Composite armour is a type of
vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as
metals,
plastics,
ceramics or
air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the same resistance to penetration. It is possible to design composite armour stronger, lighter and less voluminous than traditional armour, but the cost is often prohibitively high, restricting its use to especially vulnerable parts of a vehicle. Its primary purpose is to help defeat
high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds.