| Chobham is probably and basically just ceramic and steel sandwiched together in blocks. The ceramics and steel provide excellent protection against HEAT type weapons and good protection against KE type weapons. The ceramics chemical "loose" chemical structure makes HEAT jets flow around it, stopping them more efficiently then steel. It was developed by the British and is on their Challenger tanks, it was given to the Americans and is on the Abrams tanks. The Leopard and Leclerc use their own versions of it.
Explosive Reactive Armor is plastic explosives surrounded by two metal plates. When a HEAT type weapon penetrates this, the explosive detonates and the plate disrupts the HEAt jet. Kontakt-5 is also effective against KE rounds by having a heavier plate. The Israelis developed it with their Blazer armor (placed on old M60 upgrades, NOT on the Merkava). The Russians really got into it with them trying to put it on all their tanks. Kontakt-5 ERA gives about 200mm of KE and 600mm of CE protection per plate, so it's a really effective supplemental armor, not a good protection to be depended on by itself.
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Ahh...the AK-47, when you absolutely, positively have to kill every last motherf*cker in the room...accept no substitute
-Samuel L.
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