For a Stryker, Lurie told me, \u201cthe whole thing together will be less than a ton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting weight down is important, especially because active protection systems have to go on top <\/i><\/em>of the vehicle to get a clear view, both for the sensors \u2013 typically radar, but Trophy has added an electro-optical eye as well, and the interceptors \u2013 basically mini-missiles that shoot down incoming anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. Smaller vehicles have less room on top and less weight to counterbalance any heavy objects installed on their roof. So what fits on a 60-plus-ton heavy tank like the M1 won\u2019t fit on a Stryker a third as heavy.<\/p>\n Yet it\u2019s lighter vehicles, with lighter armor, that most need active protection \u2013 since there are so many more kinds of anti-tank rounds that their armor cannot stop. In fact, even if an active defense system blows up an incoming warhead before it strikes the armor, there will be fragments and blast effects that might bounce off a full-size tank but still do substantial damage to a lighter vehicle.<\/p>\n How well does Stryker VPS handle this so-called \u201cresidual penetration\u201d? \u201cI can\u2019t talk numbers on the phone,\u201d Lurie said, \u201cbut the residual penetration is manageable with the Stryker.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, what does manageable mean? Will the crew survive but the vehicle be totaled? Or will the Stryker be able to shrug off whatever shrapnel gets past Trophy and continue with its mission?<\/p>\n \u201cIt can protect a Stryker crew to a very, very high level,\u201d Lurie told me. \u201cThe system protects the entire vehicle\u2026 front to end,\u201d he said, so it should remain intact and drivable. (I didn\u2019t ask specifically whether unarmored external components like sensors and radio antenna would survive intact, but those are notoriously vulnerable).<\/p>\n Overall, he said, because the sensor quality, software, and interceptors are the same, Stryker would get \u201cthe same \u2026 active protection\u201d as a tank.<\/p>\n What makes Lurie especially confident is that this Trophy VPS system is no longer a lab experiment or developmental product: It\u2019s currently being built on a production assembly line. However, the client has asked Rafael not to disclose who they are or any other details. (My guess is it\u2019s the Israeli Defense Force itself in a typically hypercautious mode, or perhaps a key Arab ally, but that\u2019s pure speculation on my part).<\/p>\n Lurie says Rafael will continue to work on reducing Trophy\u2019s weight, but he doesn\u2019t expect any more major decreases. Instead it\u2019s focusing more on upgrading Trophy\u2019s capabilities \u2013 including making it compatible with the US Army\u2019s forthcoming Modular Active Protection System. The Army wants MAPS to plug-and-play components from different vendors \u2013 a radar from this one, an interceptor from that one, a jammer from the other \u2013 so it can upgrade rapidly without being tied to any one contractor such as Rafael.<\/p>\n \u201cMAPS is a good approach, the right approach,\u201d Lurie said. Once the US finalizes the MAPS architecture, he expects to be able to make Trophy compatible with a modest investment in \u201cseveral months.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/tanques1.jpg\")