Golan (Rafael)
Multi-Purpose Modular Armored Vehicle
 
 
 
 
 
 
RAFAEL and PVI / USA are cooperating to develop and manufacture a 15 ton Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) for up to 10 troopers that will defeat small arms and RPG threats, medium size IED's, 7 kg mines under belly and 14 kg under wheels. The GOLAN is will be tested by the IDF in September 2006 and has been proposed to the US Marine Corp as the most armored vehicle in the market.
 
 
Armor System
 

The GOLAN is based on a unique concept in which the armor protection system accounts for approximately fifty percent of Gross Volume Weight (GVW). According to the design philosophy, a spall liner was used to allocate weight externally to prevent penetration rather than allocate weight to the inside of the vehicle to minimize damage once a penetration has occurred (However, a spall liner is an option based on customer requirements). The vehicle has a monocoque structure rather than internal framework or chassis. The integrity of the monocoque structure provides the strength to absorb the deformations generated by mines and IED blasts. It thereby provides an optimal solution to protect the crew and vehicle against the identified threats.

The crew compartment is designed to provide a scaled armor protection system. The maximum protection level includes reactive modular armor tiles while the medium and light levels are based on passive modular armor. The three protection levels are provided in the following table:

 
 
 
 
 
Protection level  configuration
Threat
Maximum
level
Medium
level
Light
level
Anti-tank mine (7 Kg) under belly, (14 Kg) under wheel
+
+
+
20 mm fragment simulating projectile (artillery, 155mm)
+
+
+
SAF - Infantry rifles 7.62 mm AP
+
+
+
Heavy machine gun 0.5" & 14.5 mm AP
+
+
+
Claymore charge
+
+
+
Medium IED (equivalent to 50 mm RHA protection)
+
+
-
Large IED (equivalent to 100mm RHA protection)
+
-
-
RPG7: RPG7M, RPG7V and RPG7N
+
-
-
 

Other protection combinations will be based on operational requirements.

All three protection level configurations present the same physical silhouette. In the light and medium level configurations, there are no reactive armor tiles attached to the outer crew compartment structure.  In their place, passive armor tiles (that include storage boxes) with an identical outer shape are attached. 

 
 
 

Reactive Add-On Armor 
The add-on reactive armor system consists of Insensitive Explosive Reactive Armor (I-ERA) tiles installed on the side walls. The I-ERA is based on the US Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle armoring technology, also adapted to M113 armoring developed by Rafael Armament Authority (RAFAEL).  The reactive (I-ERA) add-on armor is an insensitive explosive known as Low Burn Rate (LBR) or Low Flammability (LF2) that was approved by both the Israeli Defense Force and the US Army. The armor provides protection against attacks from the following threats: RPG7 rockets: RPG7M, RPG7V and RPG7N; small arms  and heavy machine gun up to 14.5 mm AP; and IED fragments, and 20-mm FSP. Additionally, the I-ERA provides no perforation into the crew compartment by either fragments or blast against a single action shaped-charge.

Mine Protection 
The V-shaped hull, in conjunction with the vehicle’s monocoque compartment structure and floating floor construction, ensures crew survivability and provides protection against mine blasts along the centerline and under the wheels in accordance with STANAG 4569 level 2b and 3a. 

Passive Armor
Passive armor to defeat a 14.5 AP and 20-mm FSP threat is inherent to the crew compartment of the vehicle. Rear corners, rear storage compartment and rear fuel tanks are also protected with a slat armor system that provides statistical protection with up to 50% probability to defeat RPG7 warheads.  The roof structure provides protection against 0.5" AP (at 25°) and 7.62 AP (at 40°) threats.

Eight ballistic windows are installed in the vehicle.