The Ministry of Defence recently demonstrated to top Army officials a technology they have been working on for some time now called Electric Armour.
In demonstration the new armour was applied to a medium sized general personnel carrier and it was fired upon with several anti-tank rocket propelled grenades (RPG-7's), enough to destroy the armoured car several times over. After what would normally be considered a severe beating, the vehicle trundled away under its own power, seemingly unscathed by the onslaught to which it had been subjected.
The RPG's in question are those used by many rebel groups and are particularly effective against tanks and armoured vehicles of all kinds. They work by detonating a copper core in the form of a rod or spike upon impacting with their target which liquefies at intense temperatures, and it is this that pierces the vehicles armour and essentially makes a mess of the insides, including occupants.
The new armour employs a technique used for some time now in non-lethal weaponry such as Tazers where a modest power source is used in a stepping form to charge capacitors (somewhat like a battery) up to a very high capacity. The armour itself is in several parts. Firstly the electrically grounded outer skin which is bullet proof and made from an unknown composite. The second is an insulated yet live skin. And finally there is the hard vehicle hull. The capacitors directly connected to these skins, when charged provides for the electric armour.
When the RPG round impacts with the outer armour, the inner core is detonated and liquefied and propelled forward into the armour, where it then meets with the second skin also. This makes a connection between the second inner skin and the outer skin. When the armour is active, this will essentially ground the full potential power stored in the capacitors connected to the second skin. In an instant, the full power is discharged into the armour, through the molten copper and expelled through the grounded outer skin. In this instant, most of the molten copper core is vaporised, leaving only a small amount of the copper core to be easily absorbed by the vehicle hull.
This technology presents a whole new way of handling these terrorist threats and rebel fighters. Although not completely invulnerable, driving away from a conflict with a few scratches if far preferable than casualties.
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