On the eve of the International Armoured Vehicles conference in Farnborough, General Dynamics UK has announced that the new modular armour system for the British Army’s Specialist Vehicle (SV) family already meets the most demanding STANAG levels for mine protection, following a series of blast trials conducted at Otterburn ranges in Northumberland.

Preliminary testing of the new armour system has also proven that the design increases the level of protection and survivability above current standards, protecting the crew compartment from being penetrated by the latest IEDs, thereby meeting the MoD’s stringent soil test conditions. In addition, the commonality of the armour system across the SV family will help reduce the British Army’s logistics footprint and costs in this area.

General Dynamics UK continues to work closely with its British Army and MoD partners to ensure that protection levels for the SV family continue to evolve throughout its development phase in order to ensure that when it enters service, SV will be one of the most versatile, mobile and survivable vehicle fleets on the battlefield.