Dragón IFV to be protected by armour package from Plasan

Spain's Dragón IFV will be protected by an armour package from Plasan. (Spanish MoD)

Spain's Dragón infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) will be protected by an armour package from Plasan, which announced in a press release on 3 February that it had been awarded the contract by the Tess Defence consortium building the vehicle in November 2021.

Plasan said it was supplying its Hybrid Slat Fence (HSF) lightweight modular rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) protection and its mine protection solution for underbelly and improvised explosive device (IED) side blast with energy-absorbing mine seats, with deliveries for 348 Dragóns having begun in January and continuing until 2026.

HSF is a lightweight bar armour that is durable against wear and tear and can be quickly installed, repaired, and replaced in the field, according to a Plasan brochure. A company video said HSF can withstand up to four shots/m².

The brochure said Plasan's blast and IED underbelly protection solutions feature platform underbody blast protection that deflects and absorbs blast energy and stops high-velocity fragments. The mine blast protection kit made of lightweight composite materials is designed to attenuate blast energy and channel it away from the vehicle's crew. A floating floor is attached to the vehicle's walls to minimise damage and injury, isolate the crew's feet from the vehicle's floor, and form a buffer from blast impact.

Plasan will supply the protection for all 348 tranche 1 vehicles, the combat engineer vehicle of which is expected to be delivered starting later this year, the IFV in 2023, the command post and forward observer versions in 2024, and the reconnaissance vehicle in 2025.