If you are in the business of escorting high profile guests like military officers, celebrities and executives, an armoured vehicle can offer the protection everyone needs. In fact, it is considered to be a very savvy investment when you need to escort VIPs and money on a regular basis. Everyone who plans to purchase an armoured vehicle share a similar thought and that is to prepare for the absolute worst situation.
That being said, there are a lot of modifications that an armoured vehicle can receive. For instance, the vehicle can feature run flat tires that will allow it to withstand deflation when punctured. This enables the driver to continue driving for a limited distance to escape from a dangerous situation. In addition, the original glass of the vehicle will also be replaced with multi-layered ballistic glass. Read on to find out what it is and what types of bullets it can stop!
What is bulletproof glass made of?
Bulletproof glass consists of a good array of bullet-stopping materials such as fibreglass, polyurethane, polycarbonate and acrylic. While these materials may be associated with terms like “bullet-stopping” and “bulletproof”, it still doesn’t make them invulnerable to damage. You see, any object will break if you apply enough pressure. While bulletproof or ballistic glass can weather shots from an AK-47 or shotgun, it will eventually succumb to an attacker when a certain amount of ammunition is expended.
The materials found in this type of glass are organized into layers and then seemed together through an autoclave process to create a high amount of resistance so that it can provide protection. In most cases, bulletproof glass has a combination of hard and soft glasses. The softer layer of glass is used to make your vehicle’s window more flexible so it doesn’t shatter and harm you and your passengers. The hard glass helps flatten the tip of the bullet by dispersing energy evenly throughout the glass. Both types of glass have the same refraction so that it can remain transparent and undistorted.
How thick can they be and what type of bullets can be withstood?
Bulletproof glass is definitely thicker than regular glass. Usually, it depends on the number of layers that a potential owner needs. That being said, different thicknesses provide varying levels of protection. If you want to stop bullets from a handgun, you should go for a 21mm-thick bulletproof glass that has a B4 ranking. If you want to stop rounds from a high-powered rifle, you can opt for 70mm-thick bulletproof glass that has a B7 ranking. Below is a brief list of bullet rounds that can be stopped by such glasses, according to ballistic levels.
• Ballistic Level 3: 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum rounds.
• Ballistic Level 4: 7.62 x 33/.30 CAL Carbine and 7.62 x 39 AK-47 rounds.
• Ballistic Level 5: 7.62 x 51 mm/M-80, .308 Winchester FMJ and 5.56 x 45mm/M-16/193 rounds.
• Ballistic Level 6: 30.06 (AP) Armour Piercing rounds
Add an armoured vehicle into your fleet of cars!
Whether it’s a SUV like the armoured Chevy Suburban or an armoured sedan from the BMW 7 Series, adding one of these vehicles in your fleet of cars is extremely worthwhile. You will never know when someone, who’s an important political figure, will come knocking at your door. What about a potential assignment which requires you to be part of a convoy that transports expensive assets like jewellery? Considering that your line of work requires an extra layer of security, opting for armoured vehicles will help you prevent loss of life and be well-prepared for any adverse scenario.