Future Armoured Vehicles Central and Eastern Europe: EuroTrophy reveals further Othello sensor details

A Challenger 3 main battle tank prototype shown at DSEI fitted with a mock-up of the Trophy APS. (Janes/Riccardo Cociani)

Further details of EuroTrophy GmbH's Othello sensor and the silent-mode capabilities of the active protection system (APS) were revealed at SAE Media's Future Armoured Vehicles Central and Eastern Europe conference, which was held in Prague on 15 and 16 May.

Speaking at the event, Dan Kalfus, managing director and co-founder of EuroTrophy GmbH, said the Othello sensor is designed to minimise the host vehicle's exposure to electronic warfare (EW) assets by enabling EuroTrophy's radars to be switched off and for the system to function in what Kalfus described as “silent mode”.

Othello's electro-optical (EO) sensors do not emit the electromagnetic waves used by radars, instead relying on a passive-detection method. The EO sensors can detect the intense release of thermal energy associated with the launch of a missile or rocket-propelled grenade. Upon detection, EuroTrophy's active electronically scanned array radars are activated to measure the velocity and direction of travel of an incoming projectile.

As such, the radars are still required for the system to function, but the presence of the Othello sensors enables them to remain inactive until a threat is detected. The most significant benefit of this improved system is the minimising of the electromagnetic signature of the EuroTrophy radars. On a battlefield where land-based and aerial EW assets are present, this can reduce the likelihood of an asset equipped with a EuroTrophy APS being detected through its radar emissions.