow into the slits and the less disinfectant distribution will be in the slits.For disinfectants eliminating contamination through a chemical reaction,the ratio of the amount of disinfectant to the amount of contamination for most disinfectants is from 20:1 to 100:1,so introducing a quantity of disinfectant into the slits ensuring effective disinfection is extremely difficult.Therefore,some slits may not be suitable for decontamination.

5.Lower surface of the cassettes with a total area of approx.5.8 m2.These surfaces should be considered less susceptible to contamination compared to those described above,however,they may also be contaminated,especially when the reactive cassettes are inclined or mounted on vertical surfaces(Fig.2,Fig.3).Unfortunately,the same reasons that limit access of contaminants also limit access of the disinfectant to such an extent that these surfaces are practically not susceptible to decontamination.

6.Elements for fixing cassettes to the surface.The surface of these elements depends on how the cassettes are installed,but can reach several m2.Susceptibility to contamination and decontamination is similar to that of the lower surfaces of the cassettes.

7.Tank armour located under the reactive armour of approx.5.8 m2.Part of the contamination will be stopped by reactive cassettes,however,they are also an obstacle to disinfectants preventing their application in an appropriate amount.

The above division is arbitrary,because the reactive cassettes can be covered with surfaces with a wide range of gradients and curvatures(Fig.1),so part of the surface cannot be clearly classified.

Fig.2 shows the cassettes mounted on stands attached to vehicle armour(RHA-Rolled Homogeneous Armour).Liquid contaminants may infiltrate the slits between:cassettes,cassettes and stands as well as armour and stand(Fig.2(a)).Due to the difficult access of the disinfectant to such places,significant amounts of residual contamination may remain after decontamination(Fig.2(b)).

Also when assembling cassettes without stands,poor disinfectant access to contaminated surfaces causes that on many of them contamination remains(Fig.3).

Fig.2.An example of the distribution of contamination on an inclined surface covered with reactive cassettes:a-before decontamination,b-after decontamination.

Fig.3.Example of the distribution of contamination on a vertical surface covered.with reactive armour:a-before decontamination,b-after decontamination.

3.Selection of construction materials for decontamination

Almost all construction materials have CWA absorption capability,and elastomers are particularly susceptible[10,11].This feature is one of the main causes of residual contamination.Appropriate design of the equipment,ensuring access of disinfectants to all contaminated surfaces allows for effective reduction of the level of contamination on disinfected surfaces.However,it does not guarantee effectiveness in relation to contaminations that have infiltrated deeply into contaminated materials.For this reason,the use of materials resistant to the infiltration of contamination is a basic condition for ensuring susceptibility to decontamination.

Protection against contamination and its elimination capability must include infrared masking or radar detection.The materials used to carry out these tasks are not always resistant to contamination or to disinfectants(Table 2).Cassettes surfaces are also painted with masking materials,but most paints have high chemical sorption capacity[12].Urethane and epoxy paints are the most resistant to penetration of chemicals,thanks to which the surfaces covered with them can be effectively disinfected.Among other things,for this reason,such paints are currently used for painting military equipment.

Table 2Material properties,CWA absorption and sanitizer resistance.

If an additional layer is used on the upper surfaces of the cassettes,1-6 mm thick,to mask the vehicle before radar detection,this layer can be very difficult to decontaminate,unless it consists of non-CWA absorbent materials.

In addition to the resistance of materials to the infiltration of contamination,their resistance to disinfectants is also important.When using disinfectants containing hypochlorite(ClO-)ions,both rapid decomposition of most CWAs and severe destruction of biological agents occur.A negative feature of such disinfectants is their strong corrosion properties and the possibility of damaging some materials.Organic disinfectants can also damage many construction materials and paint coatings.The aim is to replace these disinfectants due to their aggressiveness and toxicity with other disinfectants,e.g.aqueous solutions of oxidants.However,certain properties of organic disinfectants,such as readiness for use,dissolution of concentrated poisonous agents,mean that there are still no agents that can fully replace them.For these reasons,the selection of materials must take into account the resistance to organic disinfectants.

The use of reactive cassettes causes a significant increase in the potentially contaminated total area(Table 1),while at the same time it is a surface with very low susceptibility to decontamination.The solution to the above problem may include two directions of action:

1.Prevention of contamination of reactive cassettes,

2.Improving the efficiency of contamination elimination.

Prevention of contamination can be by isolating the reactive cartridge components from the environment to prevent contact with liquids and dust.It is particularly important to reduce the infiltration of substances between and under the cassettes.The introduction of sealing material(elastomer-Fig.4(a))in the slits to protect against the infiltration of contamination into the slits between the cassettes located on the side skirts of the tank(Fig.4)can be considered.Due to the elastomers’susceptibility to infiltration of poisonous agents(Table 2),such a seal must be treated as disposable and removed after every contact with contamination that may infiltrate it(Fig.4(d)).Since it is difficult to ensure full tightness of this type of seal,it is necessary to assume the possibility of the presence of small amounts of contamination after decontamination and removal of the elastomer(Fig.4(d)).Therefore,the need for repeated decontamination after removal of the seal should be considered.

Such use of elastomers reduces the level of contamination on external surfaces and slits’surfaces,however,it remains possible for contaminants to get under the cassettes where they are mounted on the stands to the vehicle armour(Figs.2-4).

Reduction of dirt infiltration into the slits between the cassettes can be achieved by applying a sealed coating to the surface covered with the cassettes(Fig.5),e.g.on the front plate and the side surfaces of the tank turret.It can be a coating that is easy to peel off(high decontamination susceptibility is not required)or a coating resistant to infiltration of contamination.

It is possible,for example on the PT-91 Hard Tank,to use protecting cap for the ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes on the hull and turret by means of differently shaped and attached to the tank steel or aluminum sheets.Such protecting caps may separately cover:

1.ERAWA-2 cassettes on the front sloping hull face plate,

2.ERAWA-1 cassettes on the horizontal front surface of the hull,

3.ERAWA-2 cassettes on the front right sloping part of the turret,

4.ERAWA-2 cassettes on the front left sloping part of the turret,

5.ERAWA-2 cassettes on the lateral right sloping part of the turret,

6.ERAWA-2 cassettes on the lateral left sloping part of the turret,

7.ERAWA-1 cassettes on the upper right part of the turret,

8.ERAWA-1 cassettes on the upper left part of the turret,

9.ERAWA-1 cassettes on the right side of hull skirt,

10.ERAWA-1 cassettes on the left side of hull skirt.

Steel protecting caps,e.g.1 mm thick,with a total area of S～7.5 m2can effectively protect against contamination:ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes,stands for their attachment and insert nuts(welded to the tank),to which these stands are attached with screws.These protecting caps increase the tank’s weight by about 65 kg.The places of contact of these protecting caps with the tank surface can be additionally sealed with an elastomer(Fig.5).Decontamination of the ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes protected in this way will be facilitated,because the decontamination surface is uniform and almost tight.One can also unscrew protecting caps and remove them together with the elastomer,and only seal places additionally decontaminate together with the remaining surface of the tank.Protecting caps can be disinfected separately.

Improvement of decontamination efficiency can be achieved by choosing appropriate paints and other materials with low CWA absorption(Table 2),which prevents the accumulation of significant amounts of these agents on contaminated surfaces and their subsequent spread after decontamination.

Fig.4.Use of elastomer to protect slits between cassettes against contamination:a-condition against contamination,b-after contamination(contaminated elastomer),c-after decontamination,d-after removal of contaminated elastomer.

Fig.5.Protection of external surfaces and cassette slits from contamination:a-condition before contamination,b-after contamination(contaminated elastomer),c-after decontamination.

However,the most serious problem is the poor accessibility of the disinfectant to many surfaces that can be contaminated.The use of special lances and nozzles to ensure disinfectant insertion under reactive cassettes can be considered.Unfortunately,this solution also does not guarantee access to all contaminated surfaces and does not provide visual control of the disinfectant application process.

The lattice structures,made with the use of Additive Manufacturing technology,are and can be used more and more often to protect not only the armoured vehicle against the effects of the explosion and related debris[13,14].The lattice structures can effectively dissipate the energy of the air shock wave after the explosion of the explosive[15].Such explosions may threaten the side surfaces of an armoured vehicle or affect the bottom of such a vehicle,as in the case of a mine explosion,etc.Moreover,lattice structures with metal sheets and/or ceramic plates(e.g.Al2O3,SiC,B4C)can be used for additional protection of the armoured vehicles against small calibre armour-piercing(AP)projectiles.

As part of the impact protection capability tests,316 L steel specimens of lattice structures with dimensions of 100 mm×100 mm×100 mm and elementary cells of BCC-Z were made(Fig.6)[16].

The results of these 316 L specimens fired from pneumatic cannon by projectiles of diameter d=200 mm,mass 1.7 kg at a speed of 45 m/s are shown in Fig.7[16].

As Fig.7(b)shows,lattice structures can very effective absorb kinetic energy impact on a very large surface.

Lattice structures themselves or lattice structures with metal and/or ceramic plates must be placed in an enclosure that can effectively protect them from contamination and facilitate decontamination.

Fig.6.Steel specimens 316 L for quasi-static tests with the bars of the diameters:a-1 mm,b-1.25 mm,c-1.5 mm.

Fig.7.Steel specimens 316 L with a 1.5 mm bar diameter(a)and 1.25 mm bar diameter(b)after impact of the projectile.

4.Decontamination of armoured vehicles covered by RAM

Currently,military vehicles are increasingly covered with a microwave absorber(radar absorbent material-RAM)[1,17]to make detection and identification difficult.Such vehicles are difficult to protect against CBR contamination and to decontaminate them.

This absorbent in the form of 1K2KS & 1KF2KS rubber with a thickness of approx.6 mm was glued on vehicles eg.with easy and very fast to install ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes(Figs.8 and 9,10a-b)[1,4].

Fig.8.The BWP-1 with the CERAWA-1 composite-reactive armour cassettes covered by RAM:a-cassettes on the front hull and turret,b-cassettes on the side of hull and turret,cseparated cassette on the side of hull.

Fig.9.The PT-91 Hard tank II generation with ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes covered by RAM.Examples of covering surfaces other than the surfaces of ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes are shown in Fig.10(c)and(d).

This absorbent,placed on hybrid(passive-reactive)CERAWA-1 cassettes[4],protects main surfaces of the BWP-1(10 mm thickness)in sector of frontal horizontal fire and observation±70°(on the right and left from axis of vehicle)against detection and identification by radar up to f=18 GHz(frequency of radar wave).Moreover,hybrid cassettes CERAWA-1 protect against penetration with:

1.Shaped charge(SC)projectiles with depth of penetration of DP=300 mm RHA,

2.armour-piercing projectiles with AP calibre d=14.5 mm.

PT-91 Hard tank covered with this absorbent[1,17]was positioned relative to the radar in the following configuration:

1.axis of the tank and its cannon in line with the radar axis,

2.The axis of the tank in line with the radar axis,and the gun pointing to the left or to the right of the tank axis,

3.Different position of the tank axis and position of the cannon when the tank was at some height relative to the radar.

In this way,the protective capability of the PT-91 Hard tank was determined in all its positions,including the different positions of the tank cannon,which was not covered with RAM,and from which the radar waves are also reflected.In this way,the average protective capability of such covered PT-91 Hard tank was examined with the use of RAM(Fig.11).

Protection of vehicles covered with a microwave RAM against CBR contamination,as well as their decontamination should not reduce their L2(average detection and identification distance of a vehicle covered with RAM by radar as-Fig.11):

If this condition is not met,the contaminated vehicle must be mechanically removed from RAM and re-coated to maintain protective capability against radar detection as it is shown in Figs.9 and 10.

Absorption of CWA by materials such as rubbers for use as radar wave absorbers and other elastomers to seal reactive cassette casings,etc.Is inevitable and has a serious impact on decontamination effectiveness.An analysis of the processes taking place both on the surface and in the depth of the contaminated material,before and after decontamination,is important in preparing the decontamination procedures for armoured vehicles.

Fig.12 shows a simplified process after contamination of the armour surface covered with a layer of material capable of absorbing CWA.As soon as droplets of CWA come into contact with the armour,the more the surface and evaporation intensity of these droplets increases,the smaller is the wetting angle between the CWA and the contaminated armour surface(Fig.12(a)).

Absorption of CWA is also possible from the gaseous phase,but it is less important due to the low volatility of most CWA.

In the situation shown in Fig.12(a)there is an inhalation and contact hazard from liquid CWA.After decontamination,even if liquid CWA has been completely removed from the contaminated surface,residual CWA remains absorbed deep into the armour.From such a surface,the vapour emission of CWA due to desorption continues(Fig.12(b)).The inhalation hazard remains the most dangerous and the possibility of absorption of CWA vapours by human skin.

Almost all decontamination technologies allow to remove only CWA remaining on the surface of the contaminated armour,while their effectiveness is low compared to CWA that have penetrated deep into the armour.Low residual contamination can be achieved by reducing the absorption of CWA by the armour surface.This way of reducing vapour emissions after decontamination requires:

1.The use of materials on the armour surface the with low absorption of CWA,

2.To decontaminate contaminated surfaces as soon as possible.

Fig.13 shows that the amount of CWA absorbed by contaminated materials increases with the time of contact with the contamination[18].The numerical values and shapes of the curves in this case should be treated as examples,because depending on the volatility of CWA,density of contamination,droplet size,temperature,and sorption properties of the contaminated material,differences of up to two orders of magnitude are possible[19-21].For example,for VX and low temperature,the units of time may be not hours,but days.

Fig.10.The examples of the PT-91 Hard tank II generation covered by RAM:a-mudguard,front of hull and turret with ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 cassettes,b-top of turret with ERAWA-1 cassettes,c and d-skirt of hull.

Fig.11.Radar Absorbent Material(RAM)of 1K2KS & 1KF2KS type,L1-average distance of vehicle detection and identification by radar,L2-average detection and identification distance of a vehicle covered with RAM by radar.

Fig.13.Example of a changes in the evaporation rate of CWA and its amount absorbed.by the contaminated material.

Fig.12.Processes following surface contamination by CWAs and after decontamination.

Fig.14 shows the sulphuric ipertide vapour emission from rubber after 30 min and 48 h decontamination[18].The contamination density was 10 g/m2,specimens temperature 20°C.After 0.5 h from the moment of contamination,the decontamination process allowed to obtain after several hours a low,acceptable value of residual contamination,measured by the amount of ipertide vapour emission from the disinfected surface.The effect of decontamination after 48 h from the moment of contamination is unsatisfactory,the high level of sulphuric ipertide vapour emission remains for hundreds of hours.

Appropriate decontamination must be carried out in the shortest possible time,as each hour of delay means a much higher level of residual contamination and many additional hours of waiting for desorption of absorbed CWA until the required reduction of CWA vapour emissions is achieved.This can prevent the contaminated vehicle from being taken out of service for a long time.Even after a longer period of time,e.g.several tens of hours after contamination,you should start decontamination even though the contaminated material such as rubber has saturated with CWA.

Fig.14.Desorption of sulphuric ipert from rubber.

Assumed densities of CWA contamination are many times lower than those that can cause maximum dissolution of the contamination(saturation)of e.g.elastomer.In case of 3 mm thick layer of rubber(about 5 kg of rubber/m2)contaminated with 10 g/m2CWA,we obtain the ratio of mass of CWA to rubber 1:500(0.2%),whereas the solubility of CWA in rubbers may be even fifty times higher[20].Thus,before CWA evaporates,decomposes or is washed away by rain,it can be accumulated in materials susceptible to its absorption.

Most CWA-absorbing materials are multi-component mixtures and,for example,the name‘butyl rubber’refers to the main component but does not take into account either the content of other components such as fillers or their properties(chemical properties,particle sizes and shapes).They may have a large impact on,among others,the diffusion coefficient of CWA in rubber[21],so materials of the same name and from different suppliers may differ significantly in their properties.

Rubbers as radar wave absorbers(RAM)and elastomers for sealing cassette casings(reactive,passive,hybrid)should be thoroughly tested for CWA absorption.

5.Conclusions

Based on the analysis and research results,the following conclusions can be made:

1.Due to the construction of military vehicles(tanks,light fighting vehicles)and the way of mounting additional armour on them in the form of cassettes(passive,reactive,hybrid-passivereactive),it is difficult to ensure full protection of these vehicles against contamination and it is difficult to decontaminatie.

2.It is possible to reduce the level of contamination as well as to more effectively decontaminate such vehicles when using:

2.1.Sealing material(elastomer)in the slits between the cassettes,

2.2.Variously shaped and mounted on the vehicle(hull,turret,side skirst of the hull)protecting caps of these cassettes in the form of steel or aluminum sheets,e.g.1 mm thick.

To achieve a high efficiency of decontamination of a vehicle with such cassettes,it is necessary to use the materials with low contamination absorption.

3.Applying the right amount of disinfectant to all surfaces of the cassettes requires their disassembly first.In the optimal case,disassembly should be possible to be carried out by crew equipped with personal protective equipment.Improving the efficiency of contamination removal when using cassettes must consist primarily of:

3.1.Allowing quick disassembly of the reactive armour to a condition allowing disinfectant access to all potentially contaminated surfaces,which is a condition for effective removal of contamination.It is also necessary to be able to quickly mount reactive armour cassettes after disinfection.

3.2.Use of materials resistant to contamination absorption.

3.3.Use of materials resistant to disinfectants.

It is important to meet all three requirements simultaneously in order to maintain full functionality of the cassettes after contamination.

4.In order to obtain easy access to all contaminated surfaces of the vehicle with such cassettes,it is necessary at the design stage to ensure their quick dismantling,as is the case with ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 reactive cassettes on the PT-91 Hard tank or in case of the use of hybrid cassettes CERAWA-1 on BWP-1 vehicle.

5.If the vehicle is covered with a microwave absorber(Radar Absorbent Material-RAM),their surface can be additionally covered with urethane or epoxy paint with high resistance to chemical warfare agents(CWA)and high resistance to disinfectants.

6.When decontaminating the surface of a vehicle covered with RAM,the radar wave absorption capability should be ensured so that the average detection and identification distance of such vehicle using L2 radar is a minimum of 30% of the L1 distance from which the vehicle is detected without the use of RAM.

7.Additional armours,made with the use of steel,titanium,aluminium,etc.,manufactured in additive manufacturing technology,can precisely matched to any shape of the armoured vehicles(hull,turret)and eg.protect against explosion,smallcalibre armour-piercing(AP)projectiles and shaped charge projectiles.

8.Additional armours containing lattice structures themselves or lattice structures with metal and/or ceramic plates must be placed in an enclosure that can effectively protect them from contamination and facilitate decontamination.