DDX Armor

[IDonT]

I don't know if this has been discussed, but the passive armor system of the Zumwalt Destroyers are similar to the reactive armor system of tanks.

Peripheral Vertical Launch System (PVLS)
The Peripheral Vertical Launch System is an attempt to reclaim the prized center space of the hull while increasing the safety of the ship from the loss of the entire missile battery and the loss of the ship in the case of a magazine explosion. The system scatters pods of VLS around the outer shell of the ship having a thin steel outer shell and a thick inner shell. The design of the PVLS would be directing the force of the explosion outward rather than ripping the ship in half. Additionally this design keeps the loss of missile capacity down to just the pod being hit

Raytheon Company: Products & Services: Peripheral Vertical Launch System (PVLS) Advanced VLS

[fitz]

I don't know if this has been discussed, but the passive armor system of the Zumwalt Destroyers are similar to the reactive armor system of tanks.

The configuration of the Mk 57 VLS has nothing in common with ERA. The Mk 57 VLS launcher, like Mk 41 before it is just inherently hardened in order to help vent any explosion within the cell upwards. This has the advantage of supplying some ballistic protection from outside intrusions. Distributing the VLS in the manner of DD-1000 has the dual advantages of increasing precious centerline space and reducing vulnerability of the missile complex to a single hit - and it provides a measure of ballistic protection to the ship as a whole.