Spaced armour

Spaced armour around the turret of a PzKpfw IV.
Schürzen spaced armour skirting on PzKpfw III Ausf. M protecting the hull and turret, June 1943.
Slat armour, a type of spaced armour, seen on a IDF Caterpillar D9 combat bulldozer

Armour with two or more plates spaced a distance apart falls under the category of spaced armour. Spaced armour can be sloped or unsloped. When sloped, it reduces the penetrating power of bullets and solid shot, as after penetrating each plate projectiles tend to tumble, deflect, deform, or disintegrate; spaced armour that is not sloped is generally designed to provide protection from explosive projectiles, which detonate before reaching the primary armour. Spaced armour is used on military vehicles such as tanks and combat bulldozers. In a less common application, it is used in some spacecraft that use Whipple shields.


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