The head office of the Merkava program, which is run by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the IDF ammunition corps, are well aware that their tank has reached the ceiling of the maximum permissible mass, and improving its protection cannot be achieved by increasing reactive or passive protection. And this is urgently needed today in order to respond to changing threats, which is especially important in asymmetric conflicts, where a striking blow can be launched from any direction. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Israel has been researching active defense systems for over two decades.
Huge investments in these developments are already bearing fruit today. Israel in 2010 was the first to adopt the active protection system created by the Rafael - Trophy company for its armored vehicles, and it has already proven itself on the positive side in battle. A more versatile defense system, IMI's Iron Fist, this year, during firing tests in Israel and abroad, demonstrated impressive capabilities to intercept and destroy kinetic armor-piercing shells and anti-tank missiles.
The so-called "Modular booking system" was first used in the Merkava Mk 3 tank and then was effectively improved in the Mk-4, its main distinguishing feature is the design of various elements of armor, depending on the intended type of threats. Unlike the previously installed additional protection on the existing armor, which significantly increased the weight of the vehicle, the improved elements replace the installed armor modules, therefore, they allow for a minimum increase in weight. A similar concept was developed for the Namer heavy infantry fighting vehicle, based on the Merkava tank. The Trophy system was integrated into the existing protection of the Merkava without unnecessarily changing the silhouette of the tank. Providing protection for the entire upper hemisphere, the complete systems are housed in two modules located on either side of the swing tower. The basic version of the Trophy, designed for installation on Merkava tanks, weighs about 771 kg and has an integrated automatic reloading system. Trophy ASPRO-A-L is a lightweight version that can be equipped with various armored vehicles weighing 15-30 tons, also has a built-in automatic reloading system, a slightly smaller launcher and weighs 454 kilograms. Trophy ASPRO-A-UL is an ultra light version designed for light vehicles, weighs only 270 kg, has only a few "projectiles" and does not have a built-in automatic reloading system.
Although SAZ (Active Protection System) significantly increases the protection of a tank, especially in relation to the tandem anti-tank shells and missiles that are in use today, it also provides additional benefits in terms of command and control and situational awareness. For the first time in the history of ground-based weapons, base systems are equipped with built-in sensors, which significantly increases the crew's capabilities for early detection and localization of threats, at the same time, they have been successfully used on fighters and combat ships for more than 50 years.
Israeli tanks now have all these capabilities - the crew members effectively eliminate ambushes and traps set by Palestinians along the border Gaza Strip, while the Trophy identifies, localizes and eliminates immediate threats and communicates information to the crew, while the tank commander takes action against firing at targets automatically detected by the system's sensors.
In addition to the two main hard kill systems, such as Rafael ASPRO-A Troph and IMI Iron Fist, soft kill methods are being introduced, which implies optical-electronic countermeasures - for example, the ESP complex developed by Elbit Land Systems consists of a set of integrated infrared panoramic sensors, laser detection and warning systems and directional infrared interference installations mounted on one mast. The complex provides the crew of an armored vehicle with complete information about the tactical situation, warns of a missile attack and effectively counteracts all kinds of missile threats when the hatches are closed.
IMI also has a built-in laser intervention in its Iron Fist solution. The system successfully intercepted two NA-7 Metis medium-range anti-tank missiles during tests conducted in the United States. Iron Fist is also excellent at eliminating other types of threats, for example, he successfully defended a tank from three kinetic projectiles. In general, the system of seven sent shells destroyed seven, which is one hundred percent indicator of the degree of protection.
The interception is carried out with the help of an explosion, through the brain of the active protection system - a sensor and a processor associated with it. The most commonly used is the EL / M 2133 WindGuard system from Elta Systems, the successful use of the AESA radar is proven in the combat system in service with Israel in the Merkava Mk4M tanks. Part of the Trophy active defense system, WindGuard is designed to destroy anti-tank missiles and projectiles. The radar detects a missile or projectile launched from a helicopter, instantly calculates the predicted meeting points and the point from which the warhead was launched. If this threat could affect the protection of the fuel tank, WindGuard will instantly deploy Troph to eliminate the threat from a safe distance. Within a few seconds, radar sensors also inform the crew about the location of the source of the strike, automatically pointing there the main weapon or a remotely controlled weapon station, which strikes back at the source of the threat. EL / M 2133 installed on Merkava is the first generation of the system. Modern, compact, lighter and more affordable models are currently under development.
Meanwhile, 20 years ago, Russia fully tested and prepared for serial production the world's first complex active protection system for armored vehicles "Arena", which was designed at the Kolomna Machine Building Design Bureau. At the same time, this system was not installed on Russian MBTs during military conflicts in the North Caucasus.
According to Russian experts, the Israeli Troph system in all its technical characteristics is significantly inferior to the domestic "Arena". In Russia, many believe that the hype surrounding the Troph complex is explained, first of all, by the fact that it is practically the world's first mass-produced complex of active protection of armored vehicles, put into service. At the same time, Russian experts argue that, of course, the installation of active protection on armored vehicles significantly increases its survivability on the battlefield. However, Troph, like any other similar system, is surmountable.
