Sunday, July 20, 2014

Trophy Active Defense System gets its baptism in fire. And IT WORKS!



Ironically the above video was posted by Hamas and shows an attack on an Israeli Merkava MBT.  The ironic thing is that it shows the failure of their anti-tank missile, illustrates that the Trophy Active Defense System work and also illustrates that this isn't so one sided a fight as we're being led to believe.

Check out this article from Globes English...
The system has since been declared operational, and is installed on Merkava 4 tanks, the newest tanks in the IDF Armored Corps fleet, and on the Namer APCs (APCs built on a Merkava tank frame). According to reports from the front, since the beginning of the ground operation last Thursday night, the system has successfully intercepted five anti-tank missiles that were aimed at armored IDF vehicles in Gaza.
Impressive.

We need to get this on our vehicles...the slat armor cages is getting old, inhibits mobility (both strategic and tactical) and is ineffective against the most advanced threats. 

14 comments :

  1. These things will give a new usefullness to lighter aromor like the AAV7 should it ever get upgraded. If the EFV/MPC ever get back on track, this should be on them too, not to mention if the ariborne manages to get it's light tanks.

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  2. You will like it Sol, in this year EUROSATORY they show an Eagle V with Trophy LV system. Active protection for light vehicles, that's the future man!

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    1. I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, but this is really cool...

      After I understood what happened in the video (had to search for a better video on YouTube) can't wait to see more vehicles with this.

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    2. Not sarcastic lad, the light vehicles were just coffins on wheels when attacked by AT missiles. Now they have a chance to survive that and that is awesome!

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    3. the sad thing Shas is that the IDF lost one of their Majors and a Sgt from an RPG attack on their jeep. Trophy is in limited service but its obvious that they need to get it to more vehicles like yesterday.

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  3. the RPG 29 or a later model of the same caliber, sends a decoy before the real missile, it could easily fool the trophy it was designed after all by the pioneers of tank active defense by that i mean the Russians.
    what may make u happy is that the Israelis are promoting the trophy for the US iv seen promotional posters with the mini receivers on an Abrams, but i also read the US is trying to build it own American designed system, i don't know why they never buy some Israeli weapons in high quantity, they didn't procure the spike even when it was offered and preferred what seemed inferior American made Javelin.

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    1. That would be the RPG-30 (not -29) and the Israelis stated they solved that flaw with simple software, I can't imagine it was that hard.

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  4. If the enemy were a better prepared regular army using two kornets almost simultaneously could be a more dangerous situation. It's a never ending game. I wonder how the Trophy will works against systems like the Bofors Mortars ore other similar with indirect charges.

    http://youtu.be/KR2mseKQkmY

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  5. Sadly, an IDF soldier was killed next to a tank when the Trophy system deployed. The tank was protected by the system. IDF is 'investigating'. That's usually a thinly veiled term meaning he was killed by our own weapon - in this case, the Trophy system. That's the second likely friendly-fire death I've heard about in this operation.

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    1. that is just the heartache of war Mordechai. the system works. unfortunately a solider died but how many would have died if the warhead struck the vehicle? how would that have affected the offensive? lives ARE NOT cheap but in warfare balances have to be stuck (something you well know...you're an old war dog too). i consider it a tragedy wrapped in a success. not perfect but probably the best we can hope for.

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  6. Yes like you said active defense in terms of hard kill is dangerous to dismounted troops ,so you might end up fighting with infantry stuck inside transporter witch is asking for trouble.

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    1. As a foot soldier that would have been my worst nightmare. I HATED being inside the matchbox even a moment more than necessary.

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  7. I think active and passive defense systems are going to need to be layered regardless. Spaced armor, slat armor, ceramic, laser warning, IR jamming, laser dazzlers, active defense, etc is going to be necessary just to get past the first salvo of RPG and ATGWs

    Large armor formations might be as outdated as infantry squares

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  8. Its not Trophy's baptism of fire it was used succesfully back near the Gaza border on 1 March 2011 and 2012 on a Merkava IV. The Russians believe they can defeat the Trophy system with the RPG 30, Rafael weapons are developing a better system than Trophy called Trench coat. The US Army also is developing through Raytheon an equivalent system to Trophy called Quick Kill which has been tested successfully but is still in development as of last year. I think the F35 might kill this as well.

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