Active Protection System (APS) for tanks

[SH_MM]

 

 

Iron First IAV event via Twitter.

 

[SH_MM]

 

Some Rheinmetall ADS IAV event slides via twitter.

 

 

[Ramlaen]

https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2019/army/2019aps.pdf?ver=2020-01-30-115323-267

Quote

System
Trophy APS
•  The Trophy APS includes search radars to detect, identify, and track incoming threats, and a set of kinetic projectiles intended to destroy the threat or cause its early detonation.  The Abrams base armor is expected to absorb post-engagement threat residuals (threat by-products generated after the collision).  The Trophy APS adds approximately 8,600 pounds to the platform.  The Army has integrated the Trophy system into the tank’s situational awareness system.  

 

Iron Fist – Light Decoupled APS
•  The Iron Fist – Light Decoupled APS includes radars and optics to detect, identify, and track incoming threats, and a set of explosive projectiles intended to destroy or divert the threat. The system adds approximately 1,543 pounds to the platform. The fielded Bradley A3 does not generate sufficient power to operate the APS, while the Bradley A4 power components, currently under development, can support this APS solution.

Quote

Assessment
Trophy APS
•  During Phase I, Trophy APS countered most of the threats tested in basic range conditions and threat engagements.  The Army relied heavily on the contractors to set up the Trophy APS due to the limited knowledge of the foreign system.
•  The evaluation of Phase II live fire testing is ongoing.  The Army trained the test personnel to use the system without help from the contractor.  The Army is maturing the existing vulnerability modeling and simulation tools to complement the system assessment.
•  The evaluation of Phase II operational testing is ongoing.  Limited testing was conducted to assess installation time, transportation issues, and technical manual validation.  There was no real-time casualty assessment (RTCA) or simulator support for Trophy APS testing.  This hindered the test unit’s ability to develop or assess crew and platoon tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with Trophy APS employment in a force-on-force environment.  The Army has no plans to develop RTCA.  The Army is developing Training Aids, Devices, Simulators, and Simulations for Trophy APS.
•  Phase II live fire and operational testing was designed to support the fielding of one brigade of pre-positioned stocks to the European Command.   

•  DOT&E will detail the performance of the Trophy APS-equipped Abrams tank in a combined OT&E/LFT&E report in 2QFY20 to support the UMR.  

Iron Fist – Light Decoupled APS
•  Phase I demonstrated an inconsistent capability of the Iron Fist APS to intercept threats largely due to countermunition dudding and power failures to the launcher.  The Army has been working with the vendor to address and implement some prospective solutions to mitigate these shortfalls.  The Army will verify these fixes in Phase II scheduled for 1QFY21.  A demo of the Phase II system will be conducted at the vendor’s test facility in December 2019.

 

[N-L-M]

4 hours ago, Ramlaen said:

The Trophy APS adds approximately 8,600 pounds to the platform.

I wonder how much of that is the actual system and how much is the 'canoe' needed to hold it all on each side of the turret.

[Ramlaen]

Iron Fist for Bradleys is dead for now.

 

From the FY21 budget request.

Quote

MOD 10 (Survivability Enhancements)  decrease from FY 2020 to FY 2021 is due to the elimination of production and fielding of Active Production System (APS) to EDI.

 

https://www.janes.com/article/94247/pentagon-budget-2021-us-army-zeros-out-funding-for-bradley-active-protection-system

Quote

Congressional cuts to the US Army's A4 Bradley line this year forced the service to cancel its active protection system (APS) solicitation and halt plans to outfit the platform with Elbit Systems' Iron Fist Light Decoupled (IF-LD).

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Johnson, the army's Bradley programme manager, spoke with Jane's on 11 February about difficult budgetary decisions facing his programme after the fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) Consolidated Appropriations Act stripped dollars from the vehicle line. This reduction then forced the service to decide where to make cuts and it opted to cancel its Bradley APS solicitation in late January. As a result, the service will not meet its 2021 first unit equipped date.

"While the requirement has not been cancelled, we did pull the solicitation. [and] due to impacts of the FY 2020 [appropriations bill] we needed to push procurement of the system," he explained. "Our original plan was very aggressive, where we were going to test and produce the systems simultaneously in an effort to meet our first unit equipped date in fourth quarter 2021, but due to the funding impact to the Bradley programme, we have had to go back and re-evaluate our schedule."

Beyond the enacted FY 2020 spending bill, however, the army's newly released FY 2021 budget request also zeroes out funding for outfitting the Bradley with an APS. "No there is not production dollars identified [in the budget] for Iron Fist on Bradley," Lt Col Johnson said, adding that he is "working diligently" with the army staff to find a way ahead.

For decades, though, army leaders have been working to outfit their fleet of ground combat vehicles with APS technologies to counter threats such as anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, but have stumbled along the way.

 

[SH_MM]

Even though there hasn't been any news since 2012, Diehl has explained that AVePS (Active Vehicle Protection System) is still offered; the company hopes that it will be picked up for the MGCS and also aims at the Leopard 2 upgrade market. There is also the option to link smoke grenade launchers to the AVePS sensors and computer system, letting it act as a softkill APS in addition to its hardkill mode.

 

[LoooSeR]

   Some footage of light version of Trophy/Windbreaker

[LoooSeR]

   By Wiedzmin

Quote

TKB-588 APS, 1960, was planned for testing on the T-10M, 6 launchers (107mm) on the turret and 6 launchers on the hull

 

 

[LoooSeR]

   Some footage of Nippon APS, stolen from otvaga/dambiev LJ.

 

[SH_MM]

Quote

HENSOLDT further develops its self-protection system MUSS

MUSS 2.0 offers a number of improvements

MUSS 2.0 will be available for the second lot of the PUMA. Photo: PSM.

Taufkirchen, Germany, 02 September 2020 – “We have fundamentally revised and repositioned our technology,” explained Dr Oliver Rudow, Head of Business Line Countermeasures & Ground Protection Systems. The Multifunctional Self-Protection System (MUSS) is a soft kill-based active protection system (APS). It offers infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks efficient protection against enemy laser and armour-piercing threats. These can be effectively countered by warning sensors that detect the threat from missiles or lasers and initiate appropriate countermeasures. The MUSS self-protection system is already in series production and has so far been delivered more than 350 times.

The improvements include a new laser detector that covers all modern laser threats. MUSS 2.0 now offers improved and extended sensor technology, significantly improved software and modern countermeasures. MUSS is being further developed into a layered system and offers modern interfaces, which, among other things, enable the integration of a hard kill effector. “In addition, MUSS 2.0 will be even smaller and lighter than before”, said Dr Oliver Rudow.

“Our MUSS is a popular solution in Germany, but we are also in discussion with armed forces in a number of other regions,” says Franck Friedlander, Sales Director Self-Protection at HENSOLDT. “In order to achieve our ambitious goals, we are expanding our highly qualified team across locations.” The new system will be available for the upcoming second lot of PUMA and similar platforms.

 

https://www.hensoldt.net/news/hensoldt-further-develops-its-self-protection-system-muss/

[Jägerlein]

On 9/2/2020 at 12:42 PM, SH_MM said:

 

https://www.hensoldt.net/news/hensoldt-further-develops-its-self-protection-system-muss/

Any chance for implementation on the 210 Pumas of the batch that was apprived last year?

[MoritzPTK]

3 hours ago, Jägerlein said:

Any chance for implementation on the 210 Pumas of the batch that was apprived last year?

Yes, since no contract for the order has been signed yet.

I can also imagine that existing systems will be retrofitted because a large part of the improvements were made on the software side.

[Jägerlein]

1 hour ago, MoritzPTK said:

Yes, since no contract for the order has been signed yet.

I can also imagine that existing systems will be retrofitted because a large part of the improvements were made on the software side.

“In addition, MUSS 2.0 will be even smaller and lighter than before” sounds like retrofitting is no practical problem. But it also sounds like the hardware is changed what in  turn means it won't be as cheap as
a software update. 41Pumas for VJTF for over 400m € shows how fast "small technical things" get expensive. I still don't get it got so expensive and how much of it are R&D costs which benefit the rest of the fleet, too .

[SH_MM]

16 hours ago, MoritzPTK said:

I can also imagine that existing systems will be retrofitted because a large part of the improvements were made on the software side.

 

As there were physical changes to the sensors/laser warners, any retrofitting of MUSS 2.0 also would require replacing (parts of) the old sensors.

[MoritzPTK]

2 hours ago, SH_MM said:

As there were physical changes to the sensors/laser warners, any retrofitting of MUSS 2.0 also would require replacing (parts of) the old sensors.

Sure, i said "large parts of the improvements"

In general the only real issue should be the cost and whether a second lot of Pumas is coming.

[LoooSeR]

   Copypasta from Isreali AFV thread, first time i heard about this system. Kind of similar thing is mounted on K2,

   "Raam Segol" soft-kill APS from late 1990s.

Quote

   At the end of the 90s, the Nakhshol tank company operated in the 71st battalion of the 188th brigade in southern Lebanon. The company was stationed at Forward Stronghold Rehan in the north of the security zone and was tasked with testing the Raam Segol (Purple Thunder), a new active protection system for tanks.

   The company was secret, so the name "Nahshol" was not heard by everyone, and photos of the system were also not published officially, but they still leaked into the international press, especially when leaving Lebanon in 2000, like this photo:

 

 

Quote

   Now the Raam Segol system and the Nakhshol company have been declassified, and Asaf Kamera's report was released on ynet, including the videos filmed then and the current interviews with the participants: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/B100y9QDLv

   According to the report, the company was established at the end of 1996, the main period of its activity is 1999-2000.
/.../
   Unlike the later Meil Ruach APS, Raam Segol did not include kinetic countermeasures and was limited to optoelectronic suppression, soft-kill. The system detected the launch of the ATGM, gave a signal to the crew, turned the gun in the direction of the threat and set up an aerosol curtain with the help of standard and additional smoke grenade launchers.
/.../
...the reason for which company was in Lebanon did not actually happened: the use of anti-tank systems against tanks with Raam Segol APS and the use of the Raam Segol system in real combat situation. Therefore, no real combat tests of the system took place.

 

 

Spoiler

 

[Ramlaen]

 

[Alzoc]

1 hour ago, Ramlaen said:

 

 

Though as one comment on twitter said, it seem to be pretty close to the old Thales Shark APS and Rhm ADS (I don't remember if there was some sort of cooperation on those two though):

https://defense-update.com/20100612_shark_aps.html

Spoiler

Shark:

 

 

ADS:

 

 

 

 

[Ramlaen]

Several shots of Iron Fist test video after the initial CGI, not sure how much of it is new.

 

 

[Ramlaen]

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/01/army-tries-again-to-protect-stryker-rafael-or-rheinmetall/

 

This year, the Army will fire live anti-tank warheads at two rival Active Protection Systems to assess how best to protect lightweight armored vehicles like its 8×8 Stryker. The contenders in this “live fire characterization activity” – it isn’t officially a test – will be the German Rheinmetall Active Defense System(ADS) and the Israeli Rafael Trophy Vehicle Protection System (VPS). Notparticipating, our sources tell us, is the American Artis Iron Curtain, which was the Army’s original pick to protect the Stryker but was subsequently rejected after Army testers found it wanting.

Now, the Rheinmetall ADS and the Rafael Trophy VPS won’t be installed on actual Stryker vehicles. Instead, they’ll be set up on specially designed armored targets. That will allow the Army to measure precisely what damage, if any, gets through the active protection systems from different kinds of attacks.

 

[Reta]

From the Hanwha Redback vid, notice the elevation angle of the Iron Fist interceptor. First time seeing it that high:

 

[LoooSeR]

   From otvaga - some info on OTHELLO sensors for APS (it uses SWIR camera and day/NIR camera to detect missile launches, cannon fire).

 

Spoiler

 

   And lulz

 

[Serge]

Something new. 

https://www.morris-ip.com/cpi-arc-system/

[CrappyHead]

On 1/18/2021 at 10:11 AM, Serge said:

Something new. 

https://www.morris-ip.com/cpi-arc-system/

 

RIP to the infantry that are in close proximity

[Serge]

The interception is made by nets. 
Others ADS are not less dangerous.