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The future of electric armor: Why might it change the game on the battlefield?
As modern battlefields face more and more new threats, traditional armor technology is facing challenges. Against this background, electric armor or electromagnetic armor has gradually emerged and become a new technology worthy of attention. This armor harnesses powerful electrical currents to defend against armor-piercing and kinetic weapons and has the potential to be a game-changer in future warfare.
The principle of electric armor
Electric armor is a new type of reactive armor technology, consisting of two or more layers of conductive plates with an air gap or insulating material sandwiched in between to form a high-power capacitor. When protection is needed, the power supply charges the armor. When an attacking object penetrates the armor, the circuit is closed and the stored electrical energy is quickly released. This energy is enough to evaporate or convert the attacking object into plasma, thereby effectively weakening the power of the attack. .
The structure of this electric armor achieves a good balance between protective capabilities and weight.
Advantages of electric armor
Lightweight
One of the most important advantages of electric armor is its lightweight nature. Compared with traditional explosive reactive armor (ERA), electric armor can be much lighter, which allows armored vehicles to maintain high speed and agility while providing protection. This characteristic allows the electric armor to reduce the overall burden on the vehicle, thereby making more efficient use of engine power and applying it to other vehicles.
Comprehensive coverage
Due to the lightweight nature of electric armor, its protective effectiveness can be evenly distributed throughout the vehicle. This all-round protection reduces the opportunity for enemies to exploit abnormally weak parts. Traditional armor often makes it difficult to monitor enemy movements, while electric armor can provide reliable defense in any direction.
With this uniform coverage, electric armor can effectively protect against top attack weapons such as the American FGM-148 Javelin.
Operational security
Electric armor can also improve the safety of near-infantry and lightly armored vehicles. Traditional explosive armor may produce fragments after being attacked, causing serious injuries to surrounding people, but electric armor does not have this problem, greatly reducing the life safety risks caused by explosions.
The challenge of electric armor
Although electric armor has many obvious advantages, it also faces considerable challenges. Because of its relatively new technology, we have limited knowledge of its capabilities against different types of weapons. Especially in terms of how to effectively combat kinetic energy penetrators, existing systems may not be able to provide enough current for effective protection.
Such limitations require that military front lines must continue to focus on developing more efficient power generation technologies to support these armor systems.
Electric armor cases in various countries
The development of Britain
In the UK, the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory launched an electric armor technology called "Pulse Power System". This system achieves excellent protection through the combination of two layers of thin shells and insulating materials, and shows the potential to protect kinetic energy penetrators.
Research in the United States
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is also conducting research on electrical armor. Their design includes cladding of different materials and cuts the fiber to trigger an internal capacitor, releasing a powerful current to offset the energy of the attack.
Conclusion
Electric armor, as an innovative technology, shows the great changes it may bring in future wars. Its lightweight, comprehensive protective properties and potential for improved safety undoubtedly make it an important direction in armor design. However, the maturity and future development of its technology still need time to test. As warfare evolves, will this technology become a key means of protection on future battlefields?
