Mark IV Merkavas have already had Trophies on-board in more limited deployment, but now the IDF after most recent testing has declared the life & tank saving missile protection operational. Great news indeed..

The IDF Ground Forces Command has declared the Trophy anti-tank missile defense system operational, following a series of tests last week that surpassed expectations for the system’s capabilities, it was revealed on Thursday.

The Trophy system, developed by Rafael, creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava tank, which operated prominently in Lebanon. The system is designed to detect and track a threat and counter it with a launched projectile that intercepts the anti-tank missile.

The test was held last week in an IDF base in the South. The system was installed on old tanks and was tested in two positions – static and in motion. According to defense officials, it succeeded in intercepting all of the enemy anti-tank missiles.

Foreign military attachés from around the world were present at the test site and have expressed interest in possibly purchasing the system for their militaries [...]

Video: 3DGarage in Israel prepared the following PR film for Rafael, developer of the system.

VIDEO - Click here to view the post & embedded video.

Hard Kill: An Israeli Merkava Sporting Trophy in Testing

Here are details on the Iron Fist, the alternative Israeli APS system destined for Israeli Namer APCs. Yes, we made two of them & Iron Fist is mighty cool too..

US Falls Behind in Force Protection for Political Reasons

Meanwhile, the USA for what seemed like internal Army political reasons and an effort to flow funds to Raytheon opted not to test or employ Trophy despite the need for such a system to protect Strykers & US tanks, it was a pretty controversial move. 3 years later the much heralded Raytheon alternative (Quick Kill APS) which is very similar to the IDF Iron Fist I linked above, is still not ready and has met with design problems. Here’s 2007 NBC video on that controversy at the time..

VIDEO - Click here to view the post & embedded video.

I wrote a number of posts on Trophy and a few on the US aspect, you can view them with a search here.

The old adage Woulda, coulda, shoulda may be applicable. Back in Israel Trophy deployment is slated to expand soon to older Mark III & Mark II Merkavas as well in the future, that’s on top of the standard application for all new Merkavas off assembly lines. This should prove useful to help counter the thousands of anti-tank RPGs & weapons Hezbollah has in Lebanon.

Related posts:

1. Soft & Hard Kill: Next Gen ‘Iron Fist’ Active Protection System Headed For Deployment on Israeli Namer APCs (Video)
2. Israeli Trophy – Headed for Sheriff deployment testing?
3. US Army leaves Israeli trophy behind?

I’ve previously posted about developments on the trophy, including apparently the US Army’s rejection of the system.

But, the Pentagon Brass at the OFT (office of transformation) has not given up and I felt that would probably be the case, here’s an article on the overall OFT defensive weapons plan for mobile vehicles in theatre, the article mentions trophy as part of that effort (known as Sheriff) and states that some Sheriff equipped vehicles will soon be off to deployment for field testing, that means the trophy is likely going along too so the OFT still seems quite a bit more positive on employing the technology than the Army is apparently..

National Defense Magazine has some scoopage..

[...]
The Army, meanwhile, intends to continue to evaluate Trophy and other competing technologies before it decides to procure any system.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker said it is premature to commit to the purchase of the Trophy system, at least until it undergoes more thorough testing. "What we’ve found is that traditionally people have made claims about things that have not been tested," Schoomaker told reporters. He said he is aware of Israel’s development work so far, but that is not enough to convince the U.S. Army that this is the right system. "We want to make sure that what we put precious dollars against works … Manufacturer’s claims don’t tend to be the way we judge things."

Under the future combat systems program, the Army recently awarded a $70 million to the Raytheon Co. to develop a hard-kill active protection system. But that technology is not expected to be fielded until at least 2010. The Army also has to develop tactics and procedures for the operation of vehicles with active protection systems. [...]

Pffft.. That’s a pretty weak quote the Army Chief of Staff gave on this issue, the Army did not get very good PR from the fact that it was leaning towards a weapons system still over half a decade away, while troops face off with Rpgs in a war NOW, with an apparently effective implementable solution possible today.

At least they are still looking to ‘evaluate’ now, as opposed to just ignoring the issue as was the case apparently from what I had read.

Smells like teen spirit to me

That manufacturer the General is talking about that wants to sell him those Israeli developed Trophies?

General Dynamics, the same ‘iffy’ people who manufacture the Stryker & M1 tanks these defensive weapons would be mounted on themselves. Come now General, which one is it, internal politics or iffy manufacturing lofty claims, and how come you sent 70 million dollars to Raytheon to try and speed develop a theoretical system that CANNOT be tested properly now while totally avoiding the one that can!?

I still maintain it has something to do with the BILLIONS such a weapons contract will be worth over the next few decades, mixed with the politics that simply do no belong in the Army, but are better suited for Washington..

Tags: Stryker, Missile Defense, Trophy, Israel, US Army

Related posts:

1. US Army leaves Israeli trophy behind?
2. Soft & Hard Kill: Next Gen ‘Iron Fist’ Active Protection System Headed For Deployment on Israeli Namer APCs (Video)
3. ‘Invisible Shield’ Deployed: Trophy APS Declared Operational by IDF (Video)

Globes: US Army rejects Israeli armor protection system
Ran Dagoni, Washington 25 Apr 06 15:22

The rejection comes despite a successful test of Rafael’s Trophy Active Protection System.

The US Army has rejected the Trophy Active Protection System for armored fighting vehicles developed by Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd., despite a successful live fire test on March 30.

The Trophy system was intended for US Army Stryker 8×8 combat vehicles in operations in Iraq, where they are convenient targets for attackers using advanced rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). The live fire test was carried out at the US Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia, on an Israeli Trophy-equipped Stryker flown to the US for the test.

An Israeli defense industry source told “Globes”, “The test was a great success, but the US Army was not convinced. The US Army is locked onto another system being developed by Raytheon (NYSE: RTN), which offers a comprehensive solution to all armored personnel carrier (APC) armor problems. Its only disadvantage is that it will not be ready for production and installation before 2010 or 2011.”

The Trophy system is liable to fall victim to a bureaucratic clash between two US Department of Defense agencies: the Office of Force Transformation (OFT), which is promoting the Trophy system for installation on US Army Strykers; and the US Army high command, which opposes the Israeli system and prefers Raytheon’s solution, even though it is not ready for immediate deployment.

“We were told that the US Army prefers a long-term solution, although it is seeking a solution for immediate problems,” said the Israeli source. “How the Army will cope in the meantime, until Raytheon’s system is ready for production, is another problem.”

The working assumption of agencies in Washington is that Raytheon has no solution for protecting US Army Stykers in the coming months as stipulated in the US Army’s specifications. Disputes within the US Department of Defense has led to leaks to “Defense News”, which wrote in an article praising the Trophy system that opposition within the US Army to the Trophy will have immediate repercussions on combat in Iraq, where the latest top-of-the-line Russian-made RGP 29 rocket launcher is beginning to appear. These RPGs can penetrate the armor of US Army tanks and APCs used in Iraq. [...]

SoccerDad makes the strong case that the clash between senior defense officials and Donald Rumsfeld may have now spilt over to procurement, if that is the case the situation is ugly, with politics on the same scale as force protection.

There are a few other possibilities or combinations of speculative factors that may also be in play:

• The rift between Israel & The US last year over proposed weapons sales to China not yet fully healed
• The desire to curb Israel’s runaway weapons export success which has grown by billions recently
• A move to emphasize and award the contract to a US based company, a contract potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars
• Heavy pressure by Raytheon, who’s ties to the US defense system run beyond deep, they are below the mantle.

How will this affect the General Dynamics / Rafael relationship? And how will the US Army overcome the disturbing notion of waiting 5 years to protect US forces from deadly RPG attacks when the technology is potentially deploy able today?

And if Soccerdad’s hunch is correct and I personally suspect he is, who will win the battle of wills over the battlefield of the future?

View a promo PR film of the Trophy system in action by the Israeli develoment house 3dGarage

View a Mike Tobin Fox News report on the Trophy system

Hat Tip; Soccerdad

Related posts:

1. Israeli Trophy – Headed for Sheriff deployment testing?
2. ‘Invisible Shield’ Deployed: Trophy APS Declared Operational by IDF (Video)
3. Israel sporting some sexy Armor

Defense-Update has some strikingly beautiful images of recently retrofitted MK4’s – the gorgeous new accessory consists of the Rafael developed Trophy APS. The Active Protection System can shoot down incoming RPG’s & the like and is a rather remarkable piece of technology (plenty of trophy details in the links below), one that can make a major difference in protecting the tank & its crew – it would have come in useful against Hezbollah last year.

The Merkava is already widely considered as one of, if not the safest tank on Earth – Being one of the most heavily armored and possessing some unique design characteristics like a survivability door built into the rear of the chassis and innovative protection on the forward end. Crew safety was one of the top goals in the tank’s design, the trophy makes for a beautiful crown for this king don’t you think?

Seen above, the reflective looking Trophy sensor systems and the two launchers on the ends of the turret. (Photo Defense-Update via Rafael)

Now that is riding in style! (Photo Defense-Update via Rafael)

Trophy info here at the Hashmonean.
PR film of the Trophy system in action, developed for Rafael by 3dGarage.

Tags: Trophy, Israel, APS, Missile Defense

Related posts:

1. ‘Invisible Shield’ Deployed: Trophy APS Declared Operational by IDF (Video)
2. US and Israel forge ahead in mobile missile defense
3. US Army leaves Israeli trophy behind?

All new Trophy system to protect Allied troops from RPG attacks while riding high in the Stryker.

Soldiers from Battery B, 4th Battalion 11th Field Artillery Regiment patrol the entrance of Suliyahi Sabina Site in a Stryker light armored vehicle on May 8, 2005 Photo: US Dept. of Defense

The trophy anti RPG technology will be coming to the USA’s battlefield of the future Stryker armored personel carriers. These behemoths recently deployed to Iraq, and hungrily purchased by nations like Canada as a frontline alternative to battle tanks in more urban environments come in a whack of variants. They are part and parcel of the new structure being defined for American Armed Forces under the modernization plan of Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

From SpaceWar:

A new Israeli-designed technology to protect armored military vehicles from rocket-propelled grenades was successfully tested in Virginia last week.

The Trophy Active Protection System developed by RAFAEL Armament Development Authority was put through live-fire tests conducted by weapons manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems in Dahlgren, Va., last week, the ISRAEL21c Web site reported Sunday. The Trophy detected, tracked and knocked out an inert RPG fired at a moving Stryker armored car using a small rocket automatically launched from the vehicle, the report said.

"Our mission is not to discover the 100 percent solution, but to find the best solution that can meet warfighter needs today," said Marine Corps Col. Wade Hall, in a General Dynamics news release after the test. "Currently, the warfighters’ only counter to the RPG threat is armor, more armor and more armor.

"As demonstrated … the Department of Defense now has at its disposal technology that allows U.S. Forces to defeat both the archer and the arrow."

[...]
The Trophy system is a miniaturized version of the anti-ballistic missile system that automatically detects an incoming threat and launches an interceptor rocket that homes in on the missile and destroys it at a safe distance.

Designed to mounted on a fighting vehicle and provide a virtual bubble of protection, it includes rockets that are launched vertically and knock down the RPG round as it streaks toward the vehicle, the Web site said.

The Trophy is based on a system designed by an Israeli industry consortium headed by RAFAEL, including Israel Military Industries, and Israel Aircraft Industries/ELTA. After evaluating several systems available in the world market, General Dynamics entered into the agreement with the consortium and selected the system to offer to the U.S. Army and other customers. GD plans to introduce the system with every new and existing combat vehicle it produces, including Stryker, M-1A2 and FCS.

It’s a good bet that the Anti Kassam missile defence tender presented by Rafael is based on their successes with the Trophy, this miniaturization process is something to write home about.

With high profile attacks on US Forces and the armor outcry in the US, people seem to look at the humvee and think more armor, but we seem to overlook the fact that those are jeeps not tanks. Similarly the Stryker is not a tank either, layers of armor and weight are not nec. the solution, utilizing the mobility and a new fighting doctrine combined with advanced active protection systems seems like a good plan, cut Rumsfeld some slack. This is a major step forward to protecting forces from terrorists, the use of such a system on the bigger (biggest really) M1A main battle tank speaks loudly to the need to counter RPG and missile threats not just with armor alone.

Seems fairly evident with this trophy everyone wins.. Force protection is sexy again!

Tags: military, Israel, US

Related posts:

1. US Army leaves Israeli trophy behind?
2. Israel sporting some sexy Armor
3. Israeli Trophy – Headed for Sheriff deployment testing?

Israel continues to be a world leader in force protection. Details the last few months have been emerging that Iron Fist, our next generation APS to protect light & medium armored vehicles from RPGs, missiles, and even perhaps tank fired rounds is headed for deployment shortly. Israel is already a leader in the field with the Raphael developed and now seeing deployment to Merkava Mark 4 (and soon to be retrofitted to earlier versions of the tank) Trophy system.

The Trophy made world wide headlines with its ability to create what is described as a ‘virtual shield’ around the armored heavy vehicle, intercepting shaped charge penetrating hand held RPG rounds such as the Russian RPG 7 & RPG9 Vampyr. These weapons are in the hands of terror sponsoring nations & have been proliferated to terrorists & insurgents across the Middle East. These advanced penetrators have taken their toll on both Israeli Armor in Lebanon as well as American vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Next to IED road side bombs, this is the number one threat and killer of US Servicemen in these conflicts.

Iron Fist

While there is some overlap with Trophy, the Iron Fist was designed to protect lighter vehicles. It will be able to be fitted to troop movers like APCs and even lighter vehicles like the Humvee or supply trucks, providing protection against a larger number of threats beyond the RPG & anti tank missile..

Jane’s Defense: [...] in addition to the threat posed by hand-held anti-tank weapons and anti-tank guided missiles, Iron Fist is also being developed to counter high-velocity, long-rod penetrators fired by tank guns and to combat soft- as well as hard-kill anti-tank guided missiles. Moreover, it is also being developed to provide a basis for greater situation awareness and, consequently, for effective counter-fire against threat launchers.

Like other APSs, Iron Fist incorporates radar for threat detection and tracking. Its radar system has been developed by the Elta subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, which has also developed the radar of the Rafael Trophy APS already in low-rate initial production for the Merkava Mk 4 tanks. The system includes four flat-panel antennas, which between them not only cover 360 degrees in azimuth but provide what is virtually a hemispherical coverage.

That’s fancy for front, rear, side & top protection from threats, fairly stunning. All this activity takes place in milliseconds with the system detecting & launching its interceptor which does not seek to detonate the incoming threat, but rather deflect it without its detonation reducing collateral damage to soldiers in, on, or around the vehicle. Think of the gunners on light vehicles like APCs or Humvees and the soldiers whom are often found around the vehicles using them as cover during movement & assault.

Defense-Update: Unlike other systems, the Iron Fist uses only the blast effect to defeat the threat, crushing the soft components of a shaped charge or deflecting and destabilizing the missile or kinetic rod in their flight. The interceptor is made of combustible envelope, fully consumed in the explosion. Without the risk of shrapnel, Iron Fist provides an effective, close-in protection for vehicles operating in dense, urban environment. The use of close proximity, rather than “hit to kill” mechanism avoids complex interception techniques and contributes to reduced cost.

One of the main advantages of the Iron Fist is its integration into routine operations. Its sensor provides essential input to situational awareness systems, based on ground radar surveillance, moving target detection, classification and tracking and motion detection. Furthermore, by loading other types of projectiles, such as non lethal, anti-personnel, smoke or illumination, the system can be used in support of routine operation.

This week comments by the IDF indicate that Iron Fist is headed for deployment to Israel’s newest NAMER (Tiger) APCs which are based on the Merkava Mark 4. This Discovery Channel Future Weapons video below gives an amazing overview of the system, and a beautiful look at its employment on a Namer.. Just one of dozens of examples of how Israeli technologies have and going forward will contribute and be employed safeguarding IDF troops and those of Israel’s allies.

VIDEO - Click here to view the post & embedded video.

Related posts:

1. ‘Invisible Shield’ Deployed: Trophy APS Declared Operational by IDF (Video)
2. Israeli Trophy – Headed for Sheriff deployment testing?
3. Israel sporting some sexy Armor