Stu Olden, Sales Manager for Land Systems at Permali expands further: “Our understanding of how composite materials can be used to both deliver a high level of threat protection, and provide significant benefits to the host platform, has been developed through successive project delivery for both government and industry customers. We have proven that our composite solutions, due to their advanced design and composition, can deliver real advantages over their similar weight metallic counterparts – particularly in the areas of tensile strength, stiffness and over-match performance.”

Permali has built this experience and knowledge from being the lead supplier on a wide range of survivability projects delivering solutions including a complete composite monocoque crew cell with ceramic appliqué armour for a light protected patrol vehicle, a moulded ballistic and fragmentation protected roof for the Panther command and liaison vehicle, a complex floor moulding providing blast protection for the Land Rover WMIK platform, and wheel arch and chassis protection inserts for light and medium wheeled armoured vehicles.

Stu Olden continues: “Our composite moulding technology is developed from our long history of supplying leading applique and spall liner solutions to both UK and overseas customers. With a drive to ensure maximum vehicle protection is provided to all military personnel, no matter where they are positioned on the battlefield, yet maintain high mobility, the ability to integrate a light weight, yet high performance, protection solution enables the base platform Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) to be kept low whilst still being able to carry the ever increasing level of equipment required. We have proven that the type of single piece complex composite mouldings that we can produce have a distinct advantages over their similar metallic counterparts. We can immediately eliminate the likely areas of failure on these systems where the metal has been welded or bent to shape. We have the ability to alter the thickness of the composite across its structure, optimising strength against weight, as well as shaping the moulding to assist in blast dissipation. This material construction improves survivability, as a non-metallic structure greatly minimises the behind armour effects when the armour is penetrated or “over-matched” by severe IED or EFP threats that cannot be completely stopped due to the ever present trade off between weight, protection and mobility.”

“Using composites as both a structural element of the vehicle, as well as doubling up as its protection system, is also something we have been working on.” continues Stu. “The benefits are obvious. If you can combine these two functional elements within a vehicle, then you can achieve immediate weight and space envelope savings. Having solutions that have been fitted to platforms, both in general and operational use, for over a decade now we are collating a wide range of information about the through life performance of composite materials, a subject which to date has not been widely understood.”

When asked about what is next for Permali and this are of their product range, Stu replies: “The company continues to run a very healthy internal research and development (R&D) programme, which aims to maintain our products at the leading edge of composite technology capability. As well as developing our own designs and solutions, we are always looking for opportunities to work with other industry partners to design, develop and integrate composite moulding solutions into their platforms.”