Elbit Systems, introducing the ‘See Through Armor’ (STA) is an assembly of panoramic observation systems embedded in or applied onto the vehicle’s armor, providing the vehicle crews with an omni-directional combat scene seen from within the armored vehicle, when the crew is ‘buttoned in’ with hatches closed. An equally realistic view can be obtained from an unmanned platform. The objective of the system is to improve the crew’s situational awareness under all conditions, including extended ‘silent watch’ missions in areas where close-quarter defense is imperative (including urban areas, jungle etc), where the techniques, tactics and procedures (TTP) dictate maximum force protection with the crew remaining ‘buttoned up’ inside their vehicles for hours.
Under such conditions, limited visibility creates ‘dead zones’ attracting attack by hostiles, exploiting the limited visibility by the crew, to hit the vehicle with RPGs or lay down belly-striking explosive charges activated from a distance. Elbit’s See Through Armor (STA) uses a blend of sensors and special software that electronically “stitches” disparate imagery, collected from multiple video cameras installed around the vehicle. The result is single panoramic representation of immediate surroundings, displayed directly on helmet-mounted systems, or on computer screens already installed in the AFV. In addition to the overall panoramic view, crew members can monitor specific sectors on a larger display, or respond to alerts triggered through video motion detection.
