Vehicle armoring can be used to protect valuable cargo - think of cash transporters, for example. It is also frequently used to protect people being transported in cars. Armored special vehicles are divided into ten different resistance classes, which have to withstand different levels of firearm or explosive attacks. Starting with class VR1, which stops a bullet from a small-caliber rifle with a bullet energy of 168 joules, up to class VR10 for steel full metal jacket and pointed head bullets with a bullet energy of 3846 joules.
In special vehicle construction, the vehicle doors, underbody and body are armored with steel or plastic, for example Kevlar, while the windows are made of several centimetres of thick armored glass. Experts estimate the thickness of the glass in the US President's official vehicle at 14 centimetres. Normal opening of the windows and doors is often no longer possible due to the weight of the armoring and is often supported in armored special vehicles with hydraulic systems, for example. The armoring of the vehicles can increase the total weight of the car by a thousand kilograms or more, so that the chassis and brakes must also be retrofitted to compensate for this.
Some car manufacturers produce armored special vehicles ex works, for example Audi and BMW. Many more suppliers in special vehicle construction have specialized in retrofitting vehicles - as have we at Norrenbrock Technik. We retrofit vehicles from series production that are not available as special vehicles. The effort involved in retrofitting armour to vehicles is high, as the vehicles must first be almost completely dismantled, but many individual adaptations are then possible according to special requirements. We then have the special vehicles we have armored officially certified.
Of course, armoring in vehicles can never guarantee complete protection of the occupants with absolute safety. It should only be seen as one of several protective measures. For example, the armored special vehicles of high-ranking persons are often additionally protected by escort vehicles, and the skills of the chauffeur and bodyguards also play an important role.
