Britannia Radio

Trophy tank defense system operational

Aug. 6, 2009
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST

The Trophy anti-tank missile defense system in action.
Photo: Courtesy: IDF

 

The IDF Ground Forces Command has declared the Trophy anti-tank missile defense system operational after it underwent a series of tests last week that surpassed expectations regarding the system's capability.

The Trophy system, developed by Rafael, creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava tank, which operated prominently in Lebanon. The system is designed to detect and track a threat and counters it with a launched projectile that intercepts the anti-tank missile.

The test was held last week in an IDF base in southern Israel. The system was installed on old tanks and was tested in two positions - static and in motion. According to defense officials, it succeeded in intercepting all of the enemy anti-tank missiles.

Foreign military attaches from around the world were present at the test site and have expressed interest in possibly purchasing the system for their militaries.

The IDF sped up development of the Trophy following the Second Lebanon War during which IDF Merkava tanks came under heavy anti-tank missile fire from Hizbullah. The Trophy has already been installed on a number of Merkava Mk IV tanks in the 401st Armored Brigade and by the end of the year will be automatically installed on tanks that come off the production line.

While the Trophy will be installed on tanks, the IDF recently announced plans to equip the Namer armored personnel carrier with the Iron Fist missile defense system, developed by Israel Military Industries.

The Iron Fist consists of a radar and passive optical system that detect incoming threats and destroy them by using a combustible blast interceptor within a fraction of a second. Unlike the Trophy which fires off a large number of projectiles, the Iron Fist intercepts incoming threats by using a rocket the shape of a mortar that destroys the threat by using a blast effect which crushes its soft components or deflects the missile or kinetic rod in their flight.

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