Novosibirsk researchers develop light and reliable armor

Novosibirsk scientists in Siberia have developed for the Russian military a next gen technology for making lighter, more reliable and less costly armor.

Scientists at Novosibirsk-based NEVZ-Soyuz in Siberia have developed for the Russian military a next gen armor-making technology, Russian business daily Izvestia reported earlier this week. The new ultrastrong ceramic plates have been made using boron carbide nanopowder. The end customers expect to use the product to make flak jackets and special protection for combat engineering and defense infrastructure. The Siberian scientists claim that with their nanotechnology the new armor is 75% lighter, 15-to-25% less expensive, and five-to-six times more reliable. According to experts, the armor is light enough to be used for efficient protection of a helicopter, for example. The Russian Government has allocated for NEVZ-Soyuz a reported $4.4m to complete the R&D phase and set up production by the fourth quarter of 2015...