Protecting aircraft and their crews from ground fire has long been a specialty of Plasan Sasa, which also offers ballistic armored solutions for personnel, vehicles and vessels. One of Plasan’s latest programs involved the provision of full protection from nose to tail for Boeing Chinook helicopters operated by a NATO country, but it also can supply kits to protect all types of tactical transport, assault and cargo helicopters. It offers tailored solutions for such helicopters as the Sikorsky Black Hawk, Bell Huey, Eurocopter Super Puma and Mil Mi-17, as well as tactical transports such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.

The Chinook armoring task was one of the most demanding to be undertaken by Plasan as the helicopter can alight and float on water, so the modular floor panels had to be waterproof in addition to protecting against small arms fire. Moreover, the modules had to be removable during flight if necessary, posing an additional challenge to the company’s engineers. The company generally uses lightweight composite materials but ceramics and steel can be employed when judged to be necessary.