Trophy active protection system

Trophy (also known as ASPRO-A. Israel Defense Forces designation מעיל רוח, lit. "Wind Coat") is an active protection system (APS), designed to supplement the armor of both light and heavy armored fighting vehicles, which intercepts and destroys incoming missiles and rockets with a shotgun-like blast. Trophy is the product of a ten-year collaborative development project between the RAFAEL and Israel Aircraft Industries' Elta Group. The developers claim it is a major milestone in weapons design, being the first operational active protection system in the West (the first in the world being Russia's Drozd and Arena.)

Design

The system has been integrated onto Israeli Merkava main battle tanks in the Israeli Army. The design includes an F/G band fire-control radar with four flat-panel antennas mounted on the vehicle, with a 360-degree field of view. When a weapon is fired at the vehicle, the internal computer uses the signal from the incoming weapon and calculates an approach vector. 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. The launchers fire the neutralizing agents, which are usually small metal pellets like shotgun shot. The system is designed to have a very small kill zone, so as not to endanger troops adjacent to the protected vehicle.

The system is designed to work against all types of anti-tank missiles and rockets, including handheld weapons such as rocket propelled grenades. The system can simultaneously engage several threats arriving from different directions, is effective on stationary or moving platforms, and is effective against both short and long-range threats. Newer versions of the system include a reload feature for multiple firings. The Trophy development roadmap includes an enhanced countermeasure unit to be available in the future for protection against kinetic energy penetrators.

Advantages

The primary role of Trophy is defense against missile strikes, particularly for lighter armored personnel carriers, which are very vulnerable to rocket attacks. Use of Trophy on the Stryker vehicle will obviate the need for the heavy "slat" armor to defend against high explosive antitank (HEAT) warheads, and allow a vehicle to fit into a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft ready for battle. Slat armor must be removed before the vehicle is loaded into the plane and reattached at the destination. This process in turn takes over 100 hours of cutting and welding, making it impractical under combat conditions. In addition, the newer, smaller size will improve the vehicle's ability to negotiate urban areas.

Disadvantages

Since Trophy just has two launcher/loaders it does not have 360 degree protection or protection from top attacks. They are mounted on the Merkava tank's turret in a way that there is a large blind spot in the rear (where the tank's armor is most vulnerable). [ [http://www.defense-update.com/products/t/trophy.htm Defense Update] ] There is also a chance for civilian or friendly force collateral damage. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, a top U.S. Army acquisition official, said “In a tight urban area, the Trophy system may take out the RPG, but we may kill 20 people in the process. That is a concern we have that we haven’t fully evaluated.” [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18356061/page/5/ MSNBC] ] The standard Trophy system is also too heavy and draws too much power to use on anything but a tank.

Trophy Light

A new version called "Trophy Light" was unveiled by RAFAEL in September of 2007. While the standard Trophy was designed for main battle tanks, Trophy Light is designed for integration with light and medium armored vehicles, such as RAFAEL's Golan. It is expected to be about half the weight and volume of the standard Trophy and cost less. According to RAFAEL, the development will only require design and engineering work on the launcher/loader and munitions. [ [http://www.defense-update.com/products/t/trophy.htm http://www.defense-update.com/products/t/trophy.htm] ]

Rejection by the United States

MSNBC has reported that there is resistance to incorporating Trophy in the US Army. The U.S. Department of Defense has contracted with Raytheon to develop an equivalent system, Quick Kill, which will not be ready before 2011 at the earliest (but now declines to say whether it still is on course to meet that deadline), [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16545885/ Israel field-tests effective anti-RPG weapon - Lisa Myers & the NBC News Investigative Unit - MSNBC.com ] ] whereas Trophy could be deployed much sooner. Quick Kill is more similar to Israel's other developing active protection system, Iron Fist. According to MSNBC's sources, the reason for not adopting Trophy for now is that it would remove the need for the Raytheon program. [ [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14686871/page/1 Army shuns system to combat RPGs - Lisa Myers & the NBC News Investigative Unit - MSNBC.com ] ]

The Institute for Defense Analyses analyzed 15 active protection systems, including Trophy and Quick Kill, and found Trophy to be the top system. In March 2006, Pentagon testers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. tested Trophy. An official involved with the tests told NBC that Trophy “worked in every case. The only anomaly was that in one test, the Trophy round hit the RPG’s tail instead of its head. But according to our test criteria, the system was 30 for 30.” [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18356061/ Experts contradict Pentagon on anti-RPG tests - Lisa Myers & the NBC News Investigative Unit - MSNBC.com ] ]

The Government Accountability Office has since reviewed the Army's actions and issued a report that concluded that the Army and Boeing, the FCS lead systems integrator, followed the regulations to avoid conflicts of interest; that although Raytheon's technology is not mature, the Army estimated that a prototype for current vehicles could be delivered by 2009; that Army officials found Trophy tests to be unrealistic, and worried that integrating Trophy would delay fielding other capabilities. [ [http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-759 Analysis of Processes Used to Evaluate Active Protection Systems GAO-07-759] ]

ee also

*General Dynamics
*Point defence
*Quick Kill active protection system, similar system from Raytheon
*Arena, similar Russian system
*Iron Fist active protection system, another less mature system Israel is developing

External links

* [http://www.defense-update.com/products/t/trophy.htm Trophy APS news at Defense Update]
* [http://media2.foxnews.com/040606/040606_fr_tobin_300.swf Trophy APS movie at Fox News]
* [http://media.putfile.com/Developed-at-RAPHAEL-Israel Trophy Demonstration Video]
*cite news|url=http://www.rafael.co.il/marketing/SIP_STORAGE/FILES/7/607.pdf|publisher=Jane's Defence Weekly
title=Israel armour protection system 'revolutionary'|date=2005-03-11|format=Reprint|accessdate=2006-09-01

References