US Army receives final Trophy systems
Active protection system is being installed on Abrams MBTs.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has completed deliveries of the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) to the US Army, working in partnership with Leonardo DRS.
This marks the culmination of a a multi-year effort by the US Army to ‘study and rapidly field active protection due to the urgency of the threat and the growing need for improved ground vehicle survivability’, Rafael noted in a 6 January statement.
Trophy is being installed on Abrams MBTs under an urgent contract awarded in 2019 by the US Army Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems. The first APS systems were duly provided to the army and USMC in September 2019, for integration with their Abrams variants.
In addition to Abrams (pictured), Trophy is installed on the Merkava MBTs and Namer APCs operated by the Israel Defense Forces.
‘It has made numerous combat interceptions with no injuries to crews, dismounted troops or damage to platforms since its first operational interception in 2011,’ Rafael claimed.
Leonardo DRS and Rafael are under contract from the US Army for additional support and development work on future Abrams variants.
The army is also assessing the smaller and lighter-weight Trophy Vehicle Protection System that is designed to protect a broader range of US ground combat vehicles.
Shephard Defence Insight notes that an even lighter version, called Trophy LV, is designed for vehicles weighing under 8t, imposing a weight penalty of 200kg.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![US approves $825 million sale of Stinger Block I missiles to Morocco]()
US approves $825 million sale of Stinger Block I missiles to Morocco
The 600-missiles will be used to expand the Moroccan armed forces’ short range air defence capabilities.
-
![Hanwha Aerospace to jointly produce guided missiles in Poland]()
Hanwha Aerospace to jointly produce guided missiles in Poland
The joint venture between Hanwha Aerospace and Poland’s WB Group will see them locally produce CGR80 missiles for the Homar-K multiple rocket launch system, with the first batch produced by 2028.
-
![BAE Systems takes another step towards restarting M777 howitzer production]()
BAE Systems takes another step towards restarting M777 howitzer production
The M777 155mm lightweight howitzer is in service with more than six countries and has been heavily used in Ukraine. The latest contract is part of an effort to restart the manufacture of M777 towed howitzers.
-
![British Army’s commitment to L118 105mm light gun may be death knell for Light Fires Platform]()
British Army’s commitment to L118 105mm light gun may be death knell for Light Fires Platform
The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) was running the programme for the Light Fires Platform (LFP) which was touted as the replacement for the 105mm L118 Light Gun used by the Royal Artillery (RA) regular and reserve units.
-
![Lockheed Martin successfully fires latest Precision Strike Missile as programme progresses]()
Lockheed Martin successfully fires latest Precision Strike Missile as programme progresses
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile system designed as a replacement and significant upgrade over legacy systems. A key role for PrSM will be for operations from M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A2 launcher.
-
![Australia embraces quantum technology for precise navigation and targeting]()
Australia embraces quantum technology for precise navigation and targeting
A new project is aiming to deliver a ground-to-satellite optical quantum link, which would allow much more precise battle planning.
