Rafael-KMW-GDELS JV EuroTrophy: German defence giant Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Israeli defence company Rafael and GDELS, the European subsidiary of the US defence company General Dynamics, Thursday announced signing of an agreement to setup a new defene company EuroTrophy in Germany which will manufacture Rafael’s famous Trophy Active Protection System in Europe.
EuroTrophy will be a Germany-based company that will provide potential marketing opportunities, sales and production of the Active Protection System (APS) Trophy to European customers and markets.
The new defence company will also supply potential vehicle integration services and related through-life-support for the Trophy APS.
Rafael said EuroTrophy was expected to be established by the end of this year as the three Israeli, German and US defence companies will seek antitrust clearance and other regulatory approvals.
Rafael’s President and CEO Yoav Har-Even said the establishment of a European joint venture for Trophy was a strategic milestone for Rafael, which speaks volumes of the confidence that European companies have in Trophy as a life-saving system.
He said Germany was the first European nation to choose Trophy to protect its MBT’s, joining the USA.
Yoav Har-Even, CEO, Rafael.
“Now with the establishment of EuroTrophy, we are confident that additional European countries will join the growing family of Trophy users, to protect their troops and assets from the growing challenges and threats on the battlefield,” Yoav Har-Even said in a statement sent to Defence Star.
KMW’s CEO, Ralf Ketzel said the joint strategic move by the three defence companies to establish the joint venture company EuroTrophy was a clear commitment to Germany as a prime business location and underscored the importance of active protection systems.
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s Leopard MBT.
Ralf Ketzel, CEO, KMW.
Ralf Ketzel said active protection systems will be an important building block for the crew’s effectiveness and protection in the modern battlefields and as the leading system supplier for armored vehicles, the integration of state-of-the-art capabilities into KMW products was essential.
ASCOD Vehicle of GDELS.
Alfonso, Ramonet, President, GDELS.
Alfonso Ramonet, President of GDELS, said with the formation of EuroTrophy, the three defence companies would make a significant step into an important allied market for military vehicles as advanced protection technologies would play a crucial role for crew survivability in the future.
“Establishment of a joint company in Germany was also a clear sign of our commitment to our German and European customers and to international industrial cooperation,” Ramonet noted.
Rafael’s Trophy APS
Rapid proliferation of modern anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and anti-tank weapons poses a serious challenge to the survivability of the crew of main battle tanks as they can defeat the MBT’s front armor.
In order to counter these threats, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems developed an active protection system called Trophy Active Protection System that ensures the survivability of the crew and vehicle. Trophy APS also detects low signature shooters and engages them in seconds.
Trophy APS on Leopard MBT.
According to Rafael, Trophy APS creates a neutralization bubble around the vehicle.
It rapidly detects, classifies and engages all known chemical energy (CE) threats – including recoilless rifles, ATGMs, AT rockets, HEAT tank rounds, and RPGs. It increases the lethality of combat forces, successfully neutralizing the enemy’s anti-tank teams, says the Israeli defence company.
Rafael says Trophy APS can locate the fire source, enabling the crew to return fire effectively using the platform’s armament, or by interfacing with other fighting platforms through the BMS network.
Recently Trophy APS cleared live-fire test on German Army’s Leopard Main Battle Tank.
