NATO STO

Protection of the vehicle occupants against both Anti-Vehicle (AV) mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is a main consideration in vehicle design and in NATO Standards. The STANAG 4569, Protection Levels For Occupants Of Armoured Vehicles, addresses the mine and IED protection levels for the qualification of vehicles. Injury assessment methods and the test protocol, injury criteria and tolerance levels are included, based on the efforts of HFM-090/TG-25 (2001-2004), HFM-RTG-148 (2006-2009), HFM-RTG-198 (2010-2013) and HFM-RTG-271 (2017-2021). The last RTG, HFM-RTG-271, recommended new injury criteria for four body parts, identified a new, currently in development, injury assessment methodology for standing vehicle occupants, discussed the feasibility of a transfer function between two currently accepted test surrogates, highlighted a, previously unidentified, major factor for reproducible testing, and updated the test and injury assessment protocol. These results have been used by the STANAG 4569 Team of Experts (ToE) to define and update AEP-55 volume 2 Procedures For Evaluating The Protection Level Of Armoured Vehicles – Mine Threat, and AEP-55 volume 3, Procedures For Evaluating The Protection Level Of Armoured Vehicles – IED Threats. Despite the HFM efforts, there are still ToE questions that remain unanswered. In addition, the military population is changing, notably with the inclusion of women in ground close combat, and vehicle platforms are being updated, including the introduction of new protective technologies. Meanwhile, new research in these topics is being published. Therefore, examination of current research data and newly available combat and test data can help in addressing remaining new questions related to the protection of vehicle occupants; they will enable the update of current injury criteria, injury assessment methods and test procedures.