Non-Subscriber Extract
Making an Iron Fist of it: Israel's new APS offers variety of countermeasures
By R M Ogorkiewicz
12 January 2009
Much of the recent development of active protection systems (APSs) has been focused on the defeat of short-range, shaped-charge anti-tank weapons, and in particular of the ubiquitous RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade. One of the APSs that addresses this threat is the Iron Fist being developed by Israel Military Industries.
However, in addition to the threat posed by hand-held anti-tank weapons and anti-tank guided missiles, Iron Fist is also being developed to counter high-velocity, long-rod penetrators fired by tank guns and to combat soft- as well as hard-kill anti-tank guided missiles. Moreover, it is also being developed to provide a basis for greater situation awareness and, consequently, for effective counter-fire against threat launchers.
Like other APSs, Iron Fist incorporates radar for threat detection and tracking. Its radar system has been developed by the Elta subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, which has also developed the radar of the Rafael Trophy APS already in low-rate initial production for the Merkava Mk 4 tanks. The system includes four flat-panel antennas, which between them not only cover 360 degrees in azimuth but provide what is virtually a hemispherical coverage.
The radar system is supplemented by an infrared (IR) detection system developed by the Elisra subsidiary of Elbit. It incorporates four IR cameras which would normally be mounted around a vehicle and, as these operate at a much shorter wavelength than radar, can provide Iron Fist's computer with higher-resolution information about the incoming threat, enabling the system to aim the countermeasures launcher more accurately.