EP4295101A1

EP4295101A1 - An armour system

Info

Publication number: EP4295101A1
Application number: EP22705159.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stephen Lewis KERR
Original assignee: UK Secretary of State for Defence
Current assignee: UK Secretary of State for Defence
Priority date: 2021-02-22
Filing date: 2022-02-10
Publication date: 2023-12-27
Also published as: GB2603948B; GB202102459D0; WO2022175791A1; GB2603948A

Abstract

There is provided adaptive armour comprising a precursor armour structure formed from an anti-ballistic material, wherein the precursor armour structure comprises one or more receptacles adapted to receive and contain an infill material so as to increase the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour. Optionally, the adaptive armour comprises a plurality of receptacles. Various specific embodiments are described. The invention extends to a corresponding system, method and use.

Description

AN ARMOUR SYSTEM

Technical Field of the Invention

The invention relates to novel ballistic protection, more specifically to armour comprising a precursor armour structure formed from an anti-ballistic material, wherein the precursor armour structure comprises one or more open receptacles adapted to receive and contain an infill material so as to increase the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour. The armour is suitable for the ballistic protection of vehicles, structures and other objects. The invention also relates to an associated system, method and use.

Background to the Invention

One of the objectives of armour design is mass reduction. For vehicle armour, reducing the mass improves vehicle mobility and may allow greater vehicle coverage. Similarly, for structural armour (such as may be applied, for example, to temporary buildings and shelters) reduced mass can enable more rapid transport and deployment, and also increase the armoured surface area. In both cases, this leads to improved logistics and higher levels of protection.

One way of reducing the armour mass burden is to provide active protection systems that target and destroy incoming weapons and projectiles. However, such solutions are complex, costly and do not offer complete reliability of function

Alternatively, armour systems are known that attempt to reduce the overall quantity of armour by positioning armour only when and/or where needed. For example, field adaptable vehicle armours exist which shift armour mass from one position to another in response to a threat. A disadvantage of a field adaptable system of this type is that it is typically subject to the burden and complexity of a locating mechanism and actuators. For temporary structures, the Hesco Bastion semi-structural sandbag is known for adaptable ballistic protection. However, the system is not amenable to rapid deployment or removal.

WO 2014/020355 discloses a panel that protects vehicles, temporary structures or organisms from an explosion and which comprises armour panels comprising a hydrogel layer in combination with a mouldable layer to form a material which is mouldable when wet, but acts as an armour when dry.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, the invention provides adaptive armour comprising a precursor armour structure formed from an anti-ballistic material, wherein the precursor armour structure comprises one or more receptacles adapted to receive and contain an infill material so as to increase the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour. Usually, the ballistic performance of the precursor armour structure is less than a desired ballistic performance for the adaptive armour. The ballistic performance may be determined by one or more metrics appropriate to the application. For example, the ballistic performance may be assessed in terms of mass effectiveness and/or Vso as described in more detail below. The ballistic performance achieved upon receipt of the infill material may depend upon the type of in fill material(s) utilised.

V50 is the most common measure of absolute ballistic performance. It refers to the projectile velocity that has a 50% probability of completely perforating the target. It is calculated from a series of firings at different velocities, and is projectile specific. Relevant projectiles for this invention may be small arms and medium calibre rounds, fragment simulating projectiles (FSPs) representing bomb case fragments and the like, explosively formed projectiles and/or shaped charge jets. Protection thresholds derived from relevant projectiles or weapons in specified circumstances are given in NATO STANAG 4569 (armoured vehicles) and STANAG 2280 (effects of weapons on structures). The precursor armour structure is formed from an anti-ballistic material, which provides the advantage that the adaptive armour possesses a degree of ballistic protection even before the one or more receptacles have received an infill material. It also means that a degree of damage resistance is imparted to the precursor armour structure itself.

By ‘anti-ballistic material’ (sometimes referred to as ‘ballistic material’) is meant any high strength material which can be used for anti-ballistic protection (sometimes referred to as ‘ballistic protection’). Anti-ballistic materials include, but are not limited to, metals or metal alloys (including steel, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminium, aluminium alloys, or combinations thereof), high strength polymers or polymer composites (including glass fibre reinforced polymers, nylon or aramids such as Kevlar®), ceramics, and glass (including glass materials comprising polycarbonate thermoplastic). The metal or metal alloy may be a known armour composition, for example an armour steel. The anti-ballistic material may take any suitable form, for example rigid or flexible sheets (formed or unformed), fabrics, fibres or netting, or any combination thereof. A suitable thickness of armour steel, if used, lies in the range 12 to 75 mm.

The adaptive armour of the invention has a lower mass burden than conventional armour because it comprises a precursor armour structure having one or more receptacles intended to receive an infill material upon deployment and use. When required, the one or more receptacles may be filled or part-filled with an infill material gathered from a local environment, thereby transforming the adaptive armour into an armour structure having improved ballistic performance. The transformation from lower to higher ballistic performance may be rapid for certain easily gathered infill materials, for example water, snow or sand.

The adaptive armour has a lower mass in its un-deployed form and hence, the invention provides improved logistical aspects (such as speed of transport and speed of installation) and also improves manoeuvrability when mounted on a mobile (e.g. a vehicular) platform. The adaptive armour of the invention may be applied to any object, but preferably the armour is adapted for use with a vehicle, or a static structure such as a building or shelter. The static structure may be permanent or temporary, but preferably the invention is adapted for use with a temporary static structure (such as, for example, a temporary shelter or a forward operating base). This is because anti-ballistic protection can be provided or enhanced at the point of use, thereby reducing the logistical burden. The precursor armour structure may comprise a frame or substrate adapted for mounting on an object.

‘Vehicle’ includes an armoured vehicle, tracked vehicle, ship or amphibious vehicle, but this is not intended to be limiting. Advantageously, the invention may enable new classes of vehicle to become viable as armoured vehicles. For example, an unarmoured or lightly armoured high mobility vehicle may be fitted with adaptive armour according to the invention so as to provide the vehicle with enhanced, typically short term, protected accommodation for personnel.

The one or more receptacles may take any suitable form.

For example, the one or more receptacles may comprise one or more cavities, holes and/or channels, more preferably a plurality of cavities, holes and/or channels, disposed in a substrate. The substrate may be a sheet or plate of anti-ballistic material, for example a sheet or plate of armour steel or ceramic armour.

Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more receptacles may comprise one or more discrete receptacles. Suitable discrete receptacle(s) are pouches or pockets, tubes or tube-like structures, or a combination thereof. The discrete receptacle(s) may be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the one or discrete receptacles are expandable upon receipt of the infill material. The advantage of using expandable receptacle(s) is that the sideways profile of the un-deployed precursor armour structure may be smaller than the deployed (filled or part-filled) armour. Expandable receptacle(s) may be configured in any suitable manner. For example, the receptacle(s) may comprise an inherently expandable material such as netting or webbing. Alternatively, the expandable receptacle(s) may have a collapsible structure, such as folded fabric, or a pocket, or a hinged and sealed rigid, semi-rigid or flexible flap. The expandable receptacle(s) is typically formed from an anti-ballistic material, for example an anti-ballistic textile or fabric, in order to impart anti-ballistic properties to the precursor armour structure.

Preferably, the precursor armour structure comprises a plurality of receptacles. The preferred plurality of receptacles are conveniently disposed such that the precursor armour structure provides uniform or substantially uniform areal coverage of a region to be protected by the adaptive armour. For example, the plurality of receptacles may be arranged in an array, typically a uniform array. The plurality of receptacles may be interconnected so as to facilitate uniform filling of the precursor armour structure, although in some embodiments a combination of interconnected and non- interconnected receptacles may be preferred so that the physical confinement of infill material (for example, in terms of location and/or quantity) is controlled, thereby improving or targeting ballistic performance.

In one specific embodiment, the invention comprises a plurality of vertical tube or tube like receptacles aligned side by side in the precursor armour structure. Typically, the tubes are positioned in the precursor armour structure such that, in use, said tubes align vertically with an area to be protected, with the below-mentioned preferable inlet orifices located at or close to the top of the tubes. The tubes may have any suitable aspect ratio, but typically (in use) a longer side (height) aligns vertically and a shorter side (width) aligns horizontally with an area to be protected. The tubes may have any suitable cross section. The tubes may be expandable. The tubes may be attached side by side along their respective lengths and/or affixed to a substrate, frame or other support.

In another specific embodiment, the invention comprises one or more receptacles each comprising a pouch or pocket, for example a pouch or pocket formed from netting, wire or fabric. The one or more receptacles may be expandable. The pouch or pocket may have at least one opening or orifice to facilitate filling. In a preferred embodiment, netting or otherwise expandable pouches or pockets may be open at two or more sides to receive large blocks or slabs of infill material. The use of pouches or pockets formed from an anti-ballistic material, for example pouches or pockets formed from an anti- ballistic fabric, textile or netting, may be particularly useful for static structures such as tents.

The one or more receptacles of the precursor armour structure preferably each comprise an inlet orifice. In use, an infill material can be deposited into the one or more receptacles via the inlet orifice so that the receptacles are filled or part-filled, thereby increasing the mass efficiency of the adaptive armour. The adaptive armour may be configured such that, when the precursor structure is filled or part-filled with an infill material such as a locally gathered material, the adaptive armour can stop, deflect, slow and/or impede the motion of projectiles, including bullets, warheads, bomb and improvised explosive device (IED) fragments, flechettes, explosively formed projectiles and shaped charge jets.

The inlet orifice is typically located in an upper portion of the receptacle or receptacles, so as to aid filling by gravity assistance. For a precursor armour structure comprising a plurality of receptacles, there may additionally be provided a manifold arrangement located at the inlet orifices to assist with filling.

The plurality of open receptacles may each additionally comprise a sealable outlet orifice, preferably located in a lower portion thereof. The purpose of the outlet orifice is to aid jettisoning of infill material after use. The outlet orifice is typically sealed prior to receiving infill material, and unsealed in a subsequent jettisoning step.

It will be apparent to the skilled person that, in use, the anti-ballistic performance of the adaptive armour will depend on a variety of factors, for example the type of acquired infill material, the dimensions of the one or more receptacles and the type of anti- ballistic material comprising the precursor armour structure. Accordingly, the aforementioned factors may be optimised or selected for a particular application. Regarding the depth of the one or more receptacles (or expandable depth for an expandable receptacle) useful depths depend on the likely infill material and may cover a wide range, for example from 15 mm to 500 mm. For static temporary structures, the one or more receptacles may have a depth of > 150 mm or may be expandable to a depth of > 150 mm, for example they may have a depth in the range 150 mm to 500 mm or may be expandable to a depth in the range 150 mm to 500 mm. The depth of the receptacles needs to be sufficient to facilitate structural integrity to a useful height and load bearing capacity using locally won material such as snow, water or sand. This may be particularly applicable for standalone adaptive armour structures where there may be only a minimal framework supporting the receptacles; once filled, the receptacles need to be able to support themselves and potentially some other weight on top. With this type of structure that means staying within certain ratios of depth to height (differing by fill type and nature of confinement). A preferred height may be the minimum height needed to form a protective structure e.g. 2 m.

The precursor armour structure may be adapted for use in any desired orientation, for example in a substantially vertical orientation, a substantially horizontal orientation or an orientation between vertical and horizontal. Typically, the precursor armour structure is adapted for use in an orientation which is appropriate to a region to be protected. The invention is described below with respect to the protection of the sides of armoured fighting vehicles, but the adaptive armour may also be used to protect the underside and/or roof of a vehicle, shelter and so on. Such use may be particularly important for mine blast protection.

The adaptive armour may comprise attachment means so that it can be fixed to an object, or (alternatively) may form an integral part of an object (e.g. an integral part of the wall(s) or external structure of a shelter or vehicle). Any attachment means may comprise a release mechanism (such as, for example, actuators) so that the armour can be detached if required. Similarly, the precursor armour structure and/or any or all of the one or more receptacles may comprise releasable fixing means to facilitate rapid detachment from the adaptive armour. According to a second aspect, the invention provides a system for the ballistic protection of an object comprising armour according to the first aspect and means of obtaining an infill material from a local environment. The object to be protected is typically a vehicle or a permanent or temporary static structure, as described with regard to the first aspect.

The infill material may be any material that can be gathered from the local environment including (but not limited to) water, soil, snow, ice, rock, fuel, waste and construction materials (used or otherwise), or any combination thereof. Soil may be any porous media, for example sand, clay, chalk, topsoil or silt. Water may include rainwater, seawater, treated water, water obtained from rivers, reservoirs etc, groundwater, water condensed from air and so on. Fuel may be any liquid fuel or liquefied fuel. Construction materials may include concrete, glass, masonry and/or steel and may be raw or used materials. The infill material is not limited to a loose and/or naturally occurring material; for example, a construction material such as cladding may be removed from a permanent structure to serve as an infill material, or in military environments surplus or damaged armour or personal protection systems may be used.

The infill material preferably takes a form appropriate to filling the one or more receptacles. If the one or more receptacle takes the form of cavities, channels or holes in a substrate, or vertical or substantially vertical containers, free flowing powders, granules, particles, liquids etc are preferred. However, pouches or pockets, particularly pouches or pockets comprises expandable netting, may be used to accommodate infill material in the form of slabs or blocks.

Steel, glass, dense ceramics, geological and cementitious materials are particularly preferred infill materials. Advantageously, the ballistic performance of these materials may be enhanced when confined in the system of the invention.

The infill material may be gathered as a gas, liquid or solid, so the means for obtaining the infill material is typically suitable for gathering a desired material. For a gas, liquid or powder (such as snow or sand), the means for obtaining the infill material may comprise a pump. For hard or compacted solid materials, the means for obtaining the infill material may comprise a mechanical disturber such as a cutting device, drill, auger, excavator and so on, and may additionally comprise a conveyor (such as, for example, a moving belt, screw, compressed air or vacuum, winch or crane).

The means for obtaining the infill material may be integral to an object, for example integral to a vehicle or static structure, or may be separate therefrom. A separate gathering means may be shared amongst a group of objects, e.g. a group of vehicles or temporary structures.

It may be desirable to change or maintain the phase of the infill material, for example a gas may be converted to a liquid, or a liquid may be converted to a solid, or a low melting point solid may be maintained in the solid form. Accordingly, the system may additionally comprise a means for maintaining or changing the phase of the infill material, for example a compressor, condenser, heat exchanger and/or heater. In this way, the use of locally gathered snow or ice is possible, and so is the formation of locally gathered water into snow or ice.

Preferably, the means of obtaining the infill material is automated or semi-automated.

The system may be configured to jettison the infill material in whole or in part. As discussed above in relation to the first aspect, this may be achieved by providing one or more sealable outlet orifices in the one or more receptacles, preferably in the lower portion of the receptacle(s). Alternatively, or in addition to the outlet orifices, the system may comprise a jettison means for expelling the fill material in whole or in part. An advantage of jettison arrangements is that the system may be used to enhance ballistic protection when required using local materials, and the mass may be abandoned or jettisoned when no longer required. This is particularly advantageous for vehicles, because the vehicle may gather ballistic mass when required, and then jettison the mass (and enhance manoeuvrability) when the threat disappears. The jettison means may be automated, semi-automated or personnel operated. The jettison means may be configured to decouple the precursor armour structure from the object, for example by comprising disconnection means or mechanical actuators. Alternatively or additionally, the jettison means may be configured to decouple the plurality of receptacles from the precursor armour structure. Alternatively or additionally, the jettison means may comprise valves etc so that the fill material can be released from the plurality of receptacles. The jettison means may comprise pumps, compressed gas and so on to assist with ejection of the infill material.

In the field of armour systems, it is desirable to achieve a required level of protection whilst minimising the weight of the armour. The weight of armour per se is a poor measure of whether armour is sufficiently lightweight because what is acceptable for a vehicle (for example) may not be acceptable for personnel. Instead of considering absolute weight, therefore, it is usual practice to consider the areal density, Ad, where:

Ad = weight of armour system / area being protected

Areal density is a physical property of the armour and does not indicate the effectiveness of the armour against a given threat (e.g. projectile). Instead, the mass effectiveness, Em, of the armour may be calculated thus:

Em (armour) = Ad (RHA)/Ad (Armour) where Ad(RHA) is the areal density of rolled homogeneous armour (a common steel tank armour) required to stop a given projectile and Ad(Armour) is the areal density of the particular armour.

The mass effectiveness Em of an armour system indicates whether the system may be considered lightweight, and the higher the Em value, the lighter the weight of the armour system. However, the E_m value does not translate from one threat to another and it is possible that two armour systems will reverse their relative effectiveness against different threats. In the invention, it is possible to control the amount (mass) of infill material, the type of infill material, and/or the areal positioning of the infill material. This provides an armour system with a mass effectiveness E_m which may be adapted in use. Preferably, the system additionally comprises means for determining a type and/or amount and/or location of infill material. A look up table or similar may be a suitable means, for example a look-up table implemented on a computer. Different look up tables may apply to different threats and hence, the armour system may be adapted to different threat scenarios.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method of providing ballistic protection comprising the steps of (i) providing armour according to the first aspect or a system according to the second aspect, (ii) obtaining an infill material from a local environment and (iii) filling the one or more receptacles with said infill material.

The infill material may be any suitable infill material, but is preferably selected from water, soil, snow, ice, rock, fuel, construction materials and debris, or any combination thereof. The infill material may be combined with a binder at step (ii) and/or step (iii) so as to form a solid mass or multiphase mixture. Suitable binders are water, polyurethane resins, ordinary Portland cement pastes, acrylic resins and epoxy resins.

The method may comprise the additional step of milling the infill material, so as to improve ease of transfer into the one or more receptacles of the precursor armour structure. Alternatively or in addition to the milling step, the method may incorporate the step of compacting the infill material in the one or more receptacles, so as to increase the bulk density of the fill; this eliminates air voids and hence, improves ballistic performance.

The method may comprise the additional step of (iv) jettisoning the infill material in whole or in part so as to reduce the weight of the armour preform. The jettisoning step (iv) may be achieved by mechanically decoupling the precursor armour structure and/or the one or more receptacles from the adaptive armour. Alternatively or additionally, the jettisoning step (iv) may be achieved by ejecting or emptying the infill material from whole or part of the one or more receptacles. Optionally, the phase of the infill material is first changed to assist jettisoning, for example the infill material may be changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase, or from a liquid phase to a gas phase.

Preferably, the infill material is gathered at a rate of at least 0.05 m³/minute. In the method, gathering and filling continues until the system meets a minimum protection requirement. The requirement may be specified as confinement, infill and/or base ballistic protection, and can be assessed by human operators and/or a decision support system with varying possible degrees of automation.

The method may comprise the step of removing cladding, debris or suchlike from a building and inserting said cladding into one or more receptacles, for example one or more receptacles comprising a pocket or pouch formed from an anti-ballistic material.

In a fourth aspect, the invention provides the use of one or more netting pockets or pouches in adaptive armour or an adaptive armour system to retain an infill material, preferably an infill material in the formed of slabs or blocks. The slabs or block may be debris, cladding or suchlike from a building.

Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to any other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular system aspects may be applied to method and armour aspects and vice versa. The invention extends to a system, method, armour and use substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In all aspects, the invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of any feature or combination of features.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a schematic, perspective view of an armoured fighting vehicle fitted with adaptive armour according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a system according to the invention;

Fig. 3a is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an armoured fighting vehicle fitted with adaptive armour according to another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3b is a schematic, top-down view of plane A-A of Fig. 3a; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic, perspective view of a system according to yet another embodiment of the invention.

The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not to scale.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic, perspective view of an armoured fighting vehicle (1 ) fitted on two sides with adaptive armour (2) according to a first embodiment of the invention. The adaptive armour comprises a precursor armour structure (3) comprising a plurality of receptacles (4) having a tube or tube-like form. The receptacles, which may be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible, are aligned side by side in a uniform array. Each of the plurality of receptacles has an inlet orifice (5) through which an infill material can be deposited.

Fig. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a system of the invention in use, said system comprising the armoured fighting vehicle (1) fitted with adaptive armour (2) described with reference to Fig. 1 , and means for obtaining infill material (6). The means for obtaining infill material comprises inlet tube (7), pump (8) and outlet tube (9), the outlet tube being positioned at the inlet orifice (5) of receptacle (4). Upon operation of the pump, loose infill material (10) is drawn into the inlet tube and fed into receptacle (4) via the outlet tube (9). Gathering infill material in this way increases the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour. Optionally, a sealable outlet orifice is incorporated into a lower region (11 ) of each of receptacles (4), so that the infill material can be fully or partially discarded if desired.

Fig. 3a is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an armoured fighting vehicle (20) fitted with adaptive armour (21 ) according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. The adaptive armour comprises a plurality of expandable receptacles (22). In the Figure, expandable receptacles B are shown in their expanded form, part-filled with infill material (23). Expandable receptacles C, on the other hand, have yet to be expanded and present a smaller profile than receptacles B. Optionally, the lower region (25) of each of receptacles (22) comprises a sealable outlet orifice. For receptacles comprising or formed from a fabric, material, netting and suchlike, the sealable outlet orifice conveniently comprises a fastener such as a hook and look fastener or zip lock.

Fig. 3b is a schematic, top-down view of plane A-A of Fig. 3a, showing the structure of the expandable receptacles in more detail. Expandable receptacles (22) comprise a high strength textile material such as a woven aramid fibre material. The expandable receptacles (22) are configured such that, in their non-expanded form (C), the receptacles (22) fold flat against a side (24) of armoured fighting vehicle (20). Expandable receptacles (22) may optionally comprise a flexible reinforcing material or framework to aid with keeping the receptacles folded flat when empty. Upon filling with infill material (23), the plurality of receptacles (B) expand, thereby increasing the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour. It will be clear to the skilled person that, in use, expandable receptacles (C) may also receive infill material; Fig. 3b is merely illustrative.

Fig. 4 is a schematic, perspective view of a system according to another embodiment of the invention. The system comprises an armoured fighting vehicle (30) fitted with adaptive armour (31 ) and a means of obtaining infill material (34). The adaptive armour comprises a precursor armour structure comprising a receptacle (32) taking the form of a pocket of mesh or netting, optionally expandable mesh or netting. The mesh or netting comprises a plurality of inlet orifices (33) in the form of openings in the mesh or netting. The means for obtaining infill material (34) - in this case a mobile mechanical handler - lifts, transports and optionally severs slabs of infill material (35) for insertion into the precursor armour structure via the inlet orifices (33). The slab material (35) is optionally severed from a building or street furniture.

It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modification of detail can be made within the scope of the invention. Each feature disclosed in the description, and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.

Moreover, the invention has been described with specific reference to military objects. It will be understood that this is not intended to be limiting and the invention may be used more generally. For example, the armour system may be used in civil defence applications. Additional applications of the invention will occur to the skilled person.

Claims

1. Adaptive armour comprising a precursor armour structure formed from an anti- ballistic material, wherein the precursor armour structure comprises one or more receptacles adapted to receive and contain an infill material so as to increase the ballistic performance of the adaptive armour.

2. Adaptive armour according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-ballistic material is selected from the group consisting of metals or metal alloys (for example steel, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminium and/or aluminium alloys), high strength polymers or polymer composites, ceramics, and glass (for example polycarbonate thermoplastic materials), or any combination thereof.

3. Adaptive armour according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the armour is adapted for use with an object, for example adapted for use with a vehicle or a static structure.

4. Adaptive armour according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more receptacles comprise one or more cavities, holes and/or channels disposed in a substrate.

5. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more receptacles comprise one or more discrete receptacles.

6. Armour according to claim 5, wherein the one or more discrete receptacles take the form of pouches or pockets, or tubes or tube-like structures, or a combination thereof.

7. Armour according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the one or more discrete receptacles are expandable.

8. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the precursor armour structure comprises a plurality of receptacles.

9. Adaptive armour according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of receptacles are disposed such that the precursor armour structure provides uniform or substantially uniform areal coverage of a region to be protected by the adaptive armour.

10. Adaptive armour according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the plurality of receptacles are interconnected so as to facilitate uniform filling.

11. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more receptacles each comprise an inlet orifice for receiving the infill material.

12. Adaptive armour according to claim 11 , wherein the inlet orifice is located in an upper portion of the receptacle or receptacles.

13. Adaptive armour according to claim 11 or claim 12 when dependent on claim 8, wherein the precursor armour structure additionally comprises a manifold arrangement located at the inlet orifices of the receptacles.

14. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more receptacles additionally comprise a sealable outlet orifice, preferably located in a lower portion thereof.

15. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more receptacles have a depth in the range 15 mm to 500 mm, or are expandable to a depth in the range 15 mm to 500 mm.

16. Adaptive armour according to any preceding claim, wherein the precursor armour structure is adapted for use in a desired orientation, for example in a substantially vertical orientation or in a substantially horizontal orientation.

17. A system for the anti-ballistic protection of an object, said system comprising adaptive armour according to any one of claims 1 to 16 and means of obtaining an infill material from a local environment.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the means for obtaining the infill material comprises a pump.

19. A system according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the means for obtaining the infill material comprises a mechanical disturber, preferably with an additional conveyor.

20. A system according to any one of claims 17 to 19 wherein the system additionally comprises a means for maintaining or changing the phase of the infill material, for example a compressor, condenser, heat exchanger and/or heater.

21. A system according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the system is configured to jettison the infill material in whole or in part, optionally via an outlet orifice in each of the one or more receptacles.

22. A system according to any one of claims 17 to 21 , wherein the object is a vehicle or a permanent or temporary static structure.

23. A system according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the system additionally comprises means for determining a type and/or amount of infill material, preferably a look-up table.

24. A method of providing ballistic protection comprising the steps of (i) providing adaptive armour according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or a system according to any one of claims 17 to 23, (ii) obtaining an infill material from a local environment and (iii) filling the one or more receptacles with said infill material.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the infill material is selected from water, soil, snow, ice, rock, fuel, construction materials and debris, or any combination thereof.

26. A method according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein the infill material is obtained at a rate of at least 0.05 m³/minute.

27. A method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the infill material is combined with a binder at step (ii) and/or step (iii) so as to form a solid mass or multiphase mixture.

28. A method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein the method comprises the additional step of (iv) jettisoning the infill material in whole or in part to reduce the weight of the adaptive armour.

29. The use of one or more netting pouches in adaptive armour or an adaptive armour system to retain an infill material.

30. An adaptive armour, system, method or use substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings