M1 Abrams to get new active protective armor
The active protective armor, called Trophy will likely be the last upgrade the Abrams will get before they are retired from the Army.
Israel has been using the system since 2014.The U.S. Army will test new active protection systems on M1 Abrams tanks during Defender Europe 2020 this spring, as well as send the service’s first set of the new missile and rocket countermeasures to outfit an armored brigade on the continent.
Made by Israeli manufacturers, Trophy active protection kits use sensors to knock down incoming rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles, or ATGMs, shot by roving enemy troops.
Tanks aren’t permanently affixed with Trophy kits, however, and that’s part of what soldiers will practice for during Defender 2020, according to Army Europe commander Lt. Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli.
Because of the 2.5-ton weight of the kits, as well as their self-contained munitions, they’re stored separately from tanks. But brackets have to be welded to the vehicle so a kit can even be equipped when needed.
“What we’re going to do for Defender 2020 is practice that at the company level. We’re going to equip one company,” Cavoli said at the Pentagon on Monday. “It’s the first time the U.S. Army is going to take an organic unit, a real live combat unit, and say ‘here’s your Trophy stuff, here’s your supporting welders, get to work and mount it.’”
The need for these systems is driven by real-world observations.
Russian 9M133 Kornets,American BGM-71 TOWs, Chinese Red Arrows, and Iranian Toophans are a staple of modern Middle East conflicts, as evidenced by videos across the internet of them destroying Syrian Army T-72 main battle tanks, among other vehicles.