LIBA (Light Improved Ballistic Armor) is a composite ballistic armor panel developed by Mofet Etzion Ltd. of Israel. The LIBA technology offers ballistic protection against small arms up to 14.5mm AP caliber projectiles and 20mm fragments, at half or even a third the weight of comparable steel protection, retaining exceptional multi-impact (more than 20 7.62 AP hits on a 10 x 12 cm panel) and shock resistance properties. A property that is unique to LIBA is the possibility of repairing ballistic panels that have been shot at and damaged in the field without need to withdraw the vehicle or aircraft to rear echelon installations for replacing the panel. Using simple tools and simple instructions the crew of the vehicle can replace the effected pellets in the panel and return the panel to full ballistic integrity.
With high resistance to multi-impact and shock, LIBA is claimed to have high anti-vandalism properties that has eliminated the problems of ceramic cracking and shock resistance so vital in ballistic armor for protection in low intensity warfare scenarios. LIBA armor was tested and proved to be effective against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), according to tests performed recently at the IDF ordinance testing facility.
The panels are composed of different sizes and shapes of ceramic pellets composed of various types of advanced ceramic materials embedded in an elastomeric matrix, attached to a composite fiber, metal base or stand alone solutions.The panel retains a certain degree of flexibility as demonstrated in the photo shown here (left). The LIBA technology panels are being employed in different types of Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV), rotary and fixed wing aircraft, armored cars and limousines and personal armor. In the photo below, a Liba ceramic matrix armor showing a panel withstanding multi-hit of 14.5 mm ammunition.
