FORUM
FORUM INDUSTRIES is established in 1995 in Ankara, Turkey and is active in defence industries for technology transfer and co-production of defence systems since 1995.
The Company’s main interest is;
• Producing spare parts for the Turkish Army,
• Producing some military parts and sub systems locally under license,
• Providing technology and knowhow transfer.
One of the main line of Forum’s business is “Automatic Fire/Explosion Sensing and Suppression Systems”. The System can be adapted all types of vehicles like Armored Combat Vehicles, Tanks, Helicopters, Planes, Underground Vehicles, Ships, and Buses etc.
Automatic Fire/Explosion Sensing and Suppression System is especially designed to protect the crew and the vehicle from armour penetration missiles hit, fuel vaporization explosions and mine explosions. Optical sensors detects the fire or explosion very fast (3 milliseconds) and suppress the fire/explosion in a very short time (less then 250 milliseconds) to prevent the skin burns and high pressure. System increases the vehicles reliability. Local content percentage is 45% at this point and it will reach 100 % at the end of year 2008. Automatic Fire/Explosion Sensing and Suppression Systems are assembling Turkish Armored Vehicles and Tanks.
Automatic Fire/Explosion Sensing and Suppression System consists of four main sub-systems:
• Explosion Sensors (Optical Detectors)
• Electronic Control Box
• Suppression Cylinders
Explosion Sensors (Optical Detectors): During an explosion caused by armour penetration missiles hit, fuel vaporization and mine creates some energy. Explosion Sensors are capable to sense the explosion energy as fast as the time like one tent of a second and sends hazard signal to the Electronic Control Box. There are some different types of Explosion Sensors depending on the protected areas. Like UV/IR sensors (Observes the energy in Ultraviolet and Infrared zone), Double IR sensors (Observes the energy in Infrared zone at two different frequency), Triple IR sensors (Observes the energy in Infrared zone at three different frequency) and thermal wire sensors especially for engine compartments of vehicles.
Electronic Control Box: Main role of the Electronic Control Box is to process the signal that comes from the sensors, and recognize the size and place of explosion and controls the related suppression cylinders. There are various types of Electronic Control Box depending on the vehicle type and size.
Suppression Cylinders: Suppression cylinders contains suppression agent under high pressure (45 bar). There are some different types of suppression agent but mostly used ones are HFC- 227 and Halon 1301. Suppression agents are normally gas phase but inside the cylinder under pressure they are in liquate phase. Suppression cylinders have cylinder valves. Valve technology is pyrotechnic. Valves have small squib and cupper disc. Whenever a fire or explosion signal received squib explode and rapture cupper disc, thus release the extinguishing agent. Shelf life of squibs is longer than 20 years. Cylinders can refillable, during the cylinder refilling procedure; only cupper disk and squib are replaced with new ones.
Automatic Fire/Explosion Sensing and Suppression System which working procedure is defined above, protects vehicle from damage and protect vehicle crew life, so vehicle and crew can continue their operation on the battlefield after hit by anti-tank missiles and this system is different from the classical fire extinguishing systems.
Another line of Forum’s business is Personnel Heaters for military vehicles, where we have a license agreement with HUPP INDUSTRIES from Ohio, US. We produce these Heaters partially here in Turkey. Totally 2500 units of Heaters which 1,500 units for Turkish Land Forces Command and 1000 units for FNSS Defence Systems Inc.’ production of vehicles, are produced and delivered by our Company. Today Forum has capable to produce the Heaters % 100 percent locally and also capable to design and produce second-generation Turkish type modern Heaters.
A couple of years ago DEHA Defence Inc. (located in Istanbul) designed an “Automatic Mortar on Armored Vehicles”.
The main working principle of this system is:
• To reduce the recoil pressure of mortar with a soft recoil suspension system,
• Automatic barrel aiming and automatic fire control system with highly advanced Pentium based embedded computer, sensors and DC motors.
Soft recoil suspension system reduces the recoil force after every fire, so that the all kinds of mortars (81, 106, 120 mm.) can be mounted on armored tracked or wheeled vehicles easily and safely.
With the “Automatic Fire Control and Barrel Aiming System”: Once the target coordinates recorded to the ballistic computer a simple press of a button ballistic computer computes all ballistic calculations very rapidly and mortar barrel moves and aim the target automatically.
It is possible to perform the first fire in 1-2 minutes and subsequently 10-12 rounds per minutes with ± 1 mils. Aiming accuracy. For the 120 mm. Mortar normally standard personnel on the field is 17 persons but using this “Automatic Mortar on Armored Vehicles” total crew is only 4 persons.
Forum Industries purchased all commercial rights of “Automatic Mortar System on Armored Vehicles” including design and production from DEHA Defence Inc. System firing tests are performed at different firing ranges in east and west side of Turkey by Turkish Army and test results was satisfactory and approved.
Forum has ISO 9001-2000 Quality Assurance certificate from World Certification Services (WCS) of the United Kingdom.
