THE INVICTO PROTECTION PROGRAM

INVICTO VR6+ ERV
by BRABUS Automotive

The INVICTO - an innovative variant of the current Mercedes G-Class armored in accordance with the VR6 Plus ERV standard. The all-terrain armoured vehicle comes in three different versions: PURE, LUXURY and MISSION. 

In order to give provide the occupants with maximum protection against small arms fire and explosives, the engineers from brabus | automotive developed the “INVICTO Shelter Cell,” a self-contained, self-supporting and bolted-down protective cell. In addition, there are further protective elements that are in part produced using a special 3D printing process and, of course, all-around extremely tough bulletproof glass. 

After extensive ballistics and explosives testing, the German National Testing and Certification Office for Weapons and Security Engineering, the Beschussamt Ulm, certified the protective effect of the INVICTO as per the VPAM BRV 2009 and VPAM ERV 2010 standards.

INVICTO Shelter Cell 

The highest technical standards were also paramount for Brabus Automotive when it came to developing the new armoured vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Right from the very start, the overall ballistic concept was designed for a maximum protective effect corresponding to the level of OEM factory armour plating. Unlike with other retroactively armour plated vehicles, the components of the protection system were not individually welded into the vehicle’s bodywork structure; rather, the engineers at Brabus Automotive developed a self-contained, self-supporting, bolted structural cell, the so-called INVICTO Shelter Cell. It is inserted into the body shell in a disassembled state and then constructed. One of the structural features of the shelter cell is the zero-joints design which means that there is absolutely no entry narrowing – similar to a vehicle armour plated in an OEM factory. The armour components are mounted to the shelter cell without any gaps. Unavoidable weld seams, on the doors for example, are achieved with material overlapping and so-called labyrinths. The design of the upper windscreen frame is also innovative.

It was only once the individual elements of the shelter cell proved their protective effect that the entire cell was tested in the vehicle. Every single material pairing and screw connection was tested by being shot at from several angles and at projectile speeds which are well beyond the standard speed of the calibre being protected against.