Many different kinds of materials have been developed to protect armored vehicles over the years. The choice of which armor to use to shield a car or truck from harm – or for that matter, a tank, ship, airplane or even a spacecraft – usually involves finding the best balance between weight, protection and cost. At The Armored Group, we can select from among several armoring materials for constructing a vehicle, depending on the conditions under which it will serve and the cargo that it will carry.
Before military vehicles even existed, warriors armored their own bodies for protection. The technology of centuries ago didn’t have much to offer in the way of lightweight materials. Soldiers and the horses that sometimes carried them labored under a cumbersome load of bronze or iron. When warships were first armored, relatively thick and extremely heavy cast-iron plates were used to cover their wooden hulls.
Fortunately, armor technology and materials have come a long way since then. Today, stainless steel armor provides a high degree of protection for vehicles, although it’s still quite heavy. An armored vehicle must have a reinforced suspension and door hinges to bear the extra weight, which also adds additional expense. When the empty vehicle weight needs to be lowered to accommodate a heavy payload – for a example, a cash-in-transit truck that will carry hundreds of bags of coins – lighter weight aluminum armor can be used. Again, the overall weight of the vehicle when loaded still necessitates special reinforcements. A material that provides an acceptable level of protection for some uses while reducing costs is galvannealed steel (pictured). The term galvannealed means that the sheet steel has been both annealed (treated through a heating and cooling process to increase hardness) and galvanized.
Since their drivers have to be able to see, every armored vehicle also incorporates transparent armor – more commonly called bullet-resistant glass. As with opaque armor, transparent armor can be manufactured using a variety of materials and processes, depending on the level of protection and weigh desired.
The Armored Group LLC constructs a wide range of armored cars, trucks and SUVs for commercial, law enforcement, military and civilian use. Our experienced, customer-oriented designers and engineers pride themselves on keeping up with the latest developments in armoring technology and materials. For the best new and used armored vehicles, call on the experience of The Armored Group at 1-602-840-2271!