New Counter-Drone Capability and New Markets Raise ...
AI Analysis
Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has upgraded its Trophy Active Protection System to counter the growing threat of drones, including low-altitude and various drone classes. The company has partnered with Larsen & Toubro to promote this system in India, targeting vehicles like Arjun and T-90S tanks.
Key Takeaways
- Rafael upgraded Trophy APS to address drone threats.
- Partnership with Larsen & Toubro for Indian defense market.
- Potential use of electronic jamming or directed energy in upgrades.
- Trophy APS operational with Israel Defense Forces since 2009.
- Contracts with U.S. and German militaries for Trophy-equipped vehicles.
Why It Matters
The enhancement of Trophy APS to counter drone threats reflects the evolving nature of modern warfare, where drones pose significant risks to ground vehicles. The collaboration with India and ongoing contracts with Western militaries underscore the global demand for advanced counter-UAS solutions, enhancing military vehicle survivability.
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Defense Security Monitor
Trophy Active Protection System. Image – Rafael
The demand for ground military vehicle protection worldwide has increased dramatically in recent years with the steadily growing threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or more commonly, drones.
At an International Armored Vehicles (IAV) conference, held in January, in Farnborough, UK, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems announced an upgrade to its Trophy Active Protection System (APS). According to the company, the enhancement addresses challenges posed by low-altitude aerial threats and varying drone classes, including commercially available systems, one-way attack drones, and larger fixed-wing UAS.
This followed and may have augmented a similar Rafael announcement in October 2024, when the company announced it had equipped Trophy with a new capability specifically designed for the growing UAS threat.
Once month after the IAV conference, during Aero India 2025, Rafael and Indian industrial firm Larsen & Toubro, signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at jointly promoting the Trophy APS for the needs of India’s Ministry of Defense. Potential vehicles identified include Arjun tanks and widely used, Russian-produced T-90S tanks.
Mainly, Trophy detects and tracks an anti-tank missile threat and neutralizes it away from the platform. The threat detection and warning subsystem consists of electro-optical sensors and search radar located around the protected vehicle to provide full hemispherical coverage. Though not confirmed, the newly announced capabilities may rely on some form of electronic jamming or directed energy – both techniques seeing increasing favor in new, counter-drone technology.
This year’s recent Trophy activity is a positive sign that the already successful APS – deployed operationally by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since August 2009 – should see steady production over the next several years for the military vehicle inventories of multiple nations.
In June 2018, co-producer, Leonardo DRS won a contract worth $193 million to provide Trophy systems, countermeasures, and maintenance kits for U.S. Army tanks. Over the past few years, the U.S. has ordered enough systems to equip four brigades of tanks.
In April 2023, the German Bundestag approved the acquisition of 18 Trophy-equipped Leopard 2A8 tanks, as well as a further 12 PzH2000 self-propelled howitzers. The vehicles are to be delivered between 2025 and 2026.
Two years after selecting Trophy for the next phase of detailed assessment and integration trials for the British Army’s Challenger 3 main battle tanks, in July 2023, Rafael won a £20 million contract to