Armored
vehicles at DSEi 07:DSEi 07 proved a fertile ground
for active protection
systems (APS) manufacturers. At least three products were
on display, more discussed unofficially by exhibitors and developers.
The enthusiasm was motivated by the British MOD interest in
APS for its FRES
program - the future family of combat vehicles, expected
to field an APS as part of their protection suite.(more...)
At DSEi 07, the Finnish Advanced Modular
Vehicle (AMV) 8x8 APC developed by Patria was 'dressed' with
the AMAP active defense system
(ADS) designed by the German IBD Deisenroth Engineering. Weighing
about 400 kg, the system incorporates a modular design of multiple
defensive elements, integrating the energetic material, laser
sensors and activation systems in capsuled modules, installed
around the vehicle providing 360°
protection against RPGs and other shaped charge threats (The
company claims AMAP-ADS also defeats kinetic energy threats
as well as IEDs).
The AMV installation on display at DSEi used an armor base
plate designed to mitigate the blast effect from transferring
to the vehicle's structure. APAM-ADS is claimed to provide close-range,
non-fragmental defeat of threats (possibly by blast effect)
therefore minimizing collateral damage, facilitating use in
a dense urban environment. In the past IBD disclosed few details
about the system's design, including the use of laser triggered
blast effect, but the company did not elaborate on the actual
kill mechanism of its defensive solution. The AMV on display
at DSEi also included the Remotely Operated Driver's Vision
Enhancer (RODVE2-D), a compact, steerable, panoramic, thermal
imager for the driver developed by Thales Canada.
Although launched only a few years ago, the AMV has already
won a number of major international competitions and has so
far been ordered by Croatia (84), Finland (24 with 120mm AMOS
and 62 APCs), Poland (690), Slovenia (135) and South Africa
(264).
Another
APS on display at DSEi is the LEDS 150 from Avitronics, the
South African subsidiary of saab. LEDS is a family of countermeasures
designed for the protection of land combat vehicles. Earlier
versions of the system were limited to 'signature-management'
and 'soft kill', while the more recent configurations, currently
in development are added with 'hard kill' options. According
to Cobus van der Merwe, senior business development executive
with Saab Avitronics, all three capabilities will become an
integral part of the protected vehicle, providing hemi-spherical,
full spectrum active protection. The system displayed at DSEi
07 on the Piranha III will be tested in Switzerland in December
07. Next year the system is scheduled for evaluation by the
US Army, under its Foreign Comparative Test Program. The active
protection LEDS is proposed in three versions. Saab expects
LEDS 150, the third level, to become operational on Piranha
platforms from mid 2009. LEDS 150 has been designed to defeat
rocket propelled grenades and antitank guided missiles (ATGM).
The system uses an advanced sensor package associated with two
High Speed Direction Launchers (HSDL) , loaded with six 'Mongoose'
hard kill projectiles each. The system has already demonstrated
the capability to defeat 105mm tank rounds and RPG-7 (Rocket
Propelled Grenades). A more ambitious system, designated LEDS
200 is in development, to defeat multi-band threats while LEDS
300 will be capable to defeat kinetic energy projectiles and
anti-tank missiles at longer ranges.
RAFAEL
unveiled at DSEi 07 a lightweight version of the Trophy
active protection system, designed for light and medium
armored vehicles. It was displayed at the RAFAEL stand mounted
on the Golan armored vehicle. Trophy Light is smaller than the
original Trophy, designed to protect main battle tanks, weighing
about half the Trophy's weight. The system comprises four flat
radar antennae located around the vehicle, designed to cover
360 degrees. The system uses one or two launchers, firing the
interceptor projectiles to defeat incoming threats at close
range. As with other APS, the active defensive capability is
only an element of the vehicle's entire protective envelope,
since such systems are designed to intercept threats (such as
RPGs) at a stand-off range, eliminating their most lethal shaped
charge penetration capability while the vehicle's passive armor
is required to defeat residual impact by inert threats. At DSEi
07 the Golan vehicle was demonstrated with a new type of hybrid
armor called M-TAPS, developed by RAFAEL to offer effective
protection from IEDs, RPGs and EFPs. The new armor uses a combination
of passive inert and insensitive energetic materials, to provide
passive and reactive protection from all types of threats, while
Trophy Light could augment these elements by enhancing defensive
capability against tandem shaped charge threats.
360°
protection against RPGs and other shaped charge threats (The
company claims AMAP-ADS also defeats kinetic energy threats
as well as IEDs). 
Another
APS on display at DSEi is the LEDS 150 from Avitronics, the
South African subsidiary of saab. LEDS is a family of countermeasures
designed for the protection of land combat vehicles. Earlier
versions of the system were limited to 'signature-management'
and 'soft kill', while the more recent configurations, currently
in development are added with 'hard kill' options. According
to Cobus van der Merwe, senior business development executive
with Saab Avitronics, all three capabilities will become an
integral part of the protected vehicle, providing hemi-spherical,
full spectrum active protection. The system displayed at DSEi
07 on the Piranha III will be tested in Switzerland in December
07. Next year the system is scheduled for evaluation by the
US Army, under its Foreign Comparative Test Program. The active
protection LEDS is proposed in three versions. Saab expects
LEDS 150, the third level, to become operational on Piranha
platforms from mid 2009. LEDS 150 has been designed to defeat
rocket propelled grenades and antitank guided missiles (ATGM).
The system uses an advanced sensor package associated with two
High Speed Direction Launchers (HSDL) , loaded with six 'Mongoose'
hard kill projectiles each. The system has already demonstrated
the capability to defeat 105mm tank rounds and RPG-7 (Rocket
Propelled Grenades). A more ambitious system, designated LEDS
200 is in development, to defeat multi-band threats while LEDS
300 will be capable to defeat kinetic energy projectiles and
anti-tank missiles at longer ranges.
RAFAEL
unveiled at DSEi 07 a lightweight version of the 
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