ArmorSim reactive armor functions as a physically calculated countermeasure rather than an abstract health-point shield. Built by solo developer Timerlan Galimov (Galimov Dynamics) and released in Steam Early Access in September 2026, the terminal ballistics simulator models reactive cassettes—such as Soviet Kontakt-1 and non-explosive reactive armor (NERA) packs—using material equations and momentum transfer. Setting up effective reactive armor requires understanding how the game calculates flyer-plate movement, layer backing, and residual projectile energy.
How Reactive Armor Works in ArmorSim
Unlike conventional tank games that assign arbitrary damage-reduction percentages to explosive reactive armor (ERA), ArmorSim solves target impacts through dedicated ballistics solvers:
- Normal Mode: Calculates basic terminal ballistics in split-seconds using analytic formulas, including Alekseevskii–Tate hydrodynamic penetration and erosion equations, Recht–Ipson residual velocity, and Grady fragmentation models.
- Advanced Mode: Unfolds detailed per-layer accounting across spaced arrays. It reports residual velocity, plate wear fraction, and ballistic limits at every layer, tracking precisely where incoming penetrators run out of kinetic energy.
- Ultra Mode: Deploys an axisymmetric Lagrangian mesh utilizing Johnson–Cook plasticity, Mie-Grüneisen equations of state, and element erosion to simulate physical cratering and deformation, though it requires head-on (normal incidence) impacts.
- 2D Plane Proving Ground: Introduced in Update 3.0.0, this mode enables rapid testing of real explosive behavior. The update overhauled ERA cassettes so that detonation physically throws flyer plates into the path of incoming threats rather than merely shattering the cassette shell.
When an incoming projectile strikes an ERA module in ArmorSim, the explosive layer triggers, flinging steel plates across the path of the penetrator. This action disrupts and destabilizes the narrow molten stream of a shaped-charge jet or erodes the leading edge of a solid penetrator rod.
Reactive Armor Modules and Customization
The ArmorSim scene editor allows players to place standalone active protection elements, build multi-layered reactive cassettes, or nest bulging armor behind structural hull plating.
You can configure several geometric and physical parameters when building reactive armor arrays:
- Cassette Selection: Select pre-modeled active protection, such as Soviet Kontakt-1 (featuring standard light 2.3 mm flyer plates), or construct custom bulging plates.
- Dimensional Adjustments: Customize plate thickness, width, height, and spacing air gaps between the reactive element and the primary vehicle armor.
- Angular Offsets: Orient plates along Angle X and Angle Y. Changing the obliquity increases the effective line-of-sight thickness and forces incoming rounds to interact with more moving plate mass during detonation.
- Internal Fillers: In NERA arrays, cassettes can be paired with elastomeric and composite interlayers like polyurethane, neoprene, or textolite. Update 3.0.0 resolved previous physics anomalies where energy balance errors caused NERA cassettes containing polyurethane to self-destruct upon spawn.
Reactive Armor Performance Against Ammunition
Reactive armor in ArmorSim performs realistically according to the caliber, velocity, and warhead architecture of the incoming projectile. Testing by players and simulator demonstrations reveals distinct outcomes across various ammunition categories:
| Ammunition Type | In-Game Examples | Reactive Armor Interaction | Backing Armor Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Stage HEAT / RPG | PG-7V (RPG-7) | Kontakt-1 flyer plates disrupt the shaped-charge jet, drastically reducing its core penetration depth. | Medium; unprotected thin steel still fails, but 7 to 8 cast steel plates or composite packs stop residual debris. |
| Tandem Shaped Charges | PG-7VR (RPG-7), TOW-2A (BGM-71E) | Tandem warheads achieve deeper penetration against reactive armor arrays than basic single-stage rounds. | Heavy; tandem jets easily pierce multiple layers of steel even after detonating outer cassettes. |
| Heavy ATGMs | FGM-148 Javelin, PARS 3 LR | High-angle or large-diameter shaped-charge jets overwhelm light ERA, piercing up to 14 or more standard cast steel plates. | Maximum; reactive armor alone provides insufficient resistance without thick spaced composites. |
| Kinetic APFSDS | M829 series (USA), DM13 / DM53 (Germany), 3BM series (USSR/Russia) | Dense tungsten or depleted uranium rods erode thin ERA flyer plates rapidly with minimal disruption to the penetrator core. | Substantial composite or monolithic steel arrays; light ERA does not halt modern high-velocity sub-caliber rods. |
Testing in the sandbox demonstrates that mounting an ERA cassette without adequate backing armor will not save a vehicle. A single PG-7 projectile fired at an isolated Kontakt-1 cassette followed by four thin alloy plates will cut straight through, as the disrupted jet retains sufficient forward hydrodynamic pressure to breach unhardened barriers.
Testing Limitations and System Performance
Simulating multi-layered reactive armor stacks can severely stress system hardware, particularly in continuum solvers:
- Storage Footprint: Detailed solver replay files in Super Simulation mode range from 20 GB to 26 GB per run. Extensive testing sessions involving multi-plate reactive arrays can quickly consume hundreds of gigabytes of disk space.
- Hardware Demand: While the minimum game requirements list an Intel Core i5-4460 / Ryzen 3 1200 with a GTX 1050 / RX 560, continuum calculations in Ultra mode are strictly CPU-bound. Complex reactive fragmentation scenes frequently experience frame-rate drops or solver crashes on lower-tier hardware.
- Ultra Mode Geometry Constraints: Ultra mode is restricted to axisymmetric normal impacts. To test angled reactive armor plates, ricochets, and multi-axis fragment cascades without crashes, use Normal, Advanced, or 2D Plane modes.
- Interface Quirks: In the initial Steam Early Access build, several context menus and projectile tooltips remain untranslated from Russian, requiring players to identify certain armor parameters and warhead descriptors visually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kontakt-1 in ArmorSim protect against kinetic APFSDS rounds?
No. Standard Kontakt-1 modules in ArmorSim feature light 2.3 mm steel flyer plates designed specifically to disrupt shaped-charge jets from standard RPGs and baseline HEAT rounds. High-density tungsten and depleted uranium rods (such as the American M829 series or Russian 3BM series) punch through light ERA cassettes with negligible loss in penetration power.
Why does the simulation crash when testing complex reactive armor arrays?
Complex reactive targets involve dozens of interacting plates, explosive thresholds, and fragment clouds. In high-fidelity solvers (Ultra and Super Simulation), calculating these dynamic interactions creates massive data structures that can cause out-of-memory errors or solver timeouts. Lowering the mesh density, running the test in Advanced mode, or using the 2D Plane proving ground resolves most stability issues.
Can tandem-warhead missiles defeat reactive armor in ArmorSim?
Yes. Tandem munitions like the PG-7VR and TOW-2A are modeled with precursor charges. In the simulation, tandem munitions like the PG-7VR and TOW-2A demonstrate significantly higher penetration against reactive setups than basic single-stage charges, punching through multiple layers of steel.
