An armor system and method for the protection of an environment. The armor system includes at least one, and generally a plurality of flexible strands, a first strand support system, and a control subsystem. The control subsystem is configured to manually or automatically adapt the configuration of the armor system in response to a ballistic threat. The armor system may further include at least one of a drift gap and a spall catcher positioned between the flexible strand and the environment to be protected. The configuration can include activating a wave shape along the flexible strand. The configuration can include multiple layers of the flexible strands. The flexible strands may be implemented as a curtain. The strands may be deployed into an open-top container.