AmSafe Bridport Ltd announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S. (Defense Systems Inc.) to cooperate on business development activities related to the Tarian®vehicle armour system on FNSS armoured vehicle platforms.

Through AmSafe Bridport’s strength in revolutionary, lightweight and flexible rocket propelled grenade (RPG) vehicle armour systems and FNSS’s advanced range of wheeled and tracked land combat platforms, the co-operation will offer FNSS’s customers the latest in RPG protection technology on defence vehicles both within Turkey and internationally.

Tarian technology has been developed in response to a requirement from the military for a lightweight, higher performance and more robust alternative to traditional, heavy, metal bar armour RPG protection systems.

The core element of the Tarian RPG defeat mechanism is an extremely strong textile net manufactured from high-tenacity fibres. Tarian nets are attached to vehicles using innovative flexible mounts that enable the system to withstand harsh vehicle operating conditions without sustaining damage.

Compared with traditional bar armour RPG protection, Tarian provides improved protection performance and, being significantly lighter, enables vehicles to operate more efficiently. It also enables lightweight vehicles to be protected against RPGs.

On 7 February 2013, AmSafe Bridport Ltd announced that it has secured a £10.6m ($17m) contract to supply Tarian RPG armour systems to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). The contract award followed an international competition where Tarian was one of three solutions down-selected for a programme of rigorous testing and trials, including live firing and vehicle field trials.

Ian Kentfield, President of AmSafe Bridport Ltd, said: “AmSafe Bridport is delighted to have signed this MOU with FNSS, thus strengthening the warm relationship we have built up together over a period of time. FNSS’s customers will now benefit from AmSafe’s research and development into Tarian.  The successful integration work that FNSS and AmSafe have undertaken to showcase Tarian on the PARS 6x6 vehicle demonstrates the adaptability of Tarian to fit a wide variety of vehicle types.”

Javier Garcia, Chief Engineer and ballistics specialist at FNSS, commented: “Tarian’s innovative technology significantly improves FNSS vehicles’ crew survivability, bringing also a dramatic weight saving, enhancing access/egress by being unobtrusive and easy to operate.”