Tel Aviv: The German Federal Ministry of Defense and the Israel Ministry of Defense have completed the first series of successful live fire tests of the Trophy active protection system on German soil. The successful test was conducted in cooperation with Rafael, responsible for the development and production of the Trophy system and German company KMW, developer and manufacturer of the Leopard tank. The tests demonstrated Trophy’s integration to the tank and the capabilities of the active protection system – well above 90% threat interception success rate as well as providing accurate fire source location.
Last February the defense ministries of Israel and Germany signed a government-to-government agreement to supply the Trophy system to German forces, for integration with the military’s Leopard 2 tank. The agreement was led by the Directorate of Defense R&D in the Ministry of Defense and Rafael.
The Trophy system is considered among the world’s most effective active protection systems in the world, securing armoured vehicles from a range of anti-tank missiles and rocket fire. It is a combat-proven mechanism that has been operational in the IDF for many years and is integrated in the Merkava Mark IV. Its capabilities have been demonstrated in numerous military operations and has saved the lives of countless IDF soldiers.
The world success of the Rafael active protection systems continues. Rafael announced that its Trophy Active Protection System (APS) for armoured vehicles has been selected for the next phase of detailed assessment and integration by the UK Ministry of Defence for the Army’s Challenger 3 MBT. The selection is a result of a study conducted by the UK MOD as part of an upgrade program led by prime contractor Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), which will entail detailed integration and system trials of this lighter Trophy variant (Trophy MV), to fit the particular requirements of this vehicle.
Rafael has added an electro optical sensor to its Trophy protection system installed on Israeli, American and soon on German tanks. The electro optical sensor works in parallel to the radar system which is the main sensor of the Trophy. According to Rafael, the electro optical sensor shortens the reaction time and allows the tank crew to hit the enemy that launched an anti-tank weapon seconds after the weapon began its trajectory.
-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
