In mid-1992, SANTA BARBARA announced that it had developed, as a private venture, a new passive armour system called the SABBLIC (SAnta Barbara BLIndaje Ceramico) to be installed on light and medium armoured vehicles providing protection against medium calibre kinetic energy rounds.

It has a simple vehicle anchorage system and its low weight (89 kg/m2) and thickness (around 30 mm) allow it to be applied to most vehicles without expensive remodelling work.

According to SANTA BARBARA, SABBLIC is a highly efficient armour system with a weight saving approaching 50 per cent when compared to traditional metallic armours.

Its modular construction and standardised attachment mechanism allows any damaged modules to be replaced under field conditions.

SABBLIC has been evaluated by the Spanish Army for installation on the Spanish-built BMR-600 (6 x 6) armoured personnel carrier and it has been tested against a wide range of light and medium calibre projectiles including 7.62, 12.7 and 20 mm Armour-Piercing (AP), 14.5 mm Armour-Piercing Incendiary (API) and 20 mm Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS).

SABBLIC consists of a sandwich with a cover plate and a back plate between which is a brittle material to absorb and break up the penetrator.

SABBLIC defeats impact as close as eight calibres from each shot and seven calibres from the panel edge. It also provides a high level of protection against blast, shell and mine fragments.

The BMR-600 (6 x 6) armoured personnel carriers used by the Spanish Army are now being upgraded and in the future this upgrade may include additional armour protection for improved survivability.

Status

Development complete. May have entered low rate production.