What Does Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) Stand For?
CARC stands for Chemical Agent Resistant Coatings. These coatings are used extensively on most military vehicles and equipment. They are high performance coatings that were developed to withstand decontamination during a chemical warfare attack. These coatings produce a non-porous coat that impedes radioactivity, chemical and biological contaminants from penetrating the coating and the base material. Instead of penetrating the coating, chemicals bead up on the exterior of the surface and are washed off easily. In turn, these vehicles can be used over again without the concern of future contaminants along with the security of resisting further chemical attack. There are three types of coatings in the CARC system: an epoxy polyamide primer, an aliphatic polyurethane paint (PUP), and epoxy polyamide enamel. Each of the coatings is supplied as a two-component system. When the two components are combined, a terminal reaction begins which makes an impermeable coating.
