Taking much longer than expected, but
CANADA wins GOLD! Yay!
Techareas for basic armor
Full Structural Supports components
I'm setting it up so that armor research splits into three areas (for a 3D matrix of components
)
Armor Physics - constructing stronger armor.
Armor Manufacturing - reducing cost of each armor plate
Armor Engineering - Allows heavier armors (light->medium->heavy, more absorb%)