An Israeli tank equipped with the Trophy Active Protection System. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

JNS.org – The UK Ministry of Defense chose the Trophy Active Protection System, made by Israeli defense company Rafael, for its Challenger 3 main battle tank, Rafael announced on Thursday.

The decision followed a study carried out by the British Ministry of Defense as part of an upgrade program that is being led by prime contractor Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land, “which will entail detailed integration and system trials of this lighter Trophy variant (Trophy MV) to fit the particular requirements of this vehicle,” said Rafael.

Trophy has been installed and operational on Israel Defense Forces’ Merkava tanks since 2010, and has also been installed on IDF Namer APCs.

It has made numerous real-world combat interceptions and accrued more than a million operating hours.

Developed in response to successful anti-armor attacks, the Trophy active protection system provides “combat-proven protection against rocket and missile threats, and simultaneously locates the origin of the hostile fire for immediate response,” the company added.

Trophy has been supplied to four US Army Abrams main battle tank brigades and will soon go to Germany for its Leopard main battle tanks.

David Farmer, team leader for the Challenger 3 delivery team at Defense, Equipment and Support—the procurement arm of the UK Ministry of Defence—said “this is a significant program for defense and the British army and represents a huge shift in the modernization of our land forces. The pioneering new technology that we are planning to use will allow us to deliver an immense warfighting capability.”

Brig. Gen (Ret.) Michael Lurie, head of Rafael’s Land Maneuverability Systems Directorate, said the “Trophy active protection system has saved the lives of numerous soldiers and has been instrumental in protecting assets on the battlefield and enabling tank crews to maneuver safely under anti-tank fire and perform their missions safely and fully. This system has changed the rules of the game in the armored warfare arena, and the UK’s decision to choose Trophy for the protection of its crews ushers in a new era for its armored forces as well.”