Active Protection Systems - at DSEi 2007

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Armored vehicles at DSEi 07: DSEi 07 proved a fertile ground for active protection
systems (APS) manufacturers. At least three products were on display, more discussed
unofficially by exhibitors and developers. The enthusiasm was motivated by the British
MOD interest in APS for its FRES program - the future family of combat vehicles,
expected to field an APS as part of their protection suite.(more...)
At DSEi 07, the Finnish
Advanced Modular Vehicle
(AMV) 8x8 APC developed by
Patria was 'dressed' with the
AMAP active defense system
(ADS) designed by the German
IBD Deisenroth Engineering.
Weighing about 400 kg, the
system incorporates a modular
design of multiple defensive
elements, integrating the
energetic material, laser sensors and activation systems in capsuled modules, installed
around the vehicle providing 360 protection against RPGs and other shaped charge
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Golan + Trophy view large
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Active Protection Systems - at DSEi 2007
threats (The company claims
AMAP-ADS also defeats kinetic
energy threats as well as IEDs).
The AMV installation on display
at DSEi used an armor base
plate designed to mitigate the
blast effect from transferring to
the vehicle's structure. APAM-
ADS is claimed to provide close-
range, non-fragmental defeat of
threats (possibly by blast effect) therefore minimizing collateral damage, facilitating use in
a dense urban environment. In the past IBD disclosed few details about the system's
design, including the use of laser triggered blast effect, but the company did not elaborate
on the actual kill mechanism of its defensive solution. The AMV on display at DSEi also
included the Remotely Operated Driver's Vision Enhancer (RODVE2-D), a compact,
steerable, panoramic, thermal imager for the driver developed by Thales Canada.
Although launched only a few years ago, the AMV has already won a number of major
international competitions and has so far been ordered by Croatia (84), Finland (24 with
120mm AMOS and 62 APCs), Poland (690), Slovenia (135) and South Africa (264).
Another APS on display at DSEi is the LEDS 150
from Avitronics, the South African subsidiary of
saab. LEDS is a family of countermeasures
designed for the protection of land combat
vehicles. Earlier versions of the system were
limited to 'signature-management' and 'soft kill',
while the more recent configurations, currently in
development are added with 'hard kill' options.
According to Cobus van der Merwe, senior
business development executive with Saab Avitronics, all three capabilities will become
an integral part of the protected vehicle, providing hemi-spherical, full spectrum active
protection. The system displayed at DSEi 07 on the Piranha III will be tested in
Switzerland in December 07. Next year the system is scheduled for evaluation by the US
Army, under its Foreign Comparative Test Program. The active protection LEDS is
proposed in three versions. Saab expects LEDS 150, the third level, to become
operational on Piranha platforms from mid 2009. LEDS 150 has been designed to defeat
rocket propelled grenades and antitank guided missiles (ATGM). The system uses an
advanced sensor package associated with two High Speed Direction Launchers (HSDL) ,
loaded with six 'Mongoose' hard kill projectiles each. The system has already
demonstrated the capability to defeat 105mm tank rounds and RPG-7 (Rocket Propelled
Grenades). A more ambitious system, designated LEDS 200 is in development, to defeat
multi-band threats while LEDS 300 will be capable to defeat kinetic energy projectiles and
anti-tank missiles at longer ranges.
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Active Protection Systems - at DSEi 2007
RAFAEL unveiled at DSEi 07 a
lightweight version of the
Trophy active protection
system, designed for light and
medium armored vehicles. It
was displayed at the RAFAEL
stand mounted on the Golan
armored vehicle. Trophy Light is
smaller than the original Trophy,
designed to protect main battle
tanks, weighing about half the
Trophy's weight. The system comprises four flat radar antennae located around the
vehicle, designed to cover 360 degrees. The system uses one or two launchers, firing the
interceptor projectiles to defeat incoming threats at close range. As with other APS, the
active defensive capability is only an element of the vehicle's entire protective envelope,
since such systems are designed to intercept threats (such as RPGs) at a stand-off
range, eliminating their most lethal shaped charge penetration capability while the
vehicle's passive armor is required to defeat residual impact by inert threats. At DSEi 07
the Golan vehicle was demonstrated with a new type of hybrid armor called M-TAPS,
developed by RAFAEL to offer effective protection from IEDs, RPGs and EFPs. The new
armor uses a combination of passive inert and insensitive energetic materials, to provide
passive and reactive protection from all types of threats, while Trophy Light could
augment these elements by enhancing defensive capability against tandem shaped
charge threats.
Topics covered in this review:
Future Rapid Effects Systems (FRES) Program Update
WLIP - Warrior Lethality Improvement Program
British Medium Protected Patrol Vehicle (MPPV) Program
Active Protection Systems Are Maturing
Armored Vehicle Systems at DSEi 07
New vehicle platforms
Artillery & Missile Systems
Unmanned Systems
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