Tel Aviv: Israeli company Rafael, was awarded a £20 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the cutting-edge TROPHY Active Protection System (APS). According to the company, this milestone marks a significant stride towards enhancing the defensive capabilities of the Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) .
Through rigorous evaluation, the UK MOD recognised the TROPHY APS as an indispensable addition to safeguard the Challenger 3 MBTs and their esteemed crew members against modern battlefield threats. The TROPHY APS boasts a proven track record of success, having been operational and combat-proven in various scenarios worldwide.
Rafael in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, successfully completed the 2nd phase of integrating the TROPHY Active Protective System (APS) on the Challenger 3 (CR3). A series of live fire tests, conducted towards the end of 2022, demonstrated the system’s effectiveness as it intercepted well over 90% of threats targeting the CR3 representative tank fitted with TROPHY APS.
Dr Ran Gozali, Executive Vice President, GM Land & Naval Division at Rafael Advanced Defence Systems said, “We are encouraged by the latest tests, praising TROPHY’s effectiveness and Rafael’s proficiency in integrating the system on yet another platform. The collaboration with the UK MOD is set to continue, propelling further successes in the future, as the project heads towards its third and final phase of integration, instilling greater confidence in TROPHY’s ability to ensure fortified defence for the UK and its troops.”
Developed by Rafael in response to successful anti-armour attacks, TROPHY APS provides mature, combat-proven protection against rocket and missile threats while pinpointing the origin of hostile fire for immediate response.
Being the world’s only fully-integrated, combat-proven APS, TROPHY has been effectively installed on Israel Defence Forces’ Merkava tanks since 2010, Namer APCs, four US Army Abrams MBT brigades, and successfully tested on the German Leopard 2 Tank in 2021. Additionally, the system has been seamlessly integrated on various platforms, including AIO turrets for the IFV and 8×8 armoured vehicles without a turret. With over 2,000,000 operating hours and more than 5,400 successful field tests, TROPHY is now under contract for serial production of over 2,000 systems.
Rafael will be participating in DSEI 2023 and highlight the unique defence systems that can enhance survivability and bolster the overall defence of the British Armed Forces. Showcasing its TROPHY APS at DSEI 2023, Rafael is confident that the system will further strengthen the capabilities of the Challenger 3 MBTs Rafael will stand alongside recently acquired, Newcastle based Pearson Engineering and joint venture Euro Trophy, also participating in DSEI 2023.
As the global pioneer of APS technology, Rafael remains at the forefront of innovation, continuously refining and advancing the TROPHY system to address evolving threats effectively. Rafael has and continues to collaborate with the UK MOD on a wide array of projects and defence technologies.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
