Trophy (APS)
Trophy or ASPRO-A ("Windbreaker") is a weapon system for active protection measures ( English active protection system , APS ) of military vehicles.
development
Trophy was the product of ten years of joint development between Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries Elta Group. The Active Protection System (APS) was developed as an addition to lightly and heavily armored combat vehicles. It detects incoming projectiles and missiles and destroys them.
The system was designed to provide protection against all types of anti-tank guided weapons and reactive anti-tank rifles . The system can be used on both moving and stationary platforms.
Trophy is offered in three sizes: Trophy-HV with 800 kg, Trophy-MV with 450 kg and the even lighter Trophy-LV.
In 2009, a Russian military reported that the RPG-30 anti-tank weapon could overcome the system. As a result, Rafael developed another system called Trench Coat , which can also repel RPG-30 projectiles by firing 17 projectiles at the same time.
function
The system is installed in Merkava main battle tanks (from version IV) of the Israeli army. It consists of a splinter-proof radar system of the type Elta ELM-2133 with four flat antennas on the vehicle, which guarantee a 360-degree all-round view for the system. When the Active Electronically Scanned Arrays have located a target, the azimuth and elevation angles, the speed and distance of the target, the probable point of impact, the time to impact and the starting point of the target are calculated. This allows the shooter to fight the opponent immediately. If a projectile is on a collision course with your own vehicle, this information is passed on to the distance-active protection systems.
Trophy-HV then aligns a rotating projectile-forming charge at the threat. The charge is ignited when the attacking projectile is a few meters in front of the tank. The explosion of the charge creates a cone of splinters that destroys the attacking weapon. There is a launch unit on each side of the tower. After the shot, the unit is reloaded by an autoloader.
commitment
On March 1, 2011, an anti-tank weapon was shot down for the first time on the border with the Gaza Strip using the hardkill system. A little later, on March 20, an anti-tank weapon flew past another Merkava IV. The system calculated the starting point as intended so that the crew could immediately direct fire against the attacker.
On October 2, 2017, the United States Army approved the installation of the armor protection system. This makes it the first foreign army to want to take over the system. The system has been delivered since October 2019.
In 2019, the Bundeswehr announced that it would integrate 17 systems into the German Leopard 2 main battle tanks of the VJTF by 2023 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.rafael.co.il/Marketing/349-963-en/Marketing.aspx
- ↑ IAI Elta ELM-2133 (PDF; 254 kB)
- ↑ Haaretz: IDF armor-defense system foils attack on tank for first time
- ↑ US Army adopts Israeli tank protection system , in: Israelnetz , October 2, 2017, accessed on October 7, 2017
- ↑ First missile protection systems delivered to the US Army. In: Israelnetz .de. October 18, 2019, accessed October 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Waldemar Geiger: German leopards receive APS Trophy from Rafael. In: European Security & Technology . January 28, 2019, accessed on January 29, 2019 (German).
Web links
- GlobalSecurity.org : [1]
- Homepage Rafael: [2]