RUAG Defence unveiled the latest enhancement to its SidePRO-LASSO protection system.
Designed in collaboration with serving forces, the result is a reduction in weight by up to 30% and an increase in the protected area of a vehicle using the system.
The SidePRO-LASSO protection system has been saving soldier’s lives since 2007. It is a mesh system of statistical armour that can be mounted onto any armoured vehicle to offer increased protection against RPGs - a primary threat now faced in today’s asymmetrical conflicts. It has been used by a number of international forces on peace keeping missions around the globe.
Through close links to serving forces and their experiences in combat, a number of enhancements to the SidePRO-LASSO have been developed by skilled RUAG engineers based in Switzerland. The enhancements surround both the material and the method used for securing the SidePRO-LASSO to the vehicle. Attaching the mesh at only one point and not two provides more flexibility to maintain constant access to all the vehicle’s original features, such as a winch or tow bar. Previously the user had to choose between having access to all these features or being protected – now he can do both and so increase the total protected area of his vehicle.
Weight is a key factor when selecting a protection system. The protection system must not put additional strain on the vehicle, and allow it to perform as before. The weight of SidePRO-LASSO has been reduced by exchanging the previous method of mounting the system to the vehicle. Now instead of two heavy steel brackets a single aluminium one is used. This not only increases the flexibility of the system as outlined above, but reduces the overall weight to 12kg/m2 a reduction of around 30%. RUAG shows, sometimes less is more.
Besides the SidePRO-LASSO RUAG has expertise in protection solutions to cover the roof, side and belly of vehicles. As a vendor and material neutral supplier, RUAG uses its vast experience in protection solutions to construct a custom solution to meet the specific requirements of every customer.
SidePRO-LASSO at DSEI 2013 mounted on Eagle IV
Photo: RUAG
