The design of lightweight armour sheets developed for protection from both sudden projectile impact and pressure wave at explosion will be presented. The sheet is based on aluminium foam which is reinforced with small ceramic platelets on the impact side and with steel mesh on the reverse side. The ceramic parts are embedded in the surface of aluminium foam. This design reduces dynamic stresses arising from impacted ceramics, thus protecting neighbouring ceramic parts. The reinforcing steel mesh on the reverse side stops the spreading of tensile cracks in the foam and allows for larger volume of the foam to be plastically deformed at locali zed impact. This leads to significantly improved impact energy absorption than in a case without reinforcements. The constituents are bonded together with aluminium foam during foaming in one technological operation, which makes the production cost-effective. Moreover, the absence of adhesives between ceramic and foam increases temperature resistance of the armour. The sheets can be prepared as flat panels or shaped shields. Over recent years the governments of many advanced countries (mainly among the armies of NATO member states) pay a great attention to humanitarian missions and to peace keeping operations in fight against terrorism. The results of the research and development of advanced materials with enhanced ballistic protection as well as armour protection systems are immediately applied on protection of soldiers and newly developed military equipment. Because of the strict requirements on the tactical mobility and airlift of military vehicles, the further increase in the armour weight is unacceptable. However, the weight reduction is the program priority in spite of continuous increase of the anti- armour weapon penetration capability. The change of conditions of military equipment usage is connected with the change in priorities in the area of its protection. In accordance with experience achieved from last humanitarian missions the main emphasis is placed on protection against sudden impact of blast waves at explosions of mines together with assurance of protection against small arms and splinters at least. Combat vehicles, fighter aeroplanes and helicopters have to be designed in such a way as to provide an optimised ballistic protection, armament and mobility according to the rational needs outgoing from analysis expected activities. The search for weight reductions of armoured vehicles and possibility to improve the efficiency of vehicle protection against sudden impact of projectiles and splinters at mine explosions has led to development of new concepts for design of vehicular structures using sandwich constructions by the combination of various advanced materials, e.g. metallic foams and ceramics. The recently developed technique for foaming of shaped aluminium foam parts reinforced with expanded stainless steel sheet (1) offers an enormous application potential in lightweight construction of armoured vehicles. This technique enables new concepts in the design of future vehicles based on frameless