By 2020 the US Army plans to deploy in Europe a team of 80 M1 Abrams tanks, fully equipped with active protection system “The Trophy”. She is originally from Israel – a fully automated tool to capture all the enemy can shoot into the tank. Its goal is the destruction of the object of threats, not prevent the destruction of the tank.
Structurally, The Trophy is a combination of radar sensor and an explosive device in one of the flat hinged panels. Sensors determine the fact of approaching threats, distance and trajectory, then fired toward the portion of the major fraction. Rocket, a tank shot or other projectile will be destroyed in the collision. Nothing new in principle, in addition to the use of such a system is on the “Abrams”.
The words of Colonel Glenn Dean, the head of this project, it 48 times tried to destroy experienced “Abrams” with a new protection with the help of standard tools, but failed. The Trophy covers the car from all sides, including the upper hemisphere is a special emphasis on anti – aircraft. This system is “smart” because they do not just throw the roll of the vector, and selects the point of destruction, minimizing the damage to the tank and nearby friendly forces.
The usefulness of innovations can be measured in an alternative way: it is 800 kg of extra weight. Not so much for the M1 Abrams, which in the current modification exceeds 70 tons, and certainly smaller than the kit armor made from depleted uranium. The cost of active protection also will not put a dent in the multibillion-dollar military budget, only $350 000 for every tank. It is therefore possible that active armor will appear on the BTR “Stryker”.
Source Military.com