CERTIFIED BALLISTIC GLASS /TRANSPARENT ARMOR
International Armored Group only uses certified ballistic glass in our armored vehicle production. All glass installed in our vehicles is made by our wholly-owned subsidiary Transparent Armor Systems. The certification process involves sending each glass combination/sample to an internationally recognized ballistic testing laboratory where it can be tested in accordance with the desired standard. The standard usually sets out the type of ammunition, shot pattern, speed of bullet and distance from target. Please see Ballistic Standards for a list of the most popular standards applicable to armored vehicles.
Once a certain glass combination has successfully passed the ballistic laboratory test, it gets certified and all future glass combinations made the exact same way carry this certificate. However, IAG likes to take the testing process further and conduct “real life” scenario tests where shots are not fired in a certain pattern, at a certain distance and speed as per the standards. Rather, we try to simulate real life situations and see how well the ballistic glass will perform.
CERTIFIED BALLISTIC STEEL/OPAQUE ARMOR
In keeping with the IAG philosophy of Total Quality Management, we only utilize certified ballistic steel for every armored vehicle manufactured. The pre-certified ballistic grade steel is tested by a accredited ballistic laboratory, independent of the manufacturer, to the protection levels as required by IAG using the standards set out in the Ballistics Standards section. All pre-certified ballistic grade steel used by IAG is labeled with heat numbers, making each piece of steel traceable back to the manufacturer. In the rare event that there is penetration of the steel, we are able to pull up the vehicle file and check which heat number of the ballistic steel was penetrated. An inquiry can then be sent to the manufacturer for full accountability.
In addition to the ballistic testing and certification, all steel is also tested for hardness. Hardness is usually measured in Brinell or HB. The steel hardness is very important as it changes the attributes and stopping potential of the steel. For example, the most commonly used level of steel hardness is 500HB suitable for CEN B6/NIJ III level of protection. This steel tends to be hard and perform well against ballistic threats. However, softer steel (400-450HB) provides better blast protection but it does not provide the same ballistic protection as 500HB. Steel used to stop armor piercing rounds has different hardness as well. CEN B7/NIJ IV level protection usually require 600HB steel which provides excellent ballistic protection but does not perform as well against explosives.
