Tel Aviv: The first German Leopard Tank equipped with Israeli TROPHY Active Protection System was presented in a special ceremony in Germany on October 29.
In the ceremony, the Israel Ministry of Defence and the German Ministry of Defence inaugurated the first Leopard 2 tank upgraded with the Israeli TROPHY Active Protection System, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. This deployment follows a 2020 agreement, spearheaded by the Ministry’s R&D Department in the Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D), to equip Germany’s Leopard 2 tank fleet with Israel’s premier active protection technology.
The ceremony, attended by Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, National Armaments Director in the German Ministry of Defence, highlights the deepening defence ties between Germany and Israel. This milestone adds to a series of recent high-value defence agreements, including Germany’s purchase of Israel’s Arrow missile defence system, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing defence capabilities.
The TROPHY system was developed in collaboration with the IMoD’s DDR&D, the Tank and APC Administration, and Rafael and is the world’s only operational and most advanced active protection system of its kind. Designed to protect tanks and armoured personnel carriers, TROPHY offers robust defence against an extensive array of anti-tank threats.
Operational in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since 2011, it is installed on all newly produced Merkava Mark IV tanks and NAMER APCs. Proven in numerous operational activities, TROPHY has recorded multiple successful intercepts, safeguarding both troops and armoured assets on the battlefield.
-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
