Armored aluminum alloys

The development of armored aluminum alloys of the Research Institute of Steel began in the early 60s in connection with the creation of light floating tanks and BMD. Heat-strengthened deformable welded alloys of the Al-Zn-Mg system of the ABT-101 and ABT-102 grades, created for these purposes, have a strength level of 450-500 MPa, providing an almost 25% reduction in the mass of the armored hull in comparison with steel armor. In the early 80s, on the basis of these materials, heterogeneous aluminum armor PAS-1 and PAS-2 was created at the Research Institute of Steel, in which it was possible to realize strength at the level of 600 MPa. All these materials are used in BMD-1, BMD-2, BMD-3, BMD-4, BMP-3 and advanced LBM.