In recent years, Israel has been very actively working to improve the survivability of armored vehicles on the battlefield, including through the creation of active protection systems (KAZ). The engineers of the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems have achieved great success in this area, having created the KAZ under the name Iron Fist ("Iron Fist"). The first tests of the new system took place back in 2006. In mid-January 2020, Elbit Systems conducted tests, during which the Iron Fist successfully coped with the defeat of a 120-mm sub-caliber projectile. Up to this point, the only talk about the possibility of intercepting sub-caliber ammunition was the Russian active defense complex "Afganit".
New tests of the Iron Fist complex
On January 21, 2020, representatives of Israel's largest private defense concern, Elbit Systems, spoke about successful tests of an active protection system for armored vehicles of their own design. The active protection complex created by the specialists of Elbit Systems is known as Iron Fist. The system is actively promoted both in Israel itself and on the international market: in the 2010s, the American military began to purchase the Iron Fist. According to the Jane's publication, during the tests, the KAZ Iron Fist was able to successfully intercept the 120-mm APFSDS armor-piercing feathered projectile.
The results of the tests of the complex and the successful interception of the sub-caliber projectile were shared by Adam Griffiths, a high-ranking representative of Elbit Systems UK. He made his statement in London, as part of the international conference on armored vehicles held there (IAV 2020). The international conference on the development of armored vehicles was attended by approximately 250 industry experts from around the world. At the conference, Elbit Systems demonstrated presentation materials and video recording of the interception of a sub-caliber projectile by the Iron Fist system.
As part of the presentation of their new product, representatives of Elbit Systems spoke about how they integrated a new launcher into the active protection complex, which received explosive striking elements. Also, as part of the modernization, KAZ received a new radar station. The updated system with new elements of destruction was able to protect the target from sub-caliber ammunition. First, the radar detected an approaching projectile, after which a new striking element was fired in the direction of the projectile.
The striking element of the complex exploded in the immediate vicinity of the flying sub-caliber projectile, thereby changing the flight trajectory of the latter. As a result of this action, the ammunition ceased to pose a threat to the protected armored vehicles. The concept of the approach implemented by Israeli engineers assumes that, as a result of a change in trajectory, a sub-caliber projectile either does not hit the target, flying past, or does not hit at an optimal angle, without causing any harm to the protected object.
At the same time, Elbit Systems spoke about the lack of a new installation. The interception of a sub-caliber ammunition is an absolute success, but for this the "Iron Fist" had to be modernized. The flip side of the modernization of the complex was the increased visibility of the tank or other protected armored vehicle. This happened due to the installation of a new radar, the total power of which reaches 200 watts during operation. The operation of such a radar can be detected by modern electronic reconnaissance systems of a potential enemy at a distance of up to 500 kilometers.
What is known about the Israeli "Iron Fist"
The Israeli Iron Fist complex is one of the modern active defense systems, which is used both by the Israeli army and is exported. In the 2010s, the complex was purchased by the United States. The main purpose - to protect tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armored military equipment - from rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank grenade launchers, as well as anti-tank missiles (ATGM). The system creates a protective space near the tank, detecting potential threats using radars. The discovered missiles and ammunition are then destroyed with special submunitions.
KAZ Iron Fist is a complex system that includes 4 main elements: the first is a radar and IR sensors manufactured by Elbit, they allow you to detect dangerous objects at any time of the day or night; the second is an optoelectronic jammer based on a laser, which is able to blind the homing head of a guided missile; the third is a launching device with striking elements designed to destroy, disable or deflect ammunition dangerous for a combat vehicle; the fourth is a system that provides the ability to deliver a counterattack against enemy firing points.
The principle of operation of the Israeli Iron Fist complex differs little from the vast majority of similar complexes in other countries. Having detected a threat using the radar, the system launches a grenade in the direction of the target, which destroys the incoming ammunition with its own explosive action. Emphasis is placed on high-explosive blast destruction with minimization of the formation of fragments. For the same purposes, interceptor grenades are made of easily combustible materials.
Initially, the "Iron Fist" complex was designed for installation on the heavy tracked BMP Namer, built on the basis of the Israeli main battle tank Merkava. The first versions of the complex were distinguished by the presence of four phased array (phased array) radars, providing full 360-degree coverage. At least two main variants of the Iron Fist system are currently known. In the standard version, a set of elements of the complex weighs 800 kg, but in 2019 a lightweight version was presented - 400 kg, which Israel is going to install on its own wheeled armored personnel carrier "Eitan" and armored bulldozers D9.
After the announcements made on January 21 in London, we can say that the Israeli Iron Fist complex, like the Russian "Afghanit", gets the opportunity to defeat subcaliber shells. The overwhelming majority of all complexes on the international market are not able to cope with such a task. The explanation is very simple: all sub-caliber ammunition has a very high flight speed, up to 2000 m / s. That is why such ammunition is very difficult to detect and track. Difficulties also arise with the defeat of such ammunition, which are a monolithic metal blank, sometimes with a tail stabilizer. The creation of systems capable of effectively dealing with sub-caliber ammunition, as well as their proliferation in the future, can significantly increase the security of any armored combat vehicles on the battlefield.
Russian competitor of the Iron Fist complex
It should be noted that the modernized Iron Fist complex is not a unique and not one of a kind development. At one time in the USSR, and then in Russia, they worked hard and hard to create their own complexes for active protection of armored vehicles. One of the most modern domestic complexes of this class is "Afganit". The Russian complex of active protection "Afganit" is also able to intercept sub-caliber ammunition.
The fact that the promising Russian main battle tanks T-14, built on the heavy tracked platform "Armata", will receive the modernized KAZ "Afganit" with the ability to intercept sub-caliber shells, it became known back in 2016. Then the newspaper "Izvestia" wrote about the capabilities of the complex with reference to its own sources in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The new complex was supposed to get the ability to fight not only with conventional sub-caliber shells, but also with shells with a depleted uranium core.
In addition to the main battle tanks T-14, the complex can be installed on the heavy tracked BMP T-15, built on the same platform, and its individual components and on the promising Russian BMP "Kurganets-25" and other samples of armored military equipment. Experts call a feature of the Afghanit active protection system the ability to intercept not only ATGMs and cumulative grenades, but also modern APG shells (BPS). For this, the complex has the necessary accuracy and speed.
Analyzing the capabilities of the complex installed on the T-14 tank, the experts of the Defense Update magazine pointed out that the complex includes both striking and masking elements. The striking elements are located in special mortars located under the tank turret. Many experts believe that they are similar to similar 107-mm mortars of the Soviet active protection complex "Drozd-2". Two additional high-speed short-range Doppler radars help the Afghanit complex to detect shells attacking protected armored vehicles.
Of course, there are no exact details about the technical characteristics of the KAZ "Afganit" and the possibilities of dealing with sub-caliber shells. But the general principle of the modified version of the complex is the same that was implemented by Israeli designers in the Iron Fist complex. It is assumed that "Afghanit" received a more modern computing system with better performance, as well as updated submunitions. After firing in the direction of an approaching sub-caliber projectile, such a striking element explodes, deflecting the sub-caliber ammunition from its original trajectory with fragments and a shock wave.
