Engineering for Perfection
International Armored Group (IAG) is a manufacturer of armored vehicles with over 17 years of experience in the industry. Over the past decade, IAG has experienced significant growth and now operates three manufacturing facilities with six offices around the world. The R&D department has also been constantly expanding the product range of armored vehicles from the traditional 4x4s, luxury cars and cash-in-transit trucks to many specialty vehicles that include passenger buses, ambulances and tactical vehicles that are built to specification.
IAG is proud to be the first armoring manufacturer that designs and produces transparent armoring in-house through the Transparent Armor Systems (TAS) brand. Starting with automotive ballistic glass for IAG armored vehicles TAS has quickly expanded into other sectors such as architectural and marine. TAS is capable of offering complete transparent armoring solutions by leveraging IAG’s expertise in high precision fabrication to manufacture not only ballistic glass but also create ballistic steel frame systems and accessories.
International Armored Group
The armored vehicles market experienced a surge in demand starting from the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and quickly followed by Iraq in 2003. In an effort to serve the Middle East area of operation more effectively, IAG opened a 50,000 sq. ft manufacturing location in the United Arab Emirates, mainly delivering armored SUVs and pickup trucks for the military, security forces and humanitarian missions in the region.
Fast forward to the year 2013, IAG now has more than doubled its manufacturing capacity to 130,000 square feet and established locations in Turkey, USA, Canada, UAE, UK and Yemen. Each manufacturing facility has multi-million dollar investments in state-of-the-art CNC machinery including laser cutting and bending machines that are required to guarantee precise fitment of the armoring on each vehicle. Most recently, IAG has invested heavily in manufacturing ballistic glass by establishing TAS.
With a PhD in engineering, the President of IAG implements a culture of continuous improvement from the senior management down to the entire organization, always looking for ways to perfect the final product.
The current armoring design is the accumulation of experience stemming from the thousands of armored vehicles that IAG has produced to date. The main principle is to maximize the integrity of the armored capsule and completely eliminate any potential gaps. This can be achieved through minimizing the number of panels and welds required with utilizing larger pieces of ballistic steel and overlapping joints.
Even though many of our clients have survived attacks in IAG armored vehicles, details and photos are rarely published due to confidentiality issues. As the ultimate testament to IAG’s armoring design and manufacturing capabilities, IAG was one of the first companies in the world to obtain the BRV 2009 VR7 certificate with its Armored Toyota Land Cruiser Convoy. The certification process includes ballistic and blast testing with high powered rifles, grenades, land mines and improvised explosive devices (IED). The test vehicle did not allow any projectiles to penetrate the cabin, effectively protecting the occupants from the ballistic and blast threats.
IAG has also expanded its product range into other vehicle types that include armored passenger buses and tactical vehicles. Using heavy duty truck chassis as the base platform, IAG can build specialized bodies for various applications. For example, the Armadillo passenger bus is a vehicle that was created based on the need to transport large groups of personnel by Non-Government Organizations and oil companies that are operating in Iraq.
Another example would be the new lineup of armored tactical vehicles that include the Jaws, Sentinel and Guardian which are designed to meet requirements of military and law enforcement clients. The smaller Jaws APC was designed as a lightweight vehicle that provides high off-road mobility while maintaining ballistic and blast protection, with the Guardian serving as an alternative that offers higher passenger and cargo capacity if required. The Sentinel is optimized for law enforcement applications, designed with feedback from tactical response operators such as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams. Modular add-on armor kits can be installed to enhance the capability of the armoring system if required.
Transparent Armor Systems
As a subsidiary of IAG, operating under the same management, TAS focuses on maximizing quality and minimizing lead times by applying tighter internal controls, utilizing highly skilled personnel and top-of-the-line machinery and equipment. Additionally, only highest quality materials from Europe are used in the manufacturing process to guarantee the end results.
Even though TAS started out with a focus on transparent armoring for automotive applications, it quickly expanded into the architectural and marine sectors by leveraging IAG’s expertise in armoring design, offering full solutions that include ballistic steel frames, as well as, on-site installation services. Architectural projects include airports, banks, courthouses, law enforcement/military facilities, embassies, private residences and offices around the world.
TAS has quickly gained significant market share in the industry due to its highly automated and stringent manufacturing process resulting in unparalleled transparent products. All raw glass is cut to specification using a CNC diamond head that has a tolerance of 100 microns - up to 30 times more accurate than the international standard of 1-3 mm. Each glass panel is cleaned and washed at least three times, using a pressurized washing machine, as well as, manual wash cycle in a sealed and temperature controlled room. Glass layers are assembled in this environment using PU and PVB adhesives, ensuring highest levels of optical clarity, cleanliness and durability. Edge seal is applied to each unit with PU seal backing that provides superior protective properties compared to panels sealed with tape.
TAS also follows stringent procedures to ensure proper heating and cool-down time of the glass throughout the entire process. For example, TAS operates one of the largest autoclaves in the industry, running one cycle per day with large batches to avoid compromising the quality through rushed production procedures.
The most expensive material of transparent armoring is the polycarbonate layer. It significantly reduces the thickness and weight of the glass and prevents the outer glass layers from splintering into the protected area. Since low cost alternatives are highly prone to delamination, TAS exclusively sources polycarbonate sheets and PU adhesives from one of the highest quality manufacturers in the world in order to guarantee the longevity of the final product.
Quality control is applied at every single stage of the production process. Metrics such as size, thickness, geometry, paint viscosity, serigraphy, optical distortion/transmittance and UV transmittance are all tested and recorded according to the unique serial number of each panel.
Whether it is flat or curved ballistic glass or frame systems, TAS has the engineering know-how and manufacturing capability to execute any project. Please contact one of our sales offices for more information.
