Design
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
We pay great attention to the design as we consider quality to be the base for making discreet luxury armoured vehicles.
Using quality modern CAD applications, we scan the surface of the car body and make the CAD design of the protection cell inside. Our engineering team then create 3D models of the protection cells. This approach allows us to eliminate ballistic gaps and find structural weak points at the armour design stage.
Traditional methods to design armouring schemes – making templates to cover the car body and then cut the same plates from the steel – are error prone as there’s truly little possibility to evaluate ballistic tightness and mechanical robustness of the construction.
The 3D model is used later on to determine the targets for shots during the tests – the only way to ensure the quality of an armoured vehicle is to subject it to real ballistic and blast tests.
Our Clientele
Armouring
Process
GSV HAS BEEN PRODUCING DISCREET LUXURY ARMOURED VEHICLES SINCE 2015.
During this period, we have been constantly adapting our armouring approach to ever-changing technologies.
Since 2015, we have improved and optimised our production process in a way that allows us to serve our customers most efficiently. By implementing transparent policies and procedures, we are able to effectively organise and control the armouring steps keeping our turnaround time at the very top of the industry.
Stages of Production
STAGE 1 (PREPARATION)
Once the clients specific needs are discussed, we implement a vehicle quality check and conduct a 3D scan of the vehicle. Our professional engineering team designs all materials required for armouring using 3D CAD software. The templates are created and materials are sent for laser cutting which ensures it is made precisely for that vehicle. All components are tested by independent facilities as well as by our trained employees. GSV strips the vehicle down to its bare frame, inspects OEM parts and organises them into a labelled system.
STAGE 2 (ARMOURING STAGE)
Armour plates and light weight armouring components are then installed onto the vehicle. The door hinges, suspension and window mechanism systems are also modified and reinforced to handle the added weight of the armour. Finally, the vehicle is fitted with our run flat tyre system.
STAGE 3 (QUALITY CONTROL)
Lastly, the vehicle is upholstered following the requirements of the customer. Our technicians pay special attention to intricate details to ensure the beauty of the finished product. If requested, at this stage we also add special components such as sirens, pepper-spray system or spotlights. Once the vehicle is fully re-assembled, it undergoes a strict quality control process. All vehicles are inspected by a trained team responsible for ensuring that the vehicle meets all GSV armouring standards as well as performance and craftsmanship levels.
GSV
The only name in Discreet Luxury Vehicle Armouring
Ballistic Materials
Created by Stephanie Kwolek, DuPont™ Kevlar® is a heat-resistant para-aramid synthetic fiber with a molecular structure of many inter-chain bonds that make Kevlar® incredibly strong. Best known for its use in ballistic body armor, Kevlar® also has many other applications because of its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio.
(DuPont™)This woven type of lightweight fabric is “ultra-malleable” and can be shaped perfectly into seams/corners of the vehicle for lower-level protection and back-splashed with ballistic steel or ceramic to achieve higher protection.
Avient’s super-strong ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMwPE) fiber branded as Dyneema® offers maximum strength with minimum weight. This makes the number of possible applications virtually unlimited.
Dyneema® fiber is produced in a patented gel spinning process in which the fibers are drawn, heated, elongated, and cooled. Stretching and spinning leads to molecular alignment, high crystallization, and low density. Dyneema® has extremely long molecular chains that transfer load more effectively to the polymer backbone. So it's stronger at the same weight or lighter at the same strength than alternatives.
Dyneema is a specially laminated Polyethene material which is a composite material with light weight characteristics, and it is typically about ¼ the weight of ballistic steel. Aside from its higher price than ballistic steel, it is considerably thicker, thereby making it difficult to reupholster the interior in an OEM fashion on selected model SUVs and sedans. GSV applies its unique and patented technique in incorporating this material to many of its armoured vehicles to achieve lighter weight and better results at the end.
Ballistic steel is a term that comprises many of the world’s hardest metals. These are weapons-grade alloys that find uses in industries as diverse as defense, aerospace and even certain civilian security applications.
(Steelforge.com)Ballistic Steel is the most common choice of opaque material used in armouring vehicles. GSV frequently uses the special certified lightweight ballistic steel in conjunction with some other composite ballistic material to achieve the lightest armoured vehicles in the world. Majority of the vehicles armoured by GSV are at level A9/B6+ with the ballistic steel being approximately ¼” or 5/16” thick.
Ballistic Ceramics: In its most basic form, it consists of two primary components: A ceramic layer on the outer surface, called the "strike face," backed up by a ductile fibre reinforced plastic composite or metal layer. The role of the ceramic is to (1) fracture the projectile or deform the projectile nose upon impact, (2) erode and slow down the projectile remnant as it penetrates the shattered ceramic layer, and (3) distribute the impact load over a larger area which can be absorbed by ductile polymer or metallic backings. Ceramics are often used where light weight is important, as they weigh less than metal alloys for a given degree of resistance. The most common materials are alumina, boron carbide, and, to a lesser extent, silicon carbide.
(Wikipedia)The applications GSV uses, whenever recommended on certain areas of a vehicle are Aluminium Carbide, Silicon Carbide and Boron Carbide. All are significantly lighter than steel yet preferred for certain vehicle armouring applications with varying results.
