Rafael is one of the largest Israeli weapon producers. There is, among others The manufacturer of the Trophy system – i.e. the system of active protection of armored vehicles. Systems of this type are designed to protect armored vehicles – tanks, infantry combat vehicles, transporters or cannon -cannons against various types of threats, such as coming bullets or hostile drones.
Designed by Israeli companies, armored vehicle protection systems are used by most Western armies and de facto do not currently have competition in the western military equipment market, and The military agree on the need to implement them on new vehicles, including In the face of growing hazards with drone attacks.
Experts indicate that the need to protect armored weapons with such systems is one of the conclusions of the war in Ukraine, where many tanks and other vehicles were destroyed, e.g. by kamikaze drones.
Trophy system. Active protection for tanks
The general principle of the system consists in detecting an arriving threat – a drone or a bullet – using a sensor system and launching small counterpockets that are designed to destroy the threat. As the manufacturer assures, the system can detect and track several threats at once.
Active protection systems are installed today on currently manufactured armored machines, such as tanks or infantry combat vehicles – including among others K2 tanks produced by the South Korean Hyundai ROTAI, which another 180 was recently ordered by Poland.
Tanks ordered in South Korea in the future, polonized version of K2PL will be equipped with a Kaps system – that is, de facto “correanized” Trophy system. Cooperation agreement in the area of Integration and production of the Israeli system in South Korea, both concerns concluded at the Kielce MSPO Defense Fair.
K2 tanks in the Polish Army
K2 tanks are to be ultimately the tank most commonly used in the Polish Armed Forces. The framework agreement provides for the delivery of up to 1000 pieces.
Until now, two performance agreements have been concluded – under one Hyundai has already supplied 180 K2 in the Korean version to the Polish army, as part of the other, concluded in July, the delivery of another 180 machines was provided, with which about 60 are to be built in the polonized version of K2PL in the Bumar-Łabędy plant in Gliwice. These machines are to be equipped with the Trophy system.
The systems of the Israeli manufacturer are already installed, among others on the Abrams US Army tanks, British challengers or leopards used by a number of European countries 2.
Rafael also declares readiness to sell the Trophy system to Poland – and partial production in the country – in the event of the interest of Polish manufacturers of installing this type on Polish vehicles, e.g. Borsuk infantry combat vehicles.
