Silence Behind the Wheel: Advanced Vehicle Bulletproofing

The war in Gaza, the large number of shooting attacks in the past year on Judea and Samaria roads, the seething northern border, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and other global conflicts—all demonstrate the already established need for armoring various types of vehicles: military vehicles, trucks, buses, government vehicles, logistics vehicles transporting equipment and means of protection, as well as the need for a mobile protective device against gunfire that can be mounted on every type of vehicle, which today provides protection for military vehicles, and more.

Top Car Armoring, one of the leading companies in this field in Israel and currently starting a large-scale export operation, was established in 2011 by Doron Labock, an armoring expert with extensive knowledge and experience in managing development and manufacturing of systems and integrating armor components into various vehicles. The present company is a more advanced incarnation of a vehicle armoring firm founded by Doron's father, Yossi Labock, during the first intifada. At the time, it was the only company of its kind in Israel.

"Top Car has unique experience and extensive knowledge in vehicle armoring in Israel and abroad," says Labock Jr. "Over the years, it has been responsible for many projects of armoring vehicles of various types and levels of protection in compliance with international standards (US, Europe, and Israel), including extensive knowledge in integrating anti-ballistic materials to obtain the optimal solution, in accordance with the type of vehicle, traffic laws, and safety.

"We recently acquired the manufacturing rights of Global Shield and entered the category of military vehicle armoring. Under these manufacturing rights, we are now marketing a vehicle called the 'Killer' (formerly known as the 'Kfir'), which is protected against both IEDs and peripheral fire, including the roof, issues that we have not dealt with until now. The vehicle expands the product portfolio of the company, so that our customers can now receive a comprehensive solution under one roof."

How does the war in Gaza and the various conflicts around the world affect the company's operations?

"This, of course, greatly increases the demand for bulletproofing of various types of vehicles. In light of our great reputation in the field, and although we are currently operating from a conflict zone (the factory is located in Sderot), the scope of activity has greatly increased and we are soon moving to a new factory in the Noam Industrial Park in Netivot, in an area of 3,500 square meters."

Expanding exports

All the products of the company are based on a patented assembly known as the "protection capsule." This is a protective mold made of unique anti-ballistic materials that reduce the weight of protection on the vehicle, which is considered to be the weakest link in vehicle protection. The patented capsule is significantly lighter and built in a special way that allows adaptation to other platforms, at the customer's request.

In the past year, the company has expanded its areas of activity, and alongside its entry into the area of paramilitary vehicles, it has developed a mobile protective device that can be mounted on any type of vehicle in any size. "This complete protection system is especially suitable for private vehicles, which cannot carry much armor weight," explains Labock. "Over the years, I have aspired to develop a generic product, that is, an off-the-shelf product for protection that provides a solution for any vehicle, including private ones. At first, I developed a product that was suitable for rear seat protection only, and in recent years I managed to complete the next stage of development, which is protection for the front seats. This complete protection system is especially suitable for private vehicles that cannot carry much armor weight. Today we protect military vehicles with this kit. These products are registered as patents in Israel and the US."

Top Car employs professionals with unique experience in protection. Among its managers, apart from Doron, the CEO, is Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon, who was recently discharged from the IDF and in his last position in the army served as commander of the Marom Brigade, responsible for building the IDF's special forces. In the past, he served as commander of the Oketz unit, commander of the Counter-Terror Center , and commander of the personal security unit. Other members of the management are Nadav Willinger, Director of the Engineering Department, a mechanical engineer with a BSc degree and an expert with extensive experience in engineering and development of bulletproof vehicles.

Top Car is a supplier to the Ministry of Defense, and it is approved by the military for the protection of shuttle vehicles funded by the Home Front Command. The company complies with the strictest quality standards, including ISO-9001 (quality management system approval, including development), under the supervision of the Standards Institute. The company obtained laboratory and test report approval for prototypes from the Standards Institution of Israel and from representatives of the German Standards Institute for increasing weight in many types of bulletproof vehicles. The Ministry of Transportation tested the compliance of these vehicles with the technical specification requirements for structural changes for armoring.

You are now expanding the export operations of the company. What is your experience with exports?

"In the past, we have had several projects to provide protection for police vehicles in several African countries, so the experience is there. But as noted, we expect that given the global developments and our experience in the field of vehicle armoring, the volume of our exports will increase significantly in the coming years."

In association with Top Car Armoring