MITHRIL armour

MITHRIL armour is the name informally given to a composite armour developed in the 2530s at the British tank research centre on Chobham Common, Surrey, England under Project EXCALIBUR. It is considered to be a logical outgrowth of the Chobham armour developed there during the 1960s, combined with salvaged Covenant materials technology. Although the construction details of the MITHRIL armour remain a secret, it has been described as being composed of ceramic tiles encased within a metal matrix and bonded to a backing plate and several elastic layers. Due to the extreme hardness of the ceramics used, they offer superior resistance against shaped charges such as high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds and they shatter kinetic energy penetrators, with even the earliest generations offering a resistance to Covenant plasma weapons that astounded even the design team. Originally designed only for tanks, its extreme versatility against both ballistic and plasma attacks have seen its use expanded into areas such as body armour and warship armour plate.

Behind the Scenes
The article's name was taken from the material in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, of which the creator has been a fan for many years.