Trophy vehicle-defense system gets top-attack upgrade

JERUSALEM — Israeli defense contractor Rafael has equipped its Trophy active protection system with a top-attack defense capability, closing a vulnerability against drones and missiles that has plagued even heavily armored vehicles, according to the vendor.

Rafael officials unveiled the upgrade in a briefing here last week held ahead of the AUSA arms exhibition in Washington next week, where the company will exhibit its wares.

At the briefing marketing executive Ehud Nir showed a video of the system undergoing live-fire testing, with a countermeasure destroying a drone hurtling toward a vehicle’s turret from high above.

The company declined to specify how the upgrade works or when the capability was first introduced on Trophy, saying only the system had undergone numerous development cycles since first being fielded more than ten years ago.

The top-attack capability is available by way of a software upgrade to existing Trophy installations, according to Rafael.

Trophy is a defensive system equipped with so-called soft defense measures, such as electronic warfare, and an active defense system that includes physical interceptors destroying incoming projectiles before impact with a vehicle’s body.

It consists of a number of sensors and a radar with four antenna panels mounted around the vehicle. The interception process engages only if the system detects that a threat will damage the vehicle.

The system is in use on the Israeli Merkava Mark 3 and 4 tanks and the Israeli Namer armored personnel carrier. Trophy is also found on American Abrams tanks and has been tested on Stryker APCs and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. In February 2021 Rafael signed a deal with Germany to equip the country’s Leopard 2 tanks.

Rafael claims a 90% effectiveness rate for Trophy.

Editors note: This story was updated on Oct. 8 to correct an editing error in a reference to Trophy maker Rafael.

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——据供应商称，以色列国防承包商拉斐尔公司为其 Trophy 主动防护系统配备了顶部攻击防御能力，从而弥补了即使是重型装甲车辆也难以抵御无人机和导弹的漏洞。

上周，拉斐尔公司官员在华盛顿举行的一次简报会上公布了此次升级，此次简报会是在下周华盛顿举行的美国陆军协会武器展览会之前举行的，该公司将在展览会上展示其产品。

在简报会上，市场营销主管埃胡德·尼尔播放了一段系统进行实弹测试的视频，视频中，反制措施摧毁了一架从高空冲向车辆炮塔的无人机。

该公司拒绝透露升级的具体原理或 Trophy 系统何时首次引入该功能，只表示该系统自十多年前首次投入使用以来，已经经历了多次开发周期。

拉斐尔表示，现有 Trophy 系统可通过软件升级获得顶部攻击功能。

Trophy 是一种防御系统，配备了所谓的软防御措施，例如电子战，以及主动防御系统，其中包括物理拦截器，可在来袭炮弹撞击车辆车身之前将其摧毁。

它由多个传感器和一个雷达组成，雷达带有四个天线面板，安装在车辆周围。只有当系统检测到威胁会损坏车辆时，拦截过程才会启动。

该系统已应用于以色列的梅卡瓦Mk 3和Mk 4坦克以及纳梅尔装甲运兵车。此外，美国艾布拉姆斯坦克也配备了“战利品”系统，该系统还曾在“斯特瑞克”装甲运兵车和“布雷德利”战车上进行过测试。2021年2月，拉斐尔公司与德国签署协议，为其豹2坦克配备该系统。

拉斐尔声称 Trophy 的有效率达到 90%。

编者按：本文于 10 月 8 日更新，以更正有关奖杯制造商 Rafael 的编辑错误。

扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。