High Impact Technology’s BattleJacket® Fuel Cell Containment System (FCCS) is a revolutionary technology designed to minimize or prevent leakage of fuel tankers due to small-arms fire, which can cause hazardous conditions for troops transporting fuel as well as operational risks caused by the resulting lack of fuel.
It has long been known that fuel itself works well as a ballistic medium — the Israelis have placed fuel tanks on the outside of their vehicles for years. As little as 12” of fuel (or liquid) will mitigate the energy of most small caliber incoming rounds. By allowing the rounds to penetrate into the fuel tankers, risk to personnel could be minimized. And a self-sealing bladder would prevent fuel loss. After all, combat aircraft have had self-sealing bladders for years, so why not ground-based tankers?
Based on this innovative thinking, HIT developed BattleJacket® self-sealing tank coating, which could be applied to tankers using an easy-to-use spray coating process.
BattleJacket® technology was developed by testing multiple elastomeric spray coating formulations for ballistic performance and selecting the best performer. The BattleJacket®(FCCS) coating is based on a specially formulated fire resistant urethane similar to the Rhino Linings USA (Rhino) spray-in bed liner modified for military applications. A special swellable super absorbent polymer was selected to be used as the basis of the self-sealing mechanism. These beads are spray encapsulated into a special layer which, when exposed to fuel, swell into a solid. This additive acts in conjunction with the urethane to tightly seal off the undesired entrance and exit holes created by a projectile.
TACOM / TARDEC witnessed early generations of the spray coating, and after further development /refinements by HIT, ended up testing and approving it for use in theater. The US military designation for this spray coating technology is called Fuel Tank Self-Sealing (FTSS®).
A specialized process was developed which requires a closed-in spray booth with unique equipment to apply the additive. A Mobile spray-application facility has been developed which brings the process to any location.
The BattleJacket® Fuel Cell Containment System (FCCS) is the appropriate technology to bring to any vulnerable vehicular, train or ship based fuel tank as well as infrastructure elements such as storage tanks and pipelines.
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