Advanced Transparent Armor Materials and Manufacturing Methods

Transparent armor (TA) systems represent a substantial portion of the armor weight allocation for many ground vehicle platforms, and weigh substantially more than opaque ceramic solutions designed for the same threat. Lighter-weight transparent armor solutions that maintain or improve on the ballistic capability compared to current generation recipes can offer mission performance, acquisition and life cycle cost benefits. The objective of this Phase II project is to fully develop and test an innovative lightweight transparent armor system that has equivalent performance to the baseline solution but is 25% lighter and cost less than 2x the baseline price. The new armor system will be a direct drop-in replacement solution for the baseline ballistic glass TA armor. TA&T and its partner, SBG, propose to demonstrate the performance and manufacturability of the new lightweight armor system at a TRL > 7 and an MRL = 9. The new armor system will be tested against all ATPD 2352 Rev T First requirements with a predetermined threat to reach a qualified status by the end of the contract. The TA recipe will also be demonstrated and tested in a curved 33 in x 17 in window format with an 63in. radius of curvature.