When it comes to passive protection, Hesco immediately comes to mind. Its MIL products have become the standard in the construction of major or advanced operating bases, while its RAID system has significantly improved the speed at which such barriers are deployed. Until now, Hesco has been considered mostly as a supplier of individual systems, but in February 2019, this British company announced that it is ready to supply turnkey solutions using both its systems and partner systems, namely related Betafence and Guardiar. At the end of 2018, the Praesidiad Group announced its acquisition of the German company Drehtainer, and the acquisition is to be completed shortly. Hesco uses its computer simulation software to quickly design customized solutions and offer them to customers.
Most recently, Hesco has cataloged the Taggablosk system based on its basic solution, MIL geotextile boxes. A welded mesh is attached to the Teggablosk box with a depth of 1, 37 meters. After assembling the wire element, the box is placed in a vertical position, then the base is filled either with ballast bags (low version), or immediately filled with soil; each installed box is connected to the next one.
Four configurations are available: XL without hedge, XR with a 3 meter anti-climb fence, XS available with a 3 or 4 meter hedge and XV with Energy Transfer System and other options. To make climbing more difficult, barbed wire can be installed at the top of the hedge. The Terrablock barrier, which can be easily installed by two people, depending on the model, can stop a car weighing 7.5 tons, accelerating to a speed of 48 km / h or 6.8 tons at a speed of 80 km / h. The Taggablosk system, designed as a dual-use product (for example, the Terrablock XL variant was developed specifically for the 2012 London Olympics), like most Hesco catalog products, has received customer recognition not so much as a perimeter protection system, where the best option is RAID, but rather as a system for protecting key objects inside the camp itself, for example, it can be a restricted area with special forces units, an intelligence analysis center, a headquarters, usually located inside the perimeter with access control. Hesco has determined that the actual internal perimeters at all military bases are generally longer than the external perimeter. Also, to the latest developments of the companies, Hesco has added a number of access control systems, ranging from checkpoints to gates with a width of 5, 4 meters of class M50P1 and a barrier with a Terrablock RAB (Rising Arm Barrier) barrier. The latter system provides a passage width of 6 meters and withstands a collision with a car in accordance with the M40 class (6, 8 tons at 65 km / h).
The company is currently developing a completely new system called LOPS (Lightweight Overhead Protection System). So far, top protection has generally been provided by soil-filled MIL modules installed on the roof; steel sheet solutions were also available, but very heavy and expensive. The new solution will be modular, two people can easily install it, either by assembling the entire roof on the ground and lifting it up with a crane, or by building it directly on site. The kit allows you to build a surface measuring 7, 2x5 meters, which is mounted on two parallel walls made up of Hesco MIL19 modules, which also provide side protection and are able to cover an ISO20 container or modules of a similar size. LOPS can also be used to protect vehicles and other property, the system provides protection against mortar mines and artillery grenade fragments. LOPS was presented at DSEI 2019 in London.
The development of defense systems against various types of threats is a matter of survival for Israel, so it is not surprising that one of the most prolific companies in the field of passive defense systems is located in this country. The catalog of the Mifram Security company, founded in 1962, in 2019 has 180 pages. Its products range from anti-missile barriers to individual security posts, to which can be added ram barriers. Its customers include all types of the US Armed Forces, the Israeli Armed Forces, the UN and numerous customers from the police and civilian structures. Mifram is able to offer customers complete passive protection solutions.
In addition to its Dune Barrier system, available in metal and geofabric, Mifram offers Protective Wall, made of galvanized metal panels that, when assembled, form a parallelepiped that is then filled with soil. The base element is 1.44 meters wide, 1.25 meters long and 1 meter high. If necessary, these elements can be connected to each other both in length and in height, one on top of the other, maximum 5 meters. According to Mifram, depending on the thickness of the wall, the Protective Wall can withstand an explosion near it or a direct hit from a rocket with a diameter of up to 122 mm, explosions and fragments of various types, a direct hit from an RPG-7, a direct bullet hit up to a caliber of 12.7 mm, a direct hit mines with caliber up to 120 mm, detonation of a projectile in the air and detonation of a car with 2.5 tons of explosives. To isolate sensitive areas, Concrete Walls with a height of 3 to 6 meters and a thickness of 200 to 350 mm, as well as steel walls Steel Walls with a height of 2.5 meters, have been developed. In the event of a sudden threat, for example, snipers, a folding protective wall Garmoshka 12 meters long and 2.5 meters high can be used, which is made of hinged sections and, thanks to the wheels, can be quickly expanded using, for example, a car.
Threats flying along a hinged trajectory, for example, missiles, shells and mines, are a huge problem for military camps. Mifram's independent post-beam modular Sky Guard system, designed to meet customer requirements, is capable of protecting against 122mm missiles. It can be installed on top of buildings, container boxes, tents and aircraft. Shelter setup time is minimal and relocatable systems are also available along with sidewalls. A full line of mobile bulletproof shelters are available in different sizes and for different uses to protect small objects.
For surveillance purposes, Mifram has developed a line of towers, the latest addition to which is the Mantis tower. The tower is mounted on a frame with four manual jacks, which allows it to be unloaded without the aid of a crane. After unloading, the tower is installed vertically and then extends until it reaches a height of 10 meters (options are available with a height of 6 and 8 meters), transfer to the vertical position and extension of the tower to its full height takes less than 15 minutes for 4 people (one person can independently put the tower!) … Mantis towers are installed along the Israeli border. As for the barriers for stopping vehicles with explosives, the Mifram catalog contains the MVB3X product shown at the AUSA 2018 exhibition, which is capable of stopping a 7.5 ton truck moving at a speed of 50 km / h. Each element of the barrier has a length of 1, 18 meters, a width of 0, 53 meters and a height of 0, 82 meters and a weight of only 24 kg, one person is required to install the barrier without tools. One of the newest products of the Mifram company is a steel anti-missile fence 28 meters high and 4.5 km long. It is installed at the Ramon airport in Eilat to protect the terminal and the runway on one side. For military bases of different types, making such a decision requires an in-depth cost / benefit analysis based on how long the infrastructure will be in operation (design and construction takes several months) and what the threat level is. However, the cost of an aircraft shot down by a rocket or grenade launcher fired from the ground will, in economic and human terms, far exceed the cost of the fence itself.
Having gained experience in integrating numerous subsystems into a single defense system for military bases deployed by the Italian army in Afghanistan, Leonardo has developed another solution in this area. At Eurosatory, she presented a mobile armored observation post that can be easily integrated into her complete solution. The tower is built into a standard ISO20 container. The post, which received the name Contower (Containerized Tower) in this regard, can be easily transported by truck, by rail or by sea, and when equipped with special mechanical devices, it can also be transported by a military transport aircraft C-130J. Four retractable hydraulic legs allow for self-loading and truck loading as well as automatic leveling. Electricity is generated by a built-in 12 kW diesel generator. An entrance door is cut in the center of one of the long sides of the container. Inside the container, three telescopic elements of rectangular cross-section are hydraulically raised, forming a tower with a height of 7, 3 meters. Two intermediate sections provide protection against bullets of caliber 5, 56 x 45 mm, while the upper section for two soldiers protects against armor-piercing bullets of caliber 12, 7 x 108 mm, which can be fired by Russian machine guns, for example, Dyagterev. To protect against RPGs, after installing the tower in place, additional protection in the form of lattice screens can be installed; they must be removed before being placed in a container. On the roof of the tower, Leonardo proposes to install a remotely controlled weapon module Hitrole-L, which can be armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun, for example, Browning M2HB or M2HB QCB, or a 7.62 mm machine gun, for example MG-3. The weapon module can be controlled by one of two sentries on the tower. The sensor kit of the module provides a viewing range of up to 4 km thanks to day / night sensors, while the range of the machine guns is about one kilometer. When folding the tower for transportation, the weapon module is placed inside the container, which not only avoids damage, but also makes the entire system similar in appearance to a standard container. The total weight of the Leonardo development station is 14 tons. As part of a program to protect its forces, the Italian army issued a contract for 18 Contower posts. The system is currently going through a qualification stage before shipping serial products. Leonardo is also considering integrating sensors and anti-drone systems into the Contower observation post.
