Castilla y Belmonte
11-12-2007, 22:16
Tiznao-60 Armored Truck
The landmine threat has been in constant evolution since the 19th century. New technologies, which can be applied to improvised explosive devices (IED) in ad-hoc factories at one’s house, have allowed high-lethality in a compact volume. An IED, armed with a relatively small and light explosively formed penetrator (EFP), can penetrate up to 150 mm of rolled homogenous steel (RHA). This figure for penetration can mean several different things to several different types of vehicles. More modern armored fighting vehicles have been designed to withstand mine blasts, and several older vehicles have been retrofitted. It’s far easier to protect a 60 metric ton (from now on simply referred to as ‘ton’) tank against 150 mm of penetration with floor armor than it is to protect an armored truck with specific weight limitations. A supply truck’s engine can supply a certain amount of torque to pull a certain amount of weight – the less heavy the vehicle is the more it can pull. Nevertheless, the increasing casualty count in international warzones due to the use of IEDs has made protection from these threats imperative. Unfortunately, these vehicles aren’t cheap. Nevertheless, it’s cheaper to purchase a $500,000 armored truck – or even a $750,000 armored truck – than it is to lose four soldiers. In an average first-world nation each enlisted soldier can cost up to $500,000 to train and put in a warzone. So, if a vehicle is destroyed and two or more soldiers are killed their deaths have just justified the cost of an advanced mine-resistant armored truck! It should be noted that the majority of this cost comes from the integration of advanced global positioning systems and battle management systems, however.
A second, equally as dangerous, threat is the rocket propelled grenade (RPG). This is especially true when they are being manufactured and distributed by world-class armament manufacturers. Some distributed RPGs boast of depleted uranium liners, with penetrations of around 1m! This is effectively 200-300 mm more than older RPG designs. Unfortunately, these new RPGs and even light anti-tank missiles are much more difficult to protect against. A main battle tank has a protection equivalent to rolled homogenous steel (RHAe) of around 1,500-1,700 mm, requiring around 35 tons of armor weight. It’s simply impossible to provide a truck with the necessary armor thickness to defend against rocket propelled grenades. Furthermore, newer, more lightweight systems such as active protection systems are hard to apply due to cost considerations. The application of an active protection system into a $750,000 vehicle would increment this cost by at least another $400,000. This makes the truck more expensive than a main battle tank from the late 70s! But, to judge the threat of RPGs versus IEDs it should be noted that during the Castillian Civil War 9% of deaths in supply trucking could be attributed to rocket propelled grenade attacks, while 36% were attributed to landmines.
MecániCas’ Tiznao-60 is an attempt to provide world militaries with a state-of-the-art armored truck for supply and logistics using advanced armor compositions, advanced engines and suspensions, and allowing the truck to pull the maximum amount of weight as possible. The project’s birth is the responsibility of the Northfordian government and military, which required an advanced mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) supply truck for use in a jungle environment – ‘ambush’ territory. A few months into the development process MecániCas was awarded a contract to develop the vehicle for future procurement by the Ejército de Tierra, as well. The exact number to be purchased by the Northfordian military is still unknown, although it’s estimated at around 8,000. The much smaller Castillian Army has declared intentions to procure a total of 2,400 to equip the logistics sectors of the nine currently existent brigades and the three which will join the Ejército de Tierra within the next year. The total cost of the Tiznao-60 program for the government of Castilla y Belmonte is estimated to be at around 570 million pesetas! This includes spare parts and test facilities, as well as the procurement of any new tools required for the maintenance of these new trucks. The Northfordian purchase can be worth as much as 500 million universal standard dollars (USD). The Northfordian military has plans to convert several of the base vehicles to surrogate designs for different mission profiles.
Protection
The protection requirements outlined by both the Castillian and Northfordian governments urged protection against high-caliber small-arm armor piercing (AP) munitions around the crew cabin and body perimeter. Furthermore, the crew cabin’s overhead armor had to be immune to penetration by 155 mm artillery fragments. Finally, in regards to mines and improvised explosive devices the vehicle would have to have maximized protection against these threats in order to protect the lives of the crew and the integrity of the cargo. Protection against rocket propelled grenades is not being pursued seriously at this time given the elevated penetration capabilities of a 105 mm (in diameter) rocket propelled grenade. The passive protection mass and thickness required to defeat these threats has been deemed out of the question, and currently MecániCas cannot offer newer technologies. The use of an active protection system has also been excluded as an option due to cost considerations – a state-of-the-art active protection system can cost up to just fewer than one million universal standard dollars. This would effectively double, or even triple, the price of an armored truck!
The crew cabin and truck frame is constructed out of improved cast homogenous armored steel (IRHA) with low ballistic importance – the material isn’t thick enough to provide the weight of the armor. Steel with .26% carbon is used due to weldability, given that high hardness steel (HHS) with carbon levels of around .30% suffer from poor weldability. The principle armor component is manufactured before being applied to the vehicle and comes in modular packages of different sizes to fit correctly on different surface areas of the vehicle – the modules are called ArmorMaxx. This armor package is available for export, as well, as an armor add-on kit for foreign armored trucks whose owners can’t afford brand-new vehicles. ArmorMaxx has the capability to withstand several armor piercing hits on the same module and is lightweight as compared to other armor schemes. The first layer, looking at the armor from a perspective ‘outside’ the vehicle, is a thin titanium initiator plate to keep the integrity of the module in case of a nearby artillery explosion. Backed by a composite, this initiator plate also decreases the heat signature of the vehicle. The titanium encases a thick layer of boron carbide ceramic which provides most of the ballistic protection of ArmorMaxx. Boron carbide, although cheaper to manufacture than it was a decade ago, is still expensive compared to alumina or silicon carbide. However, it’s ballistic properties are superior in many ways – boron carbide has a low bulk density (an average of 2,510 kg/m3 compared to an average of 3,150 kg/m3 of silicon carbide and an average of 3,870 kg/m3 for alumina), while it has a high hardness value (2,800-3,400 Vickers hardness [HV], 1,800-2,800 HV and 1,500-1,900 HV for boron carbide, silicon carbide and alumina respectively). Multi-hit capability is established through the use of an aluminum foam backing layer. Finally, a final thick layer of armor for further ballistic protection is established through the use of S-glass. Thickness of the modules depends on the required protection. For example, for protection against the 15 mm armor piercing threat the ArmorMaxx module would be at the very least 95 mm thick, plus the thickness of the aluminum foam backing layer which can be between 2.5-4 mm thick. Therefore, against high-caliber small arm armor piercing ammunition the standard module thickness is 98 mm (average/estimation). Finally, the vehicle’s interior is protected by a metal matrix composite spall liner.
To specify, the areas with the greatest protection – that is, protected against 15mm armor piercing small-arms ammunition (API) – are the crew cabin, the vehicle frame perimeter (specifically surface areas which cover the volume of the vehicle reserved for cargo (or personnel) and the fuel tanks. It should be noted that the modular nature of the armor allows the dismantling of thick armor panels in favor lighter armor panels for operations behind the front-lines or in relatively safe areas. This allows for a higher cargo weight. The engine bay and areas of secondary priorities are protected against 8mm API, while areas of least priorities are protected against 8mm ball ammunition. One of the current problems with ArmorMaxx is the minimum thickness requirement to defeat tungsten-cored armor piercing ammunition. This problem is attributed to the use of boron carbide. Future versions of ArmorMaxx may use a different ceramic and confinement material to decrease weight further.
Like most modern vehicles built to the newest requirements, the Tiznao-60 has a V-shaped hull bottom to deflect an IED’s or mine’s blast. The use of very steep angles to form the ‘V’ also maximizes the line-of-sight (LOS) thickness of the hull bottom’s titanium armor plating – in the case of the Tiznao-60 the thickness of the bottom plate assuming that the shaped charge or EFP is penetrating near the center of the vehicle (part of the hull closest to the ground) is around 100mm thick! The armor plating is not homogenous. The bottommost layer features a gradient hardened triple-hardness steel plate separated from a titanium plate by a thick layer of aluminum foam to soak up most of the mechanical energy induced by the blast. Therefore, structural damage to the metal is kept at a minimum and protection against the actual explosively formed penetrator kept at a maximum. Although not as heavy as a homogenous steel plate of equal thickness, a weight penalty is still incurred. To protect from spalling, the metal matrix composite spall liner also covers the floor boards of the vehicle. The two-man crew in the cabin is protected from mines due to the V-shaped floor panels of the hull and a cabin-behind-engine design. Furthermore, the crew’s seats are suspended from the floor panels and are designed to protect the body from unnatural snapping movements during an explosion or from unnatural positions.
Mobility
The Tiznao-60 is powered 380 hp diesel engine occupying about .66 m3 worth of internal volume. The amount of torque produced by the engine allows the vehicle to carry eleven tons of material over its empty weight (twelve tons – metric tons should be assumed in all cases) on-road, and seven tons over its weight off-road. The greater ability to carry more weight off-road is provided by a brand-new cross between an air-suspension and leafspring suspension. Originally, MecániCas had preferred a hydropneumatic suspension but the former provides a cheaper solution. Off-road mobility is improved through the application of a central backbone tube which avoids twisting of the vehicle. According to company sources the Tiznao-60 can operate on over 70% of current soil types.
To maximize the truck’s capabilities to survive an ambush it uses run-flat tires. The truck can still move at an ample place with all eight tires popped for about 700 m. In a more open environment this distance can mean little, except to allow for combat units to have an open area to engage the enemy. In a closed area this distance is quite a bit, as it can mean that the truck has left the line of sight of the ambushing unit!
Vehicle Specifications
Manufacturer: MecániCas
Dimensions: 2.3m (width) x 7.2m (length) x 2-6m height.
Weight: 12 tons (metric)
Armor Protection:
- Against 15mm API around crew cabin, fuel tanks and cargo perimeter.
- Versus 8mm API around engine bay and suspension.
- Versus 8mm ball ammunition all-around.
- Protection from 155mm fragments around the crew cabin, cargo perimeter, engine bay and suspension units.
- Belly protection from large anti-tank mines and improvised explosive devices.
- Suspended crew seats.
Engine: DC serie 200 380 hp high-output diesel engine.
Transmission: IMR-7080-90C automatic transmission.
On-road maximum velocity: 55 km/h
Off-road maximum velocity: 27 km/h
Maximum cruising range: 530 km
Suspension: IMR lightweight air-suspension leafspring.
Automobile capabilities:
- Antilock brakes.
- Run-flat tires.
- Anti-twist backbone tube.
- Traverse over 70%+ terrain type.
Maximum On-Road Weight: 23 tons
Maximum Off-Road Weight: 19 tons
Navigation: Global positioning system (GPS) linked to a compact computer for eased land navigation (landnav). This system is optional.
Cost: $840,000 ($210,000 without navigation electronics)
The landmine threat has been in constant evolution since the 19th century. New technologies, which can be applied to improvised explosive devices (IED) in ad-hoc factories at one’s house, have allowed high-lethality in a compact volume. An IED, armed with a relatively small and light explosively formed penetrator (EFP), can penetrate up to 150 mm of rolled homogenous steel (RHA). This figure for penetration can mean several different things to several different types of vehicles. More modern armored fighting vehicles have been designed to withstand mine blasts, and several older vehicles have been retrofitted. It’s far easier to protect a 60 metric ton (from now on simply referred to as ‘ton’) tank against 150 mm of penetration with floor armor than it is to protect an armored truck with specific weight limitations. A supply truck’s engine can supply a certain amount of torque to pull a certain amount of weight – the less heavy the vehicle is the more it can pull. Nevertheless, the increasing casualty count in international warzones due to the use of IEDs has made protection from these threats imperative. Unfortunately, these vehicles aren’t cheap. Nevertheless, it’s cheaper to purchase a $500,000 armored truck – or even a $750,000 armored truck – than it is to lose four soldiers. In an average first-world nation each enlisted soldier can cost up to $500,000 to train and put in a warzone. So, if a vehicle is destroyed and two or more soldiers are killed their deaths have just justified the cost of an advanced mine-resistant armored truck! It should be noted that the majority of this cost comes from the integration of advanced global positioning systems and battle management systems, however.
A second, equally as dangerous, threat is the rocket propelled grenade (RPG). This is especially true when they are being manufactured and distributed by world-class armament manufacturers. Some distributed RPGs boast of depleted uranium liners, with penetrations of around 1m! This is effectively 200-300 mm more than older RPG designs. Unfortunately, these new RPGs and even light anti-tank missiles are much more difficult to protect against. A main battle tank has a protection equivalent to rolled homogenous steel (RHAe) of around 1,500-1,700 mm, requiring around 35 tons of armor weight. It’s simply impossible to provide a truck with the necessary armor thickness to defend against rocket propelled grenades. Furthermore, newer, more lightweight systems such as active protection systems are hard to apply due to cost considerations. The application of an active protection system into a $750,000 vehicle would increment this cost by at least another $400,000. This makes the truck more expensive than a main battle tank from the late 70s! But, to judge the threat of RPGs versus IEDs it should be noted that during the Castillian Civil War 9% of deaths in supply trucking could be attributed to rocket propelled grenade attacks, while 36% were attributed to landmines.
MecániCas’ Tiznao-60 is an attempt to provide world militaries with a state-of-the-art armored truck for supply and logistics using advanced armor compositions, advanced engines and suspensions, and allowing the truck to pull the maximum amount of weight as possible. The project’s birth is the responsibility of the Northfordian government and military, which required an advanced mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) supply truck for use in a jungle environment – ‘ambush’ territory. A few months into the development process MecániCas was awarded a contract to develop the vehicle for future procurement by the Ejército de Tierra, as well. The exact number to be purchased by the Northfordian military is still unknown, although it’s estimated at around 8,000. The much smaller Castillian Army has declared intentions to procure a total of 2,400 to equip the logistics sectors of the nine currently existent brigades and the three which will join the Ejército de Tierra within the next year. The total cost of the Tiznao-60 program for the government of Castilla y Belmonte is estimated to be at around 570 million pesetas! This includes spare parts and test facilities, as well as the procurement of any new tools required for the maintenance of these new trucks. The Northfordian purchase can be worth as much as 500 million universal standard dollars (USD). The Northfordian military has plans to convert several of the base vehicles to surrogate designs for different mission profiles.
Protection
The protection requirements outlined by both the Castillian and Northfordian governments urged protection against high-caliber small-arm armor piercing (AP) munitions around the crew cabin and body perimeter. Furthermore, the crew cabin’s overhead armor had to be immune to penetration by 155 mm artillery fragments. Finally, in regards to mines and improvised explosive devices the vehicle would have to have maximized protection against these threats in order to protect the lives of the crew and the integrity of the cargo. Protection against rocket propelled grenades is not being pursued seriously at this time given the elevated penetration capabilities of a 105 mm (in diameter) rocket propelled grenade. The passive protection mass and thickness required to defeat these threats has been deemed out of the question, and currently MecániCas cannot offer newer technologies. The use of an active protection system has also been excluded as an option due to cost considerations – a state-of-the-art active protection system can cost up to just fewer than one million universal standard dollars. This would effectively double, or even triple, the price of an armored truck!
The crew cabin and truck frame is constructed out of improved cast homogenous armored steel (IRHA) with low ballistic importance – the material isn’t thick enough to provide the weight of the armor. Steel with .26% carbon is used due to weldability, given that high hardness steel (HHS) with carbon levels of around .30% suffer from poor weldability. The principle armor component is manufactured before being applied to the vehicle and comes in modular packages of different sizes to fit correctly on different surface areas of the vehicle – the modules are called ArmorMaxx. This armor package is available for export, as well, as an armor add-on kit for foreign armored trucks whose owners can’t afford brand-new vehicles. ArmorMaxx has the capability to withstand several armor piercing hits on the same module and is lightweight as compared to other armor schemes. The first layer, looking at the armor from a perspective ‘outside’ the vehicle, is a thin titanium initiator plate to keep the integrity of the module in case of a nearby artillery explosion. Backed by a composite, this initiator plate also decreases the heat signature of the vehicle. The titanium encases a thick layer of boron carbide ceramic which provides most of the ballistic protection of ArmorMaxx. Boron carbide, although cheaper to manufacture than it was a decade ago, is still expensive compared to alumina or silicon carbide. However, it’s ballistic properties are superior in many ways – boron carbide has a low bulk density (an average of 2,510 kg/m3 compared to an average of 3,150 kg/m3 of silicon carbide and an average of 3,870 kg/m3 for alumina), while it has a high hardness value (2,800-3,400 Vickers hardness [HV], 1,800-2,800 HV and 1,500-1,900 HV for boron carbide, silicon carbide and alumina respectively). Multi-hit capability is established through the use of an aluminum foam backing layer. Finally, a final thick layer of armor for further ballistic protection is established through the use of S-glass. Thickness of the modules depends on the required protection. For example, for protection against the 15 mm armor piercing threat the ArmorMaxx module would be at the very least 95 mm thick, plus the thickness of the aluminum foam backing layer which can be between 2.5-4 mm thick. Therefore, against high-caliber small arm armor piercing ammunition the standard module thickness is 98 mm (average/estimation). Finally, the vehicle’s interior is protected by a metal matrix composite spall liner.
To specify, the areas with the greatest protection – that is, protected against 15mm armor piercing small-arms ammunition (API) – are the crew cabin, the vehicle frame perimeter (specifically surface areas which cover the volume of the vehicle reserved for cargo (or personnel) and the fuel tanks. It should be noted that the modular nature of the armor allows the dismantling of thick armor panels in favor lighter armor panels for operations behind the front-lines or in relatively safe areas. This allows for a higher cargo weight. The engine bay and areas of secondary priorities are protected against 8mm API, while areas of least priorities are protected against 8mm ball ammunition. One of the current problems with ArmorMaxx is the minimum thickness requirement to defeat tungsten-cored armor piercing ammunition. This problem is attributed to the use of boron carbide. Future versions of ArmorMaxx may use a different ceramic and confinement material to decrease weight further.
Like most modern vehicles built to the newest requirements, the Tiznao-60 has a V-shaped hull bottom to deflect an IED’s or mine’s blast. The use of very steep angles to form the ‘V’ also maximizes the line-of-sight (LOS) thickness of the hull bottom’s titanium armor plating – in the case of the Tiznao-60 the thickness of the bottom plate assuming that the shaped charge or EFP is penetrating near the center of the vehicle (part of the hull closest to the ground) is around 100mm thick! The armor plating is not homogenous. The bottommost layer features a gradient hardened triple-hardness steel plate separated from a titanium plate by a thick layer of aluminum foam to soak up most of the mechanical energy induced by the blast. Therefore, structural damage to the metal is kept at a minimum and protection against the actual explosively formed penetrator kept at a maximum. Although not as heavy as a homogenous steel plate of equal thickness, a weight penalty is still incurred. To protect from spalling, the metal matrix composite spall liner also covers the floor boards of the vehicle. The two-man crew in the cabin is protected from mines due to the V-shaped floor panels of the hull and a cabin-behind-engine design. Furthermore, the crew’s seats are suspended from the floor panels and are designed to protect the body from unnatural snapping movements during an explosion or from unnatural positions.
Mobility
The Tiznao-60 is powered 380 hp diesel engine occupying about .66 m3 worth of internal volume. The amount of torque produced by the engine allows the vehicle to carry eleven tons of material over its empty weight (twelve tons – metric tons should be assumed in all cases) on-road, and seven tons over its weight off-road. The greater ability to carry more weight off-road is provided by a brand-new cross between an air-suspension and leafspring suspension. Originally, MecániCas had preferred a hydropneumatic suspension but the former provides a cheaper solution. Off-road mobility is improved through the application of a central backbone tube which avoids twisting of the vehicle. According to company sources the Tiznao-60 can operate on over 70% of current soil types.
To maximize the truck’s capabilities to survive an ambush it uses run-flat tires. The truck can still move at an ample place with all eight tires popped for about 700 m. In a more open environment this distance can mean little, except to allow for combat units to have an open area to engage the enemy. In a closed area this distance is quite a bit, as it can mean that the truck has left the line of sight of the ambushing unit!
Vehicle Specifications
Manufacturer: MecániCas
Dimensions: 2.3m (width) x 7.2m (length) x 2-6m height.
Weight: 12 tons (metric)
Armor Protection:
- Against 15mm API around crew cabin, fuel tanks and cargo perimeter.
- Versus 8mm API around engine bay and suspension.
- Versus 8mm ball ammunition all-around.
- Protection from 155mm fragments around the crew cabin, cargo perimeter, engine bay and suspension units.
- Belly protection from large anti-tank mines and improvised explosive devices.
- Suspended crew seats.
Engine: DC serie 200 380 hp high-output diesel engine.
Transmission: IMR-7080-90C automatic transmission.
On-road maximum velocity: 55 km/h
Off-road maximum velocity: 27 km/h
Maximum cruising range: 530 km
Suspension: IMR lightweight air-suspension leafspring.
Automobile capabilities:
- Antilock brakes.
- Run-flat tires.
- Anti-twist backbone tube.
- Traverse over 70%+ terrain type.
Maximum On-Road Weight: 23 tons
Maximum Off-Road Weight: 19 tons
Navigation: Global positioning system (GPS) linked to a compact computer for eased land navigation (landnav). This system is optional.
Cost: $840,000 ($210,000 without navigation electronics)