The vulnerability of government, agency and industry officials to criminals, terrorists and asymmetric fighters continues to increase. For the safest possible transport on public roads and off-road, protected vehicles are required which, with sufficient protection, have a high degree of mobility and sufficient (work) space.
Military armored vehicles are generally not suitable for the protection of civilians because they are too large, too heavy and easy to spot. For this reason, civilian cars are provided with special protection and equipped with security technology in such a way that it is probable that they will survive an attack. You usually only see the protective equipment on these vehicles at a second (expert) glance.
A few vehicle outfitters devote themselves to the special task of producing armored civilian vehicles. This includes the WELP Group, which manufactures ballistic protection elements for cars at two locations in Georgsmarienhütte (Lower Saxony) and Wilkau-Hasslau (Saxony) and integrates protective and safety devices according to customer requirements. In addition to a deep understanding of protection technology and vehicle technology, comprehensive management of the numerous supplier items is required in order to combine the many components into an optimized overall system.
security forum
In order to promote this understanding, the WELP Group organized the Security Forum for the second time after 2017, which offers customers, cooperation partners and market participants a platform for the exchange of information and experience. Aspects for the requirements, design and production of protected vehicles for security forces and the military were presented under the general topic of "mobility and communication". 30 exhibitors from the security industry showed partial solutions, from "bare" armor steel and ceramic armor to suspensions, emergency running systems, fire protection, window regulators, air conditioning systems, antennas, vehicle defense with claws or energy, rust protection to entire vehicles such as Tesla, Mercedes, RMMV-Survivor and Toyota. The WELP Group also offered an insight into the complex processes involved in producing the desired level of protection for commercial passenger cars.
The WELP Group developed from the planning company for automotive and mechanical engineering (PGAM) founded in 1979, in which the shares Farmingtons Automotive, IndiKar, PGAM and Dressel + Höfner were merged in 2014. Welp armoring describes the cross-sectional activities for the special protection of vehicles in the company. Specially protected vehicles are mainly assembled in series at Farmingtons and subjected to acceptance tests. IndiKar develops the special protection individually for each vehicle type and produces the majority of protective elements. The highlight is the press for hot-pressed parts that went into operation two years ago, in which certified protective elements with a high degree of deformation can be produced in a single operation.
car selection
In particular, the special protection – which consists mainly of heavy metal plates – but also many additional devices cause a strong increase in weight, which restricts the choice of vehicle with regard to the protection to be implemented.
Luxury limousines, which are often used for personal protection, offer a payload of well under one ton and thus limit the protection that can be achieved. Highly protected cars experience an increase in weight of up to 2.5 tons as a result of the protective measures. In addition, the self-supporting body leaves little room for the installation of protective elements.
More suitable are robust off-road vehicles with a ladder frame and with chassis, drive and passenger cell as largely independent elements. The ladder frames have sufficient weight reserves (growth potential) that can cope with the additional weight of the protective elements and devices as well as the necessary reinforcements for the running gear and body.
components for protection
The focus and top priority is the vehicle's armor for protection against ballistic threats and blasts. As a rule, the basis is the use of elements made of armor steel of various qualities, which are combined with other metals, fiber composite materials or ceramics. The combination enables different threats to be taken into account and “ballistic holes” to be avoided. The use of flat and curved plates, which can be welded to form larger elements, is common. Welp uses the so-called screw kit armor, in which the protective elements are integrated into the body using special screw connections. In the event of damage from bullets or an accident, these elements can be easily replaced in the area of operation. In addition to this protection, especially on the sides and in the roof, protection of the underbody against mines and armoring of the fuel tank are often required.
On heavily curved surfaces, such as the front wall, protective elements that are made up of welded pieces can often only meet the required specifications with great effort and are comparatively heavy. Welp produces workpieces with a high degree of deformation using the hot-pressing process, which are given the required hardness and toughness by controlled cooling in the press (hot-formed elements). A protective element for the bulkhead produced in this way is significantly lighter than a part welded together from individual pieces. It's made faster, with higher quality, and is easier to install and remove. However, economical production requires at least a small series.
As a result of the strong increase in weight due to the protective elements, the chassis has to be adapted to the increased loads. Springs and dampers not only have to cope with the higher weight and the vehicle's center of gravity, which has usually moved up. Above all, they must ensure driving safety that corresponds to the approval of the original vehicle. This also applies to the brakes, which have to absorb considerably more energy.
The protected vehicle must remain mobile even after an attack. Wheels with emergency running elements contribute to this, which enable journeys of several kilometers at sufficient speed even with defective tires. Fire extinguishing systems prevent the spread of fire in the interior, engine compartment and under the vehicle. For the crew in the cabin - also in connection with a ventilation independent of the outside air - the period of survival can be extended. The functions of the drive and drive can be ensured over a longer period of time.
Even if the view of the surroundings is increasingly supported by cameras, the windows at the front and on the sides remain crucial for observing the surroundings and for driving the vehicle. Panes made of bulletproof laminated glass made of silicate or plastic are several centimeters thick and have a high surface weight. Special window regulators are required to ensure that the side windows can be closed safely and quickly in an emergency. The doors have become so heavy with steel and glass armor that not only the hinges have to be significantly strengthened. A hydraulically supported mechanism is required to open and close the doors. If the doors can no longer be opened (after a blast, after an accident or if the electrical system fails), an emergency exit can enable exit from the vehicle.
Communication and navigation also contribute to safety. Internal communication (InterCom) and radio connections to the outside not only support normal operation. In an emergency, they are tools to alert and guide emergency services. For the integration of systems that go far beyond the standard equipment, new cable harnesses and supplementary energy supply are often necessary. Safety aspects can be taken into account during installation so that the systems can also function in an emergency.
Last but not least, the vehicle must also be hardened for off-road use. Starting with the ramming protection, the external units such as lighting and exhaust are protected against impacts and stone chips. The cooler and battery are also protected so that they function in as many operating states as possible. With a cable winch, self-rescue is possible.
Gerhard Heiming and Michael Horst
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