The ”Trophy ” system and active protection of the tanks and other vehicles

(Picture 1)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

Why I mentioned the U.S ”Trophy” system in the headline, is that I don't remember the name of similar Russian weapon system. This kind of active denial systems are coming to tanks, and their mission is to destroy missiles before the ammunition touches the tank. In modern denial, the system is the battery of arrow, what is guided by sensors, what uses infrared and radar to locate the incoming antitank weapon. When the antitank missile is located, the ADS (Active Denial System) would shoot it with an arrow and it works like CIWS-gun on the deck of warships.


The structural problem of those weapons is that they must be lightweight, that those weapons can turn fast enough against an incoming missile. That's why there is used flechette-claymores, what can launch their flechettes as controlled salvos. This structure allows those weapons turn extremely fast, and the cheap microchips are making possible to create very small caliber guided ammunition, and maybe the ”smart” bullets, what means miniature, rifle caliber missiles are first in use at this kind of weapons.


Also, this kind of systems would locate hiding enemy soldiers, and those active denial systems might use also taking off snipers. The active denial systems are quite a new idea to protect tanks against anti-tank rockets. The first tests of this kind of systems were ”active explosive armor”, where the tank was covered by explosive plates, what would explode the warheads before they face the armor. In this case, the system is equipped with artificial intelligence, what notices if a person is carrying weapons or explosive belts, by using the infrared system, and then it can shoot this target if it has permission to do that. This kind of systems is also installed in combat helicopters to protect them against enemy anti-aircraft missiles.


There must also be plans to use directed energy weapons as the ADS. In this scenario, the tank would have the microwave antennas on its surface. This system bases the idea that the tank would be covered by light, but extremely hard carbon fiber layer. Below this layer are magnetrons, what would be activated when the system sees the incoming missile. And the microwave would destroy the incoming warhead before it faces the tank or ship.


But there are a plans to create more effective and futuristic version of ADS. That bases the microwaves. In this fictional system, the target would be covered by ”the bubble” of microwaves. The bubble consists two internally opposite rotating microwave areas, what would crush the incoming ammunitions. In some plans, even a single soldier would have this kind of active power field around them, and there would be safe against bullets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophy_(countermeasure)

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/14966/images-emerge-of-m1a2-abrams-tank-equipped-with-trophy-active-protection-system

http://defense-update.com/20110301_trophy.html


Picture 1.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2017_global_defense_security_news_industry/us_army_m1a2_sep_v2_mbt_tanks_fitted_with_israeli_trophy_active_protection_system.html

https://crisisofdemocracticstates.blogspot.fi/

http://crisisofdemocracticstates.blogspot.fi/p/the-trophy-system-and-active-protection.html