July 19, 2007: A British
firm (BAE) asked why the Slat armor (most prominently used by Stryker armor
vehicles since 2003) had to be made of steel. So BAE fabricated a set of slat
armor made from aluminum, and tested it. Worked just as well as the steel
version, and weighed over a ton less.
Slat armor is a 2.5 ton
cage of armor that circles the vehicle. It is similar to anti-torpedo nets that
used to protect battleships in port. When an RPG hits, it is detonates between
the main armor and the metal slats, and does little harm. Slat armor costs
about half as much as ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), and is about a third
lighter, but it is unwieldy. However, in practice, slat armor works quite well,
and many other types of armored vehicles, particularly armored trucks, use it
as well.
