Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1407425
Despite the advanced technologies, high weight of the vehicle, and the thick armor, it turned out that Merkava Mk 4 offers protection from Kornet- and Metis-M-class ATGMs only at an angle of +/- 35 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the turret - similarly as other, modern western MBT designs. Good protection of the sides of the turret, and the hull, has been quite a relevant ad- vantage. Even though Metis-M and Kornet ATGMs were able to pierce them, the legacy anti-tank assets and other anti-tank weapons were not effective against this part of the Merkava's armor. However, hits taken from the mod- ern Metis-M and Kornet ATGMs were fatal. The primacy of the tactics over the protection levels has become quite visible. It became clear, after 2006, that further attempts to provide classic ar- mor-based 360-degree protection are not a viable solution. It was necessary to redefine vehicle protection. Merkava Mk 4 and the Trophy System Creating an active hard-kill protection system has turned out to resolve the problems. ASPRO-A, also known as the Windbreaker, or Trophy, has been de- veloped in the early 21st Century, gaining combat-ready status in November 2010. The Windbreaker consists of six primary elements installed on the sides of the turret. Four radar antennas play the primary role, providing 360 degrees coverage. The miniaturized IAI Elta ELM-2133 WindGuard 3D AESA radar is highly accurate, rapidly detecting and precisely tracking the threats, also having an insignificant signature, and an ability to classify the threats and prioritize them. "Bullet-proof and fragment-proof Ballistic Antennas" enhance the survivability and resilience of the system. This most probably refers to the antenna's ability to work even after being damaged with small arms or fragmentation. This also, probably, does not mean that the anten- nas are completely bulletproof. The targets are detected at a distance of more than 50 meters from the vehicle. The system can also determine the ATGM/RPG launch location, and feed that data to the vehicle's fire control system. Automated effectors' magazine is another component of the Trophy system, containing 3-5 effectors. Reloading takes around 2.3 seconds. An- other component comes in the form of azimuthal and elevation drive for the execution element. Directly above, the ASPRO-A effector has been placed, with the Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator (MEFP). Further ASPRO-A elements include armored protective covers, between the effectors, and the turret. Their job is to protect the fire control system sensors, and the opto- electronics when the MEFP is formed. The individual elements of the Trophy system are connected by a central unit fusing the data, under the armor, in the crew compartment. The target neutralization procedure goes as follows: once the threat is de- tected by the WindGuard radar antennas, it is tracked, and its trajectory is defined. When the system concludes that the ATGM/grenades do not pose a threat, then nothing happens. However, the trajectory and the expected hit location are verified continuously. Should a risk of a hit emerge, the drive system receives commands, via the central control unit, leading to the MEFP www.fragoutmag.com