The German Rheinmetall group is taking up a majority interest of 51% in Chempro, a privately held company specializing in advanced armor protection. The company is also increasing its holdings at the Düsseldorf-based ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme of Lohmar, developing active protection systems. Both companies were founded by the Deisenroth family. Chempro provides advanced passive protection materials for modern armored vehicles, including the MEXAS, used to protect the latest Leopard 2 tanks and AMAP, fitted into the various armored vehicles.
ADS is currently developing a new generation of active protection systems, and is engaged in several cooperation in Sweden and France. The company develops the AMAP-ADS, an active defense measure that detects and analyses threats in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, actively engaging them with appropriate countermeasures. Currently undergoing testing by customers in a number of nations, the product is scheduled to go into serial production by 2008. Rheinmetall announced its intention to increase its stake in ADS in order to obtain a majority interest in the company.
