Demands for the Next Generation of the Trophy Include an Answer for Additional Threats at a Cheaper Price

The Trophy system (Photo Ministry of Defense)

14/3/2012 IsraelDefense

The head of the Ground Forces’ Radar Defense Department spoke about the active defense system that is ready to undergo development

“The next generation of the Trophy (ASPRO-A) system has to provide an answer to new threats and needs to be considerably cheaper than the current system,” revealed the man in charge of developing the system at the Ground Forces' Technological Division.

The head of the Radar Defense Department, Major Michael Mazbosbesky, spoke at a conference on ground radar systems held at the Communications and Teleprocessing Corps Memorial in Yehud. The conference was organized in the framework of a series of meetings regarding issues of technologies and communications.

Maj. Mazbosbesky provided insight into the defense establishment’s demands for the defense industry regarding the next generation of the active defense system. The system is supposed to be installed onboard Merkava (Namer) APCs, as well as the Merkava tanks that will be produced in the near future.

According to the officer, "There’s been a significant increase in the anti-tank threat. The increase is also reflected in the capability of penetrating arms, including the chances of hitting a target, the launch ranges, and the resistance to defense systems. The enemy distributes their missiles extensively. We are now faced with producing the second generation of communications systems for the development of a far more advanced (and significantly cheaper) system within a few years that will be able to deal with threats we’ve not dealt with before."

The words of the head of the Radar Defense Department are spoken against the backdrop of the fierce argument regarding who will lead the project of the second generation of active defense for the IDF's vehicles: Rafael, which developed the original Trophy system, or Israel Military Industries (IMI), which developed the Iron Fist system.

The Ministry of Defense already announced it wants Rafael to be the project’s chief contractor. According to the MoD, the new system will combine Elta’s radar (which is part of Rafael’s Trophy system) and the interceptor from IMI's Iron Fist (which provides a response to kinetic threats, beyond the threats that the Trophy currently handles). Furthermore, Rafael will design the new defense system’s command and control system based on the Trophy's command and control system.

The two competing systems are based on the principle of active defense , which is the launch of interception measures at an attack missile and intercepting it before it reaches the protected vehicle. However, while Rafael's Trophy system is based on disseminating metallic pellets around the tank or APC, the Iron Fist system is based on interception via a counter missile launched towards the attacking missile. Rafael’s Trophy includes an Elta-produced detection radar, while the Iron Fist includes radar by Rada.

The MoD’s MAFAT administration simultaneously funded both projects for several years. However, in November 2010, a decision was made to stop the aid to the Iron Fist project and begin to equip Merkava Mark IV tanks with the Trophy system. In March 2011, the Trophy successfully intercepted several RPG missiles launched at tanks from Gaza.

In a special interview in IsraelDefense Magazine, Issue 7, IMI’s CEO, Avi Felder, says that the company he heads will refuse any demand from the defense establishment to participate in the second-generation active defense project as a subcontractor for Rafael. According to Felder, “IMI’s specialty has been within the field of protective systems for many years, and Rafael has no experience in this field. The Iron Fist system received better scores than the Trophy during tests carried out in the United States.” The 7th issue with the full interview is available now.