Glass Tank: See-Through Vehicle Armor Is Here

“See-through” tank armor is becoming a reality. No, the tank is not actually made of glass, and the armor is not technically see-through, but the tech company BAE Systems has devised a way for tank crews to see through the walls of their vehicle. The system they have developed is called BattleView 360, and it is capable of providing 360-degree, real-time situational awareness for the crew members inside a tank or other armored vehicle.

According to a company press release, the system is currently equipped on a CV90 tracked vehicle. The tank will be on display this week at the Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London. Although equipped on a CV90, the system is designed with an electronic rather than mechanical architecture, which allows it to be mounted on any vehicle.

The ability to see through tank armor can offer the crew operating the vehicle many benefits, not the least of which is survivability. The limited visibility and noise within a tank make it very easy for the enemy to approach unnoticed. Previously, armored personnel had to rely on outside communications from other vehicle or aircraft personnel to know what was around them. BattleView 360 will allow them to see for themselves.

According to Peder Sjölund, technology manager at BAE Systems, “BattleView 360 builds on years of work across BAE Systems to improve situational awareness and integrate information so that crew workload is reduced and they can make fast, yet effective decisions. The result is increased battlefield effectiveness and survivability.”

In addition to allowing crew members to see through the tank’s armor, the system can present various other information such as “route planning and progress monitoring, red ground display (ground that can be seen by hostile forces), and areas of uncertainty from the last hostile sighting.”

BAE’s press release states, “BattleView 360 is a digital mapping system that collates, displays, and tracks the positions of all surrounding features of interest in two- or three-dimensional modes.”

The system allows crews to find the safest route through the battlefield. It also allows commanders to plan offensive maneuvers strategically.

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The BattleView 360 is comprised of cameras and sensors fitted to the outside of the vehicle. A headset or helmet worn by the crew syncs with these components, which is what allows them to “see through” the armor. The headset works similarly to some virtual reality systems in that the image displayed on the headset corresponds to the direction the crew member is looking.

Another mode provides a “complete battlespace picture environment.”

By integrating the system with other vehicles and drones, the information can be processed and displayed on a portable unit, giving the commander a full view of the battlefield as well as the conditions of various areas.

This “head-down touch-screen display … allows the commander to view the display of other crew members, such as a gunner,” states BAE.

While see-through tank armor may be a new development for ground vehicles, a similar technology has existed in aircraft for several years.

According to Fox News, “the F-35 (fighter) helmet utilizes cameras and sensors fixed around the outside of the jet to provide pilots with a 360-degree view. In a sense, the helmet lets fighter pilots see through the floor of the aircraft, down to the ground.”

Since a tank crew still has to be able to see inside the vehicle to operate it, the BattleView helmet uses a transparent monocle display that only covers one eye and still leaves their vision within the tank mostly unobstructed. The eyepiece is not only capable of providing the user with visual data outside of the vehicle, but also with infrared vision and various data overlays. For example, if there is a route planned, a waypoint marker can be placed on the pilot’s display so that he knows where to go, or a gunner’s display can show the location of targets, even if the targets are visually obstructed.

The company had no comment on when the BattleView 360 systems will begin going into military vehicles. However, it appears the designed system is already fully operational, so soldiers should be able to see through their tank’s armor very soon.

[Image via Clara Murray/BAE Systems/Press Release]