Tel Aviv: The wars in Ukraine and in Israel have again proved the critical importance of active protection systems for armoured fighting platforms.
Israeli company Elbit Systems was awarded a follow-on contract of approximately $127 million to supply Iron Fist – Active Protection Systems (APS) to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) for upgrades to the US Army’s Bradley M2A4E1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). The contract will be performed over a period of 34 months.
The Iron Fist APS is an advanced Hard Kill system aimed at enhancing the self-defence capabilities of light and heavy armoured platforms against modern battlefield threats. It is the Israel Defence Force’s second-generation APS and is characterised by high performance and low volume, weight and power requirements. The system provides armoured platforms with 360-degree protection from a wide variety of anti-tank threats, such as anti-tank rockets (ATR), anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and loitering threats, in both open terrain and complex urban environments.
Yehuda (Udi) Vered, General Manager of Elbit Systems Land commented, “This follow-on contract with our strategic partner, GD-OTS, emphasises the high quality of our active protection system and its level of innovation. We are proud of our contribution to empowering the US Armed Forces, as well as other NATO customers and our support of the Israeli Defence Forces. We remain committed to advancing cutting-edge solutions that enhance our customers’ operational capabilities and support their mission success.”
-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
