Source: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Ltd.
The ASPRO-A (Trophy) active protection system rapidly detects and tracks any anti-tank threat, classifies it, estimates the optimal intercept point in space and finally neutralizes it away from the platform using a countermeasure.
The threat detection and warning subsystem consists of several sensors, including search radar with four flat-panel antennas, located around the protected vehicle, to provide full hemispherical coverage. The neutralization process will take place only if the threat is about to hit the platform.
Effective Against HEAT Threats
The Trophy is an active protection hard kill system that operates in three major stages: Threat detection, threat tracking followed by advanced Hard Kill (HK) countermeasure activation and threat neutralization. The neutralization process takes place only if the threat is about to hit the platform.
Already operational on Merkava-4 MBT, Trophy is ready for deployment on heavy, medium and light platforms, protecting against all types of HEAT threats, including all known types of Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM), Anti-Tank Rockets (ATR) and tank HEAT rounds. Numerous live tests have already been conducted to ensure that the Trophy will be able to defeat Kinetic Energy (KE) threats in the future.
Minimal Collateral Damage
The Trophy was designed to meet very strict safety requirements. HEAT threats, including all types of RPGs are neutralized by the Trophy’s countermeasure without jet formation, causing no residual penetration and minimal collateral damage. Live field tests and extensive simulations proved that the average probability of injury to neighboring infantry or neighboring platform crew due to collateral damage caused by Trophy operation is less than 1%.
Operational Status
The Trophy has met the Israeli Ground Forces requirements and has proven to be the most mature and advanced APS (TRL 9). It has successfully completed hundreds of live tests, mounted and dismounted, stationary and on the move, in open and urban terrains has been declared operational on Merkava-4 MBTs.
Performance
• Azimuth – Full coverage (360º)
• Elevation – Very wide coverage
• High neutralization probability including full performance:
• On AFVs in motion
• Against short range threats
• In closed terrain and urban areas
• Under all weather conditions
Benefits
• Neutralizes all types of RPGs, ATGMs and CE tank rounds
• Low collateral damage and no residual penetration
• Engages several threats from each direction simultaneously
• Dramatically reduces vehicle weight
• Applicable for multiple platforms
• Operational on IDF’s Merkava-4 MBT
Recent news: March 28, 2011 Rafael Active Protection System completes a successful evaluation in the U.S.A.