MEXAS stands for Modular Expandable Armor System and this is an add-on armour kit for military vehicle that come in many different levels of armour.
It was initially invented by IBD Deisenroth as a way to increase protection of armoured fighting vehicles.
MEXAS comes in a few forms:
- MEXAS-H: (Heavy) Designed for MBTs and relatively heavily armoured vehicles. It provides an armour protection increase so that it can withstand upto 30mm APFSDS and 84mm HEAT rounds.
- MEXAS-M: (Medium) Mainly provides protection against the RPG-7 for light and medium weight vehicles.
- MEXAS-L: (Light) For light wheeled and tracked vehicles. It provides protection against small calibre ammunition upto 12.7mm AP
The Wiesel 1 in its base configuration offers protection against 7.62mm AP all round and 12.7mm at the front at some angles. However with the MEXAS armour package, it can provide 12.7mm protection all round as well as a bit higher at the front to deal with the occasional AP round that manages to ricochet off your UFP.
The trials on the Wiesel 1 with MEXAS armour directly lead to the introduction of the CAMAC (Composite Armour for Mobile Applications Concept) armour systems Spall liners which became standard on all Wiesel AFVs of the Bundeswehr (to be suggested later).
We already have some vehicles with MEXAS armour in game such as the Canadian Leopard 1 with MEXAS - Heavy armour.
Sources
- IBD - MEXAS brochure
- Militaertechnik (Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr) Email correspondence
- Ciar: Modern Armor-I
- Jane’s Armour and Artillery Upgrades 2000-2001 (page 882)
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