Military vehicles

Dyneema® base armor and spall liners protect top-line military vehicles around the world from bullets, spall-generating projectiles and mines, ensuring armed forces are as safe as possible. Dyneema® is used in the Leopard II main battle tank produced by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and in service in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark and Sweden. Dyneema® is also used in the armor systems of the Patria and Hägglunds armored personnel carriers and vehicles in Israel.

Lightweight armor made with Dyneema® provides broad protection against heavy ammunition. In lightweight military vehicles, it offers stand-alone protection against military ball ammunition, including AK47 mild steel core, and in combination with a ceramic or steel strike face, it can protect against antitank projectiles of up to 14.5 mm. It even protects against heavier, tank-penetrating projectiles such as APDS kinetic energy projectiles and shaped charge high-energy ammunition. Panels made with Dyneema® also have good acoustic absorption properties.

Combining panels made with Dyneema® with steel or ceramic strike faces can substantially reduce weight compared to stand-alone steel panels. For wheeled vehicles in particular, this weight advantage can improve the vehicle’s performance and payload, so that more equipment or soldiers can be transported.

Armor made with Dyneema® is not negatively affected by moisture or water contact, and panels made with Dyneema® meet the most commonly used standards of flame retardancy (e.g., FAR 25.853, DIN 4102 class B2, FMVSS 302).