IAV 2023: Active Protection Systems on stage
Among the many presentations that were given during the four days International Armoured Vehicles conference, organised by Defence iQ in Twickenham in late January, more than one was related to active protection systems, APS in short, which allow to increase armoured vehicles protection. Simplifying, today two main types of APS are available, all of them with sensors on the platform to detect, warn, track and provide the right data to the effectors, the man difference lying in the type of effector. Some APS have distributed effectors on the platform engaging the incoming threat at short distance, hull, turret or both, while other use trainable launchers which effectors detonate at distance close to the incoming projectile. According to information provided, some of those systems are able to reduce the effectiveness of both shaped charge projectiles as well as that of kinetic energy ammunition, while other can deal only with the former. A key issue was their ability to deal with top attack threats. In this article we are considering launcher-based systems, as we dealt with an example of distributed APS in another article. The following notes bring you an update on the current status of the main APS developed in the western world.
Rafael Trophy
Elbit Systems Iron Fist
