“Metal foam” is exactly what you think it is-metal with sponge-like holes in it. Scientists at North Carolina State University and the US Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate have invented what they call Composite Metal Foam (CMF). The discovery has broad implications for armored vehicles, and could result in stronger, lighter vehicles better able to protect occupants from the impact of kinetic weapons, explosive shockwaves, and fires. The idea is to make the vehicles last through 2035 or even 2040.Researchers have discovered that composite metal foam offers greater protection than traditional armor steel plate at a third of the weight. It includes the installation of a new turret with a 120mm smoothbore gun replacing the rifled cannon currently installed on the vehicle.Ī decision on the program approval is imminent, with the business case for the life-extension program delivered to the MoD’s approval body late last year. Lethality and protection upgrades to the Challenger, assuming they are approved, will be led by RBSL, the British-based Rheinmetall-BAE Systems joint venture. However, he didn’t say how many tanks the British would update. reported the MoD was considering scrapping the service’s 227 Challenger 2 tanks to afford a pivot to more pressing future requirements in areas like cyberspace, space and unmanned vehicles.ĭefense Secretary Ben Wallace ended the speculation in September when he denied the Challenger 2 force would be mothballed. But it didn’t seem that way in August when national media in the U.K. The fact that Britain is keeping tabs on the European tank project is a step in the right direction for those who believe the battlefield behemoths still have a future in the British Army.
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