FNSS Pars News...

via Composite World (my focus isn't on the 'tape' but the vehicle)...

FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş., a producer of armored vehicles based in Turkey, won a contract from an Asian government to manufacture 8 by 8 PARS amphibious armored personnel vehicles featuring spall liners made with BT10. DSM Dyneema says that BT10 enabled FNSS to meet the highly stringent specifications for the spall liner.
Spall liners protect vehicle occupants from high-velocity fragments that are created when, for example, explosive shells send shock waves through the vehicle’s metal armor. In developing the armored vehicles, FNSS says it put special emphasis on mobility, protection and payload. FNSS will use Dyneema BT10 tape for spall liners in 257 PARS (Turkish for Anatolian leopard) vehicles. The amphibious vehicle will be supplied in 12 variants from 2013 to 2018.
“At FNSS, we take life protection very seriously and are committed to providing the highest possible degree of safety to the men and women who operate and travel in the vehicles we produce,” says Javier Garcia, chief engineer and ballistics specialist at FNSS. “This is why we selected BT10 from DSM Dyneema, one of the toughest, most lightweight and cost-effective ballistic-resistant materials in the world. Spall liners made with BT10 can make a tremendous difference in life-threatening situations. Not only was it a good business decision to choose this high-performance tape technology, but it’s a good feeling to know that we are doing all we can to help protect service people from harm.”
The tape as a spall liner is said to provide proven ballistic performance against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).

A few things...

*FNSS is on the move.  They've won quite a few contracts recently and the Turkish defense industry looks like its becoming more competitive everyday.  I don't know where they stand when it comes to arms exports but they've got to be moving up the charts---and at a rapid clip.

*This spall liner story is hitting at a good time for my blog.  I have a story thats coming out on Weds that will cover the work that Jankel is doing with their hot formed armor.  The armor market is also getting more competitive.  More protection but less weight is pushing the requirements and some of the most innovative work in the defense industry is taking place in this field.  The good news is that this will eventually lead to lighter body armor.  The bad is that the threat will evolve too.

*Noteworthy with the Pars vehicle is the Claw turret (Pence in Turkish).  It really illustrates the future of remote weapon systems.  Notice that the feed chute is protected by armor.  I consider that to be a major weakness of systems such as the Elbit 30.  Exposed chutes lead to all kinds of possible damage...either from enemy fire to something a mundane as a tree branch.  Check out the pics below...

The Elbit UT30.  Its quite popular but the exposed feed chute and electronics cause concern.  Additionally the crew must expose themselves to clear any malfunctions with the weapon system...not exactly ideal if you're receiving fire.

Now the Claw(Pence)...Unmanned turrets, preferably enclosed are in my opinion the future...especially for armored personnel carriers/ infantry fighting vehicles.

The Claw (Pence), compact (especially when used for amphibious vehicles aboard ship) and fully protected...the crew can clear and reload the system from under armor.

I direct your attention to the hatch visible at the top of the pic.  That is where the crew gains access to the weapon system to perform maintenance, reload etc.  Also notice that unlike a manned system you don't have a large basket extending into the crew compartment reducing the number of dismounts that can be carried.