The AZUR upgrade was ordered by the UAE for 15 MBTs in 2011. The UAE also purchased the AZUR (Action en Zone Urbaine) urban combat package, which is comparable to the American TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit) for the M1 Abrams and the PSO (Peace Support Operation) package for the Leopard 2. The basic Leclerc Tropicalisé operated by the United Arab Emirates Army already features upgraded armor protection over the French model, at least in terms of side armor: while the French MBTs have only three heavy ballistic skirt elements made out of composite armor on each side of the hull, the tropicalized variant of the tank features a total of eight composite armor skits per side instead - a configuration also offered to Greece during the early 2000s. HL-Schutz Rad/Kette has been adopted on the Puma IFV, where it is used to protect the upper section of the hull flanks the lower sections are fitted with composite armor modules instead. When including an anti-KE plate, DND's ERA can also provide sufficient protection against kinetic energy penetrators (KEPs) to stop medium calibre ammunition and explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).ĬLARA has been trialled on the Marder infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and on the Boxer armored personnel carrier (APC), while it was proposed as armor upgrade for the Fennek scout car. It is not mentioned whether this means simple steel armor or some type of passive composite armor. It has been suggested to wrap the explosives in aluminium foil for easier handling.įor optimal performance, the ERA can consist of multiple spaced plates the empty space can be filled with rubber, ceramics or plastics to maximize protection.ĬLARA/HL-Schutz Rad/Kette has been claimed to provide more than ten times as much protection as "conventionnal armor" against shaped charge warheads as found on rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). A secondary plate made from a ballistic textile (such as kevlar) can also be incorporated into the armor. The fibres can also be combined with each other or with particles made of the previous mentioned materials. According to patent descriptions, the armor might make use of glas fibres, carbon fibres, aramid fibres, ceramic fibres and/or PBO (Polybenzbisoxazolediylpenhylene) fibres. To deal with this issue, DND's ERA solution is totally free of metal (except for the screws to hold the tiles). Tests have shown that fragments from the flyer plates of ERA can reach several metres distance from the impact point, forming dangerous projectiles for dismounted soldiers and civilians in close proximity of the vehicle. While conventionnal reactive armor utilizes metal (usually steel) for the flyer plates, which is rather heavy and endangers nearby infantry, the armor from DND is free of metal. The key difference between other ERA solutions and DND's CLARA/HL-Schutz Rad/Kette lies in the construction. According to the corresponding news article, the video shows forces of the United Arab Emirates together with allies advancing on the western coast of Yemen, where the vehicles are used to combat Houthi rebels.ĭynamit Nobel Defence used to market its explosive reactive armor under the acronym CLARA, which stands for " composite lightweight adaptable reactive armor", but in the recent years the name HL-Schutz Rad/Kette ("shaped charge protection for wheeled and tracked vehicles" abbreviated in German) has been used on the domestic market at least. Footage showing an up-armored Leclerc MBT was released by the Emirati News Agency on the 9th December 2017.
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