The Israeli company has already been chosen to field Trophy on four brigade sets of Abrams tanks, and the U.S. Army continues to analyze lighter version of the system for the Bradley and the Stryker combat vehicle. In this context, the service is reportedly qualifying IMI System’s Iron Fist on the Bradley. In September, Leonardo DRS and RAFAEL announced they tested RAFAEL’s Lighter TROPHY Vehicle Protection System for Smaller Platforms on the Bradley vehicle. The Trophy VPS achieves up to 40% weight reduction and improved power management, depending on how it is integrated on a platform – with no reduction in its proven ability to protect against the full range of direct fire, anti-armor rocket and missile threats.
Conducted at an official test range in Israel, the recent round of testing was monitored by subject matter experts and program officials from the US, NATO and other allied nations. It included over 300 live scenarios challenging key aspects of the system’s upgraded hard kill defeat mechanism, bringing the total number of live tests of Trophy to over 4000 since the start of the program. Threat defeat performance was well over 95% and demonstrated Trophy’s automatic networked Fire Source Location ability. The Trophy APS adds a lot of volume to the Bradley’s hull, as well as relatively large sensors which can mitigate its defensive advantages in certain tactical situations.
Integrated on a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle for this test campaign to demonstrate its immediate relevance for that platform, Trophy VPS will next be demonstrated in the US on the Stryker platform to the Stryker program office. While the current Trophy system would be too heavy, coming in at 1.8 tons as a full system, the lighter version will weigh just shy of half that, while still retaining “the same method of operations, the same logic, the same interface. Meanwhile, DRS and Rafael are continuing a parallel effort to demonstrate Trophy’s compliance with the US Modular APS standard.
Trophy (also known as ASPRO-A, Windbreaker) is a military active protection system (APS) for vehicles. It intercepts and destroys incoming missiles and rockets with a shotgun-like blast. Its principal purpose is to supplement the armour of light and heavy armored fighting vehicles. Once the incoming weapon is fully classified, the computers calculate the optimal time and angle to fire the neutralizers. The response comes from two rotating launchers installed on the sides of the vehicle which fire neutralizing agents, usually small metal pellets like buckshot. The system is designed to have a very small kill zone, so as not to endanger personnel adjacent to the protected vehicle. Developed by long-time partner Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. of Israel and currently fielding some 1,000 systems to all major Israeli ground combat platforms, TROPHY provides combat-proven protection against anti-armor rocket and missile threats.
