Development and Applications of Armored Vehicles: A Case Study of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter

1. Introduction to Armored Vehicles

Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle; An armored vehicle is one that is protected by armored plating and armored bulletproof windows to protect the light commercial vehicle and its occupants from bullets, mob attack, and/or detonation of explosive devices. It is often used for transporting high-value cargo and/or secure VIP transportation. It can also be used as a secure means of freight security, especially in peacekeeping and humanitarian mission operations. These protective capabilities can be developed in specific ways, according to the protection level needed to fulfill the users’ desires and the vehicle’s capability to carry the extra weight of the armoring process. Many producers offer special designs and technologies to offer more protection and improve the survivability of the armored vehicle, including armoring of the engine.

Since World War I, several definitions and disciplines in specific technical matters have been established for armored vehicles. The main idea in the definition of an armored vehicle is the protection of the occupied place located in it. In the beginning of the 20th century, as the researches and developments in automotive technologies rapidly took place, the military leaders perceived these vehicles, which are armored to protect the soldiers in them and installing machine guns, revolutionized the old-fashioned battlefield conditions. The successful transition of the first period armored vehicles during World War I motivated the armies to use this invention in battlefields. Due to this successful performance, the armies evaluated and examined the battle concepts and primitive warfare doctrines. The armies needed every kind of support. They also designed different types of vehicles for artillery support, troop carrying for moving, some wheeled armored vehicles instead of the half-tracked armored vehicles to climb the mountains. Over time, the armored vehicles began to evolve according to the required battle conditions. Different vehicles were produced to respond while the battlefields and missions have changed. The characteristics of the armored vehicle were changing according to the type of battlefield or the missions. This evolution will continue for nowadays. This case study is related to the armored Mercedes Benz Sprinter.

1.1. Definition and Purpose

An armored vehicle can be defined as any vehicle adapted for added security to prevent vandalism, hijacking, or theft. The designs and expectations of manufacturers have popularized the adaptation and modification of small to medium vehicles for the objective of armoring. The vehicles are specifically armored for the purpose of transporting valuable items such as cash, currency, and negotiable instruments. Valuable items include money, currency, provided money, and negotiable securities to include checks, stocks, and bonds. The organization transporting the valuable items or cash typically has private insurance, and protection of the lives of the relevant employees is necessary.

The vehicles have several desirable characteristics. They do not draw attention to themselves, nor do they attract the discerning looks of security cameras, law enforcement, or the public. They are designed to blend in with the typical vehicular traffic, presenting a non-threatening outward appearance. These vehicles are nondescript and will not draw attention to their valuable content. Therefore, their function is primarily defensive. The vehicle is adapted defensively in the event of a potential hijacking or act of vandalism. The armor modification changes the vehicle from transportation to a defensive weapons platform designed to get left-of-bang in a safe and secure manner by potentially escalating to a use of force. These personnel transporting valuable items must have access to their encased weapons platforms. It is contrary to humanitarian and professional warrior ethos to escalate confrontation if you are unable to mitigate the aggressive force switch. Access to firearms will provide the officers the opportunity to kill the threat, but in a manner that is left of bang (physical acceleration).

1.2. Historical Evolution

Over the years, interest in creating fast, agile, highly mobile, and compact means of protection and transportation has led to the development of armored vehicles. Although their earliest iterations were typically modified trucks, recent advancements have seen the development of specialized vehicles designed from a ‘blank sheet’ according to user specifications. Specifically, over the past decade, rapid ballistic protection has been enhanced to incorporate greater degrees of armor, producing a distinct, 21st-century replacement that has significantly richer baseline and auxiliary features and capabilities.

Historically, the early iterations of armored vehicles were generally adapted from available commercial vans or buses by creating wells in the vehicle structure and seating patrons in a well that was intended to offer added protection from explosive devices. These so-called ‘bundu taxis’ were used in the South African market as a means of offering expedient protection against sniper fire. The technological era produced a wide range of new vehicles purpose-built as armored vehicles. The classic South African example is the Cooks Africa Travels ‘Ratel’ 4×4 and 6×6 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has used these types of vehicles for over 35 years. In the military world, these were state-of-the-art 6×6 and 8×8 battlefield taxis and troop carriers. Such vehicles had a standard military vehicle protection package, including a 14.5mm heavy machine gun, later armored with technology mainly for protection against anti-tank landmine explosions. The gull-wing armored personnel carrier is today considered the forerunner of all modern elite security vehicles.

2. Mercedes Benz Sprinter: Overview

The Mercedes Benz Sprinter is a modern, fresh, and innovative personnel carrier and light cargo carrier, with the following distinct features:

1) Fewest modifications of any armored vehicle keep the vehicle’s original form and appearance. 2) Potential for mass commercialization of the converted vehicle. 3) Full range stands, mounted gun stations, and parapets. 4) 360° protection from vehicle cab to rear crew compartment and blast shields. 5) Backup battery systems to support operations during battery change as well as under attack. 6) Full B8 armor package including engine and battery modules as well as 5 runflats. 7) Performance tested one-piece armored windshield up to 30 mph.

Specifications are: – Color: OEM

Next Level of Armoring: To meet market demand with a specific request for high ballistic protection, a B8 level according to the German VPAM standard, Mercedes-Benz and INKAS® have partnered up to create a luxury personnel carrier, which offers a seamless integration of the passenger and driver area as well as the rear body. The OEM is prepping for a soft conversion and integrated production of this new vehicle with a future launch planned for 2023. A high-ballistic-armoring institute in Germany certifies the OEM factory for third-party aspects of armor integration, which shows that the vehicle can technically offer the German government and armoring solution providers a practical approach to the use of this vehicle for. It also serves to highlight the robust safety standards of the vehicle. With easy access to many countries, offering air, sea, and ground transportation and safety measures, this INKAS MOD special platform can be used as an off-the-shelf solution for various tasks including presidential and VIP transport, police/military vehicles, medevac ambulances, mass transit, and public utility vehicles. Overall, this armored vehicle combines the very best infrastructure and innovation industry leaders have to offer.

2.1. Features and Specifications

The Mercedes Sprinter is an MD1 level armored vehicle that is being jointly developed by the company and AmSafe Bridport Limited. Mercedes Benz Sprinter is installed with numerous ballistic protection materials to inhibit the possible fragmentation formed from small-scale weapons and blast events. The pre-existing chassis competency of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter is further optimally adapted for the applications in the armor protection project.

The Mercedes Benz Sprinter has multiple ballistic and armored materials, which includes armoring to the vehicle hull, door, undercarriage, ceiling, and engine bay. This multilayered material provides the utmost protection and minimizes the force and impact of the blast on the passenger section. The Mercedes Benz Sprinter has a curb weight of 3,102 kg. It comes with three different cabins: a bare chassis, a crew, and a minibus, based on a single model. The seats can range from reaching seven up to twenty-three rear seats depending on the customer’s requirements. The exterior dimension of the vehicle indicates a length, width, and height of 6170 mm, 2455 mm, and 2225 mm, respectively. The Mercedes Benz Sprinter has a 3.0-liter engine capacity and operates a 6-speed manual gearbox.

2.2. Design and Construction

The final implementation is the specific vehicle protection level that is specified in the contract, depending on the end-user requirements. It could vary from B4 up to B7, depending on the vehicle structure design. Some of the standard protection features of the vehicle are blast protection with 50% margins of gas for 8 kg of TNT and firearms protection level according to FB6 for the standard configuration in the doors and glass. Other features include a runflat system in the wheels and 150 kg of payload for the end-user specific configuration.

The Sprinter starts with environmentally friendly and economical series-production models in various weight classes. For passenger transportation, it is offered with a long wheelbase and a raised roof or with the new super-high roof. It is available with wheelbases of 3,250 mm and 3,665 mm as a panel van. The shock absorber works on a new basis. Two shock absorbers are available both up front and in the rear: a gas-pressure twin-tube shock absorber for the low tonnage variants and a tandem-tube hydraulic shock absorber for the higher tonnage variants. The higher end of the shock absorber piston rod is now gland-sealed, and the shock absorber cylinder is separated from the damper gases by a wear-resistant lining. To prevent corrosion damage, the piston rod surface is coated. The newly designed brake system employs diagonal split dual-circuit technology with front and rear disc brakes. The application of front pads has more to do with the overall weight distribution on the front axle and adjustment of the friction coefficients to avoid nose diving. It was also mentioned that depending on the configuration of the vehicle, more wear-resistant ceramic/cab-metallic front pads can be used. The front disc is vented brake discs with a diameter of 16 mm and width of 281 mm in the case of the 75-120 ton derivatives. The brake calipers have been oversized and improved for efficiency.

3. Armoring Process Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

The armoring process goes through several steps that are well defined. It starts by completely gutting the vehicle and only leaving the steel shell of the vehicle. This is getting rid of the interior such as the seats, ceiling, floor, and many other things. Next, armoring materials are applied. These include several different Kevlar materials for rigid thermoplastic and soft ballistic for the floors, firewall, roof, and any type of compartments. Any perimeter armoring will also get an overlap system. The extruded grab handle is removed and recycled, and correction is done to some minor discrepancies in the perimeter. Once the vehicle has gone through all these steps, it is then reassembled. There is a measurement performed to check that the vehicle has not lost any of its rigidity in 6 different places. A proper clean of the vehicle is done with liquids that will not harm any of the interior. All of the factory glass is also stamped per the B6 requirements.

To enhance the level of protection, the Sprinter can contain optional armored luxury features. The floor of the Sprinter is designed with a layer of Kevlar underneath the carpet, vaults, and closets for protection against explosives. The roof is armored with an extra layer of Kevlar or steel to protect against overhead or side threats. The firewall is finished off to give the appearance of the factory firewall. With these features, the Sprinter is your safe oasis in unsafe environments. Other general security options include covert compartments, a drop-down compartment for safe exchange or if an urgent escape is necessary, and secondary bulkheads which protect against drone threats.

3.1. Materials and Technologies Used

Composite materials have been used for armoring light armored vehicles for a long time in order to increase their ballistic resistance and decrease their weight. These materials belong to high-performance ones such as high-strength aluminum and ballistics-favored carbon-fiber-reinforced composites. In the range of discussion in this paper, glass-reinforced polymer can also be included. The usage of metal plates is mostly used in armored vehicles.

For the outer layer, these materials are installed on the steel body of the car, replacing the visual components. Steel was chosen as the main protector for the armored vehicle due to its physical and mechanical properties. Because of its relatively softness and extremely high time of failure in penetration, low carbon AA7075 aluminum plates are used for some applications. Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer is used in only 2 mm thickness and 10 mm overlap strip as the layer under the sandwich panel. One sheet of 3 mm thickness, which is made of flexible or semi-flexible metal sheets, is then incorporated as a protective element of curved armor and at the same time the first layer of energy absorption for the matrix. A nominal thickness of up to 60 mm sandwich panel, consisting of 31.5 mm, 28 kg/m3 polyurethane and 3.5 mm 48 W/m/K graphite foam, is used as the layer to absorb ballistic energy and also as a heat and noise insulator. Another sheet of 3 mm is then used as another protective layer in the matrix as the energy-absorbing element. In applications like this, fiberglass is chosen as the material, which is cheaper in terms of cost and lighter in weight than carbon fiber. The material used was the woven chop strand mat (E-glass fiber) of 3 mm thickness with an are tow of 4800 chopp of 2016-13010 tex/yarn. A 30 mm overlap of each sheet is conducted there.

3.2. Testing and Certification Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

‘Consensus has been developed on the certifying of materials that they are bullet-resistant following an assessment.’ Further to the development and improvement of polymer blends, the materials have been manufactured into hard armor systems for ballistic testing and certification. The Mercedes Benz Sprinter cassette incorporates bullet-resistant windows to complement the CEN B6 doors and a CEN B4 battery box. As a design requirement, the driveline and suspension of the vehicle are not altered so that the level of protection can be increased at a later date without significant rework.

An extensive set of tests has been undertaken to demonstrate compliance with European standards and regulations. This included material certification, joining technique certification, vehicle escapement test with the new cassette inserted and the vehicle stabilized, a full vehicle safety review for CAD, and material analysis to ensure that the projectiles do not escape through any of the features built into the cassette and the outputs from the material tests from part two of this work. An assessment of the ability of the vehicle to withstand potential attacks has also been undertaken to demonstrate the safety of the design. A finite element-based model of the prospective attacker has been developed along with a model of the active shock floor system. This has been used to assess where to aim while in the attack vehicle and then simulate the shooting process to ensure that the floor of the vehicle is not agitated during the attack, which could lead to the prestigious prima facie presumption being removed.

4. Applications of Armored Vehicles Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

Applications of armored vehicles Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

Increased strength, advanced weaponry, and ballistic protection have all made armored vehicles an impenetrable giant that travels on the battlefield undisturbed, but why? When having to deal with the enemy, that answer is surprisingly simple. The enemy, western military forces, can use this instrument. They could fulfill the same fundamental assignments of protecting personnel and goods on their most dangerous missions. The unit must be versatile and customizable. Due to fast dangers and rapid changes facing protection forces, off-the-shelf vehicles are a perfect partner. Law enforcement and security deployments are also prime areas where conventional law enforcement vehicles and vans can be replaced by armored vehicles. The world has really adopted these. In the streets of America and South Africa, banks and endangered facilities use them as law enforcement and security vehicles. When stored inside, it is also the perfect hardware to move inmates or those who wish to escape. The prisoner transport car is made to hold prisoners out of sight, out of mind.

Another team which could use customized vans are the Secret Service. Armored vehicles were the most common form. From the first bulletproof car, several consumer vehicles have descended. The Ford Crown Victoria was improved by Wilson. The problem of the Crown Victoria is that the back wheels became left unarmored and susceptible to gunfire. This is a common problem not only in the luxury car market but also after bulletproof cars have been successfully commercialized, no conservative businessman can prevent an infusion into the commercial car market. Bulletproof Mercedes-Benz, Schultz & C. Mercedes-Benz and Bruno Schultz introduced the first commercial car on 22 January 1928. The windows, the radiator frame and the door hatches are metal covered. A heavy load that causes a softer device to warm up. The weight of the Mercedes-Benz is about 1,500kg, about 200kg heavier than a standard vehicle, due to the embedded metal plates. The driving force must also intensify. The classified businesses involved diplomacy and also used commercial cars such as Siemens, AEG, and Benz.

4.1. Military and Defense Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

Modern combat and war, taking place anywhere from the Arctic to the Sahel and Sahara, all have a common concern: the security of the soldiers involved. In these extreme operational climates, protection covering the soldiers and the assets is the prime user requirement. The German Army Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) has a requirement for an adaptable non-wheeled vehicle that will fulfill three operational profiles. These are as a protected transportation vehicle (50%) carrying personnel, crew, and/or cargo; as an ambulance (10%) for the transportation of injured personnel; and as the basis for various mission-specific special applications such as command post system and system of systems. The vehicle is to be designed for application in strategic reserve capabilities analogous to combat service support V(A) planning principles and as an integral part of operational planning within the land forces.

Developed and tested to meet these and other requirements, the AISATS technique of removable armor designs can be applied to various vehicle platforms. Initial tests that involved rifle maneuvers with 7.62*51 mm rounds proved that the basic, non-armored Mercedes Benz Sprinter CEN BR 1063 VR4 specification van tested at AISATS, Mulheim, has the capability to stop 11 hits in any location. Initial trials held at Dunkirk, France, with the vehicle armor package filled with the AISATS sand material completely fitted inside proved no degradation to the armor against 7.62*51 mm NBR 847A ammunition. A test to prove that the vehicle configuration can withstand impacts from objects such as hermits, bananas, and starlings, hurled at waist height to generate maximum energy impacts, was completed. These energy-laden impactor trials confirmed many AISATS headstone ballistic module research findings in conjunction with the Belgian Royal Military Academy (BRMA48/OWI48 modules). A stock van with a 60kW 5.2l diesel 814D Mercedes Benz Sprinter was used as a control measurement marker for all field harmonization tests.

4.2. Law Enforcement and Security

Law enforcement and security: The constant presence of special operations teams or the use of armored vehicles in television shows, movies, or the internet may have led to a distorted perception of the role of these personnel and vehicles in contemporary society. Many law enforcement agencies and partial prep force multipliers use specialized personnel or specialized equipment and vehicles in their operations. Armored vehicles can enable tactical negotiators to get in close proximity and engage in a face-to-face dialogue with a barricaded suspect while in an ongoing standoff. This would not have been possible had negotiators not been able to take advantage of the mobility and protection offered by these vehicles. Outfitting the vehicle as a mobile command center with a conference room is often desired. Often, the rear hatch of the vehicle is needed for snipers to be able to fire from the back of the vehicle.

The use of armored vehicles in operations varies significantly across both the nation and the size of the police department. Yet, their use has become so widespread that they form a necessary dimension of police operations. The training and employment of these forces are special cases addressed by a number of agencies. As with most use today, the anticipated use addresses both the person and potential threats of active shooters, IEDs, and snipers. The operational deployment may be postponed until the vehicle is stationed and ammunition is again made available for suicidal suspects following the use of armored vehicles. The injured civilians can be transported to the station by many of them without needing to expose their patrol fleet. Additionally, others are versatile as vans or dual vans, and often their exclusive interceptor fleets may be used to produce usable results.

5. Conclusion and Future Trends Mercedes Benz Sprinter Armored Vehicle

This paper presented an overview of the development of armored vehicles and a case study of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter. It showed that conversion of a commercial off-the-shelf vehicle was a suitable and cost-effective alternative to developing a dedicated platform. The risk of injury and subsequent fatality was minimized by converting an existing vehicle. Hence, a base vehicle with a 5-star EuroNCAP standard was selected by WTL. In order to keep the modifications as lightweight and user-friendly as possible, WTL preferred the diesel type of the MB Sprinter. This vehicle platform has good parts availability and is more reliable under heavy operational circumstances. As part of the mobility solution, WTL customized the technical driving behavior for the base vehicle. This leveraging of COTS vehicles gave WTL a vehicle solution much quicker than developing a dedicated platform, allowing it to respond rapidly to the market.

A continued area of development will be in the material technologies, especially underbody technology. Energy-absorbing materials are still under development, for example materials and safety research into ceramics or composite materials for fragmentation-resistant solutions (influence of trade-off with B6). Development of multi-material solutions which have a deposit function but give a protection higher than a normal under-chassis armor (blast of major roadside bombs, protection against mine blast), while maintaining a certain mobility, is particularly interesting. The continuing drive towards producing stealthy material packs that display patterns or smoothness to radar. New materials, such as flat pack-survivability, heat resistant paint to reduce visibility to radar. The development of new innovative materials that can increase a vehicle’s protection, ensuring personnel are sufficiently protected. The necessity for lightweight materials in support of new platform mobility requirements will continue to enhance new concepts in armor vehicle protection that will combine protection innovation with vehicle performance. Flat, multidisciplinary development team approaches are leading to new ways of missionizing civilian vehicles.