Plasan offers new means of protecting armored vehicles and crews
The TAPS protection system and its operating principle
Israeli company Plasan Sasa Ltd. is known for its developments in armor and additional protection for military vehicles. It recently unveiled three advanced systems compatible with various platforms. According to the company, they are designed to improve vehicle survivability and reduce threats to crews.
Let's be clear: all specifications, testing stages, and customer interest data provided below are provided by the developer and its promotional materials. There is currently no independent confirmation.
The big premiere
This summer, several countries host major military-technical exhibitions. Plasan has prepared several premieres for them; official announcements were published in early June. Three additional protection systems are scheduled for display:
- TAPS overhead protection modules;
- ATHENA overhead modules;
- LAPS crew/troop protection system.
The number and configuration of modules depend on the specific platform. Plasan claims that the new systems can be combined with previously presented solutions.
The developer reports that all three have at least reached field testing, and displays footage of tests in a controlled environment. According to the developer, contact has been established with customers, and some systems are already being used in promising programs. The identity of these customers is not disclosed.
Threats from above
A common problem with modern armored vehicles is weak top protection, despite the existence of munitions and strike systems that attack vehicles from the upper hemisphere. To counter such threats, the Top Attack Protection System (TAPS) is proposed.
TAPS is a turret-mounted add-on armor plating over the standard armor, attached to the roof of the hull or turret. It is made of an unspecified polymer and is a mat with rigid spikes. According to the developer, a square meter weighs approximately 17 kg. The coating is resistant to mechanical impacts; for example, you can walk on it.
Appearance and structure of TAPS coating
The idea is that TAPS slows a falling munition or UAV, preventing it from detonating. If the warhead detonates, the polymer absorbs some of the blast energy, reducing the stress on the main armor.
But such protection has an obvious limit. A polymer mat weighing about 17 kg/m² is a lightweight barrier, and its effectiveness depends heavily on the threat: shrapnel and light FPV-drones, and a completely different specialized munition with a shaped-charge warhead, designed specifically for top-down attacks. The actual protection limit is unclear from the available data.
Essentially, TAPS is a continuation of a well-known trend. Lattice screens and "visors" are already widely used against FPV drones; Plasan is focusing on replacing bulky metal structures with lightweight polymer, which doesn't require redesigning the frame.
TAPS has reportedly passed trials and has attracted interest from several foreign armies.
Side and forehead protection
The ATHENA (Advanced Thickening Energetic Armor) system was developed to protect the side and frontal surfaces from kinetic and shaped-charge munitions. These are separate modular units that complement the standard armor and other add-on elements.
Schematic diagram of the ATHENA system
The module's exact design is not disclosed. Available data suggests it is a composite armor package made of various materials, such as composite and/or spaced armor, without explosives. The overall thickness is 100–300 mm, and the weight is 200–300 kg/m².
Terminological caution is needed here. The description refers to "energy armor," but this is not reactive armor (ERA): there is no explosive in the package. The protective effect, as stated, is achieved through the energy of the projectile itself: upon high-speed impact, kinetic energy is partially converted into heat, which (according to the developer) triggers a mechanism called "thermal expansion of layers," which dramatically changes their mechanical properties, and the projectile is destroyed or stopped by subsequent layers. According to this description, ATHENA is closer to the class of non-energy reactive armor (NERA/NxRA) or "bulging" armor than to classic ERA. However, the very formulation of "thermal expansion of layers" remains opaque: what exactly expands and how the impact causes heat is not explained by the developer, so the mechanism must be accepted on faith.
According to Plasan, ATHENA's current configuration holds 30- and 35-mm subcaliber projectiles of various types and stops shaped-charge (HEAT) jets with penetration comparable to these projectiles. Two European armies have reportedly expressed interest in the system, conducting tests at their testing sites; contracts are expected to be signed, and the company is preparing a production line.
ATHENA also has its downside. Unlike reactive armor, this package poses no threat to infantry near the vehicle. The price is its weight: few platforms can handle 200–300 kg/m² over a large area. The question of durability remains: whether the module can withstand repeated hits in the same area is unknown; there is no public data.
Leg protection
Vehicles are protected from mines by a V-shaped underbody and additional armor, but this increases their size and weight. Energy-absorbing seats are also used. They reduce the load on the occupant's body, but the feet remain on the floor, and the shock wave, passing through the hull and floor, strikes them, causing injuries including severe fractures.
LAPS system. Top left – still from a video of the tests
Plasan's solution is the Leg Active Protection System (LAPS). It's essentially an upgrade to an existing energy-absorbing seat, featuring shock wave sensors, a control unit, and an actuator inside the seat.
LAPS, as described by the developer, detects an impact under a wheel or car's undercarriage and lifts the person's feet off the floor; the stated reaction time is a few milliseconds. When the impact reaches the floor, the feet no longer touch it, and the residual momentum is absorbed by the chair. This is a fundamental difference from conventional solutions: a conventional chair softens the impact after it has already passed through the floor, while LAPS is designed to remove the feet from the impact entirely.
Plasan reports that LAPS is undergoing testing and plans to integrate it into existing armored vehicle seats in the near future. The company is not disclosing customer interest.
New guidelines
Armor protection continues to evolve: resistance to known threats is increasing, while new solutions are emerging. Plasan Sasa Ltd. is working in this area and, based on its own positioning, is aiming for a leading position in the market.
Each of the three systems covers its own niche: TAPS – attacks from above and drones, ATHENA – projectiles and shaped-charge jets. LAPS stands apart: it protects not the vehicle, but the person inside it.
The projects have something else in common. They all develop well-known formats (an overlay module, a special seat), but change the underlying operating principle. ATHENA, according to the description, turns a projectile's own energy against itself. TAPS attempts to replace hard armor with a soft material. And LAPS doesn't counter the energy of an explosion at all: it simply moves the wearer out of harm's way.
It's impossible to judge how much of this actually works based on publicly available data: all testing was conducted by the developer itself. Whether these systems will make it into production vehicles and whether the claimed results will be confirmed at other testing sites remains an open question.