20 · MT 5/2022 Feature can be integrated on all main battle tanks and medium-weight vehicles, including the Israeli Namer APC. For smaller and lighter vehicles, Rafael offers the Trophy MV/VPS and Trophy LV variants. TROPHY creates a neutralisation bubble around the vehicle. It rapidly detects, classifies and engages all known chemical energy (CE) threats - including recoilless rifles, ATGMs, AT rockets, HEAT tank rounds, and RPGs. It increases the lethality of combat forces, successfully neutralizing the enemy’s anti-tank teams. It can locate the fire source, enabling the crew to return fire effectively using the platform’s armament, or by interfacing with other fighting platforms via the battle management system network. Rheinmetall offers StrikeShield as an active stand-off protection system. StrikeShield provides protection for vehicles of all weights against threats in the field, primarily from hand-held anti-tank systems, guided missiles, and certain improvised explosive devices, working on the so-called hard-kill principle by detecting enemy ordnance on approach and responding in a flash with directed energy that destroys the object immediately before it reaches the target. It offers a hybrid solution for active and passive protection in a modular design that can be adapted to most vehicle platforms. The ‘Onion Principle’ The modular and adaptive onion-skin principle is an approach used by the Greek company EODH, where it is designated the Advanced Shielding Platform Integrated System (ASPIS) Modular or ASPIS NG (New Generation) and a holistic protection approach. “In the new generation of combat vehicles, the approach to protection and overall survivability should be holistic, based on the stages (signature management, ballistic armour, mine/EOD/IED protection, sensors, processors, early warning, effectors and active protection systems) to counter a threat with multiple zones and successive levels of defence,” the company states. An integrated self-protection system includes masking and signature suppression technologies for the full range of adversary sensors (acoustic, optical, infrared and electromagnetic). An electronically automated artificial intelligence system evaluates incoming information, combines it with that received by the C3I system and reacts immediately. The last line of defence is the destructive inhibition of the threat by hardkill systems as part of the active self-protection suite, which intervene in the final phase of the missile’s journey to the target and destroy it or cause damage that significantly reduces its effectiveness. When the defence zones fail, the incoming threat usually hits the target, the new-generation multi-layered protective shields are activated and the structure of the armour (made of high-strength special alloys and composites with nanotechnology structures) interacts by changing the penetration force and angle, ultimately defeating the threat. The ASPIS system is able to detect, classify and prioritise any incoming threat and counter it with measures and countermeasures in the early stages of the attack. If the threat progresses, the first active defence zone suppresses it with the active self-protection system, which is automatically activated a few metres away from the vehicle. Anti-drone protection (radar-based fragmentation mines) can be part of the system. The inner line of protection consists of passive protection modules (ballistic armour or composites), followed by a double layer of explosive-reactive armour modules (ERA). The outer layer of ASPIS is complemented by specially designed signature reduction surfaces that reduce thermal (IR) and electromagnetic signature (RCS) thanks to their geometry and special coatings. Finally, there are highly efficient anti-fragment liners of the latest generation which, in the event of penetration of the shield, drastically reduce the number and degree of scattering of fragments. As already mentioned, anti-shock seats and the vehicle’s own effectors are part of the overall protection system. The system has already been implemented for the High Mobility Armoured Vehicle 4x4 HOPLITE, LEOPARD 2, KMW 4x4 Dingo II and AIFV LEONIDAS 300 (4K 7FA). countered by warning sensors detecting missile or laser threats and initiating appropriate countermeasures. Improvements include a new laser warner that covers all modern laser threats. MUSS 2.0 now offers improved and enhanced sensor technology, significantly improved software and modern countermeasures. MUSS is further developed into a layered system, and offers modern interfaces that allow, among other things, the integration of a hard-kill effector. In addition, MUSS 2.0 is smaller and lighter than before. Rheinmetall’s Top Attack Protection System (TAPS) defends against threats from above. The PUMA infantry fighting vehicle is equipped with reactive armour from Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND). However, the technology can also be translated to other vehicles and vehicle sizes. Explosive reactive protection can be designed as an add-on solution to existing vehicles as part of modernisations or service life extensions, or it can be incorporated into the system architecture from the ground up, as part of new land platforms under development. The systems build on the existing vehicle protection and integrate their own additional passive elements. Modern materials and very insensitive explosives are used, making it possible to achieve a weight saving of up to 80 percent compared to pure passive protection (armoured steel), while maintaining the same level of protection. A counter-explosion practically eliminates the danger of a hit before it reaches the vehicle, and ensures the survival of the crew. The system is based on Israeli systems that have been used for decades, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Crucial differences are the insensitive explosive and the construction, which consists mainly of composite materials. Rafael also developed the TROPHY active protection system. According to the manufacturer, it has been in operational use since 2011. The system A passive RF-sensor on a PUMA IFV to detect drones. The vehicle’s 30mm autocannon is used as the C-UAV effector. (Photo: André Forkert)
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