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WATCH: AK47 comes off second best against VW Polo cylinder head
Aluminium component produced a performance similar to the cast-steel engine block.
Damage from the AK47 on the cylinder head of the VW Polo. Image: SVI Engineering.
Having already taken aim at a Volkswagen Polo’s brake disc, engine block and shock absorber, armoured vehicle manufacturer SVI Engineering has had another shot – this time at the hatchback’s cylinder head.
Watch how the AK47 falters below:
The fourth episode in the firm’s Shoot Through series, the exercise is a familiar one and involves the aluminium head being fired at by an AK47 captured at 30 000 frames per second on Photron Fastcam SA4 high-speed camera.
A with every episode in the series thus far, the single round measures 7.62 mm x 39 mm and while it managed to leave more than a mark on the shock absorber previously tested, its performance against the cylinder head wasn’t as impressive.
As shown by the footage, the single round failed to penetrate the head entirely, with the only damage being to the water jacket located underneath the valve.
ALSO READ: Watch what happens when an AK47 round hits a car’s shock absorber
No need for a different angle
According to SVI CEO Jaco de Kock, a secondary shot at another angle would have made little impact in the bullet going through the head completely.
“There is a lot of layers with the water jacket and the other various components inside. Obviously, the valves are very hard and so in my opinion, you are quite safe [hiding] behind a cylinder head”.
“After the engine block, it was 1-0. With the cylinder head, its 2-0 to the engine. So when someone says you are safe behind an engine block, you can say that you will also safe behind a cylinder head,” SVI Engineering’s Business Development Director, Nicol Louw, added.
AK47: 1, components: 3
Out of the now four items tested, the first having been a brake disc sourced from a Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series, only the shock absorber failed to withstand the impact of the AK47 that went clean through without much trouble.
Still, the latest results sees the weapon being three 3-1 down with another vehicle component set to come up against it next month. The performance of how the brake disc from the Land Cruiser fared can be seen by clicking here.
