Israeli technology saving American lives and equipment
One of the huge problems in fighting asymmetric wars such as America has been doing now for decades is that the advantage a major power has in expensive, sophisticated weaponry can be negated in seconds with an inexpensive, primitive weapon, with the rocket-propelled grenade being the classic example. RPGs have taken out everything from helicopters to heavy tanks. Now, according to Global Security.org, the Army is doing something about it by doing a test refitting its main battle tank, the M1A2 Abrams, with a new advanced Israeli defensive system.
The US military will be installing the Israeli-built Trophy Active Protection System (APS) meant to intercept and destroy incoming missiles or rockets on their M1A2 Abrams tanks. This will make the US military the only other besides the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to use the defensive system.
The Trophy system consists of a quartet of radar antennae and fire-control radars that detects incoming projectiles, such as anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and then destroys them with a blast like that from a shotgun.
It is a “hard kill” system, meaning it protects the vehicle by destroying the projectile; this is opposed to a “soft kill” system that interferes with the missile’s guidance and redirects it. Soft kill devices are useless against the simple RPGs popular with militant groups such as Daesh.
Jointly developed by two Israeli-owned state corporations, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Trophy is the only combat-proven APS in the world.
The Pentagon made this decision after an “urgent material” request, they said in a press release on Thursday. Each system costs an estimated $350,000, and it will be first deployed to one of the US Army’s 14 Armor Brigade Combat Team’s squadron of 28 M1A2 SEPv2 variants, a nearly $10 million contract. It may then be added to other squadrons later on if it impresses, the Pentagon said.
Anti-materiel weapons such as RPGs have been a perennial thorn in the side of the US military and its allies. A $2,000 RPG launcher firing a $500 grenade can destroy or disable a $9 million Abrams tank. Over the course of 2014, the Iraqi Army lost 100 of the 140 Abrams the Americans had sold them in the fight against Daesh.
That last paragraph explains exactly why this is a good economical move by the Army. Even a disabled tank can cost millions to retrieve from the battle area and return to a maintenance depot capable of making the necessary repairs, so just a few such “saves” can more than justify the cost of this program. Other active protection systems, like the Iron Curtain, are being used to protect other military vehicles. Let us hope more and better protection systems are in the works to protect these vehicles and their crews.
Crossposted at American Thinker
Category: Politics
Wonder if they can handle really close in smaller stuff like EFP?
No way, EFPs are traveling at 27,000fps.
2nd SCR used Pope glass and water cans strapped to the slat armor to protect against them with results.
EFPs are bad business and if you drive thru an array of them it may be the end of your ToD on the Blue Marble.
Depends on what you mean by EFPs…
The EFPs yoou may have seen in Iraq were/are essentially Iranian land mines- they are designed to detonate under the vehicle. This won’t really help much against that.
However, there are several ATGMs and rockets that use some sort of EFP. Trophy would help with those.
We need this, and not really for asymmetric conflicts, although it will keep some crews alive. The Russians have the Afghanit APS on the Armata and Kerganets, and it supposedly works pretty well.
As far as the Iraqis losing tanks, I would be very interested to learn how many were actually taken out vice how many broke down due to bad maintenance, ran out of gas due to bad logistics, or were simply abandoned on the battlefield due to bad soldiers.
I’m sure a few were straight up taken out, but I’m equally sure those tanks were employed improperly…
Good news.
Now then, let’s get them on all of our tanks AND APCs.
They can’t put explosive systems on vehicles that work in close proximity to infantry. A MBT should be good but most of our lighter vehicles might kill their own dismounts.
See your point Foxbat40.
Or a cheap chain linked fence built around the tank will do the same by detonating the RPG about a foot awsy from the armor.
The penetrating jet of molten metal is dispersed by that distance.
However, it does not look sexy.
That’ll work. Until some bright boy decided to mount a two-stage warhead on his RPG. The fence detonates the first part/stage, while the second part/stage is still free to hit the tank.
…This scenario rings a bell. Can anyone think of an actual real-world system like this? I swear I’ve read about it somewhere.
Like the one we have been using for the last 10 years on MRAPs and LMTVs?
Doesn’twork that well.
We used chain-link fencing to protect armored vehicles from RPG’s in RVN. But the vehicle has to stop and park. It’s not something you can use when the vehicle is on the move.
Fencing works for certain HEAT type rounds (shaped charges).
It will not work against dual stage projectile, kinetic energy rounds, or EFPs.
We used this in Vietnam, and the Strykers in Iraq had add on slat armor, which is essentially the same idea.
I wonder if these or a variant would work on our helicopters?
I hope some day soon.
Word.
That’s a bit tricky, for the same reasons you don’t want to be dismounted or next to a soft skinned vehicle when APS goes off you do not want one going off near your rapidly spinning rotor.
I would not want to be sweeping a road in front of this tank saving system!