Israeli-Made Active-Protection Hard-Kill System to Be Purchased by Swedish Defense Contractor, Dutch Army
by Ruthie Blum
A Swedish defense contractor and the Royal Netherlands Army have both ordered an Israeli-made active-protection system (APS) for armored vehicles, the Hebrew news site nrg reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the Israel Military Industries, which developed the Iron Fist — called in Hebrew “Hetz Dorban” (literally: “porcupine arrow”) — was selected by the Swedish company BAE Hagglunds and the Dutch army to provide the technologically advanced APS. It will make Holland the first NATO country to possess the hard-kill system with a modular design that enables it to be adapted to light and heavy combat vehicles.
The Iron Fist is equipped with sophisticated sensors that enable it to detect, intercept and destabilize missiles and other threats — without detonating their warheads.
Both Sweden and Holland have had tense relations with Israel. As The Algemeiner reported in July, the Dutch government refused to condemn Palestinian media references to terrorists as “martyrs,” claiming such labels are protected by freedom of speech.
Calling the surge in Palestinian terrorism against Israelis “unfortunate,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry said that the “use of the word ‘shahid’ (martyr) in this localized context is not unusual.”
In September, during a two-day trip to the Netherlands, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was snubbed by a parliament member, who refused to shake his hand.
Last January, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called for an investigation into whether or not Israel has been guilty of “extrajudicial killings” of Palestinians during the ongoing wave of Palestinian terrorism and violence in the Jewish state. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said her “reckless and ludicrous comments” served to buoy terrorism and encourage violence.