Home Americas US Army Abrams tanks receive final Trophy active protection systems

US Army Abrams tanks receive final Trophy active protection systems

M1 Abrams with Trophy APS
Recent US Army photo of an Abrams tank equipped with the Trophy APS on the side of the turret

Leonardo DRS and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have completed deliveries of the Trophy active protection systems (APS) ordered by the US Army for its Abrams main battle tanks.

This marks a major milestone in the Army’s efforts to outfit multiple brigades of tanks with APS to protect soldiers’ lives against increasing anti-armor threats.

Under contracts awarded on an urgent need basis by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, the companies delivered the first APS systems in September 2019 for both the US Army and Marine Corps.

Developed by Rafael in response to successful anti-armor attacks and the ongoing proliferation of those threats, Trophy APS provides combat-proven protection against rockets and missiles while simultaneously locating and reporting the origin of the hostile fire for immediate response.

A joint team of government and industry from both the US and Israel worked together to adapt and integrate Trophy for the Abrams variants. This delivery culminates a multi-year effort by the Army to study and rapidly field active protection due to the urgency of the threat and the growing need for improved ground vehicle survivability.

Photo: Rafael

“Together with our Rafael partners, we worked tirelessly to ensure we met our customers’ needs while delivering ahead of schedule, and we look forward to supporting them with APS in the future,” said Aaron Hankins, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems business unit.

In addition to the US Abrams tanks, Trophy is currently installed on the Israel Defense Forces’ Merkava Main Battle Tanks and Namer APCs. It has been tested numerous times since its first operational interception in 2011.

While Leonardo DRS and Rafael have completed these initial Trophy system deliveries to the US Army, the partnership is also under contract for additional support and development work for future US Abrams tanks. The service is also assessing the next generation “Trophy VPS,” a smaller, lighter variant of Trophy that will provide protection to a broader range of US ground combat vehicles.