DavidSling
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- The Army selected Rafael Trophy APS to be installed and characterized on the Army Abrams M1A2 and Marine Corps M1A1 tanks. The Trophy system engages incoming threats with a kinetic projectile intended to destroy the threat or cause early initiation. The Abrams base armor is expected to be able to absorb threat residuals. The Trophy APS adds approximately 5,000 pounds to the platform. In addition to the installation of the Trophy system onto the tank, the Army has incorporated limited integration of the Trophy system into the tank’s situational awareness system.
- The Army selected the IMI Systems Iron Fist to be installed and characterized on the Bradley. The Iron Fist engages incoming threats with an explosive projectile intended to destroy or divert the threat, and adds approximately 450 pounds to the platform. The fielded Bradley A3 does not generate sufficient power to operate the APS. The Bradley A4, which is currently under development, does generate sufficient power, so power components from the Bradley A4 must be integrated into the APS test asset.
- The Army selected the Artis Iron Curtain to be installed and characterized on the Stryker. The Iron Curtain engages incoming threats with a kinetic projectile intended to prevent function of the warhead. The Iron Curtain adds approximately 5,700 pounds to the Stryker vehicle.
The Army conducted Phase 1 Trophy live fire testing at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, from April through July 2017. Live fire testing included a total of 46 test events.
- Twenty-nine performance characterization tests on Abrams to demonstrate basic, vendor-claimed APS capabilities. If the APS vendor did not project a successful engagement then the program manager either modified or eliminated the engagement. These tests included seven collateral damage collection events (in conjunction with live threat-countermunition interaction) to assess the potential injury to dismounted soldiers from fragmentation produced during an APS engagement.
- Eight tests to demonstrate APS performance in operationally relevant and stressing conditions to include three simultaneous (dual) threat engagement tests, two defilade tests, one elevated foliage test, and two tests with metallic clutter on the ground to assess potential radar interference. The program manager deferred testing of one threat class, tests in urban environments and tests in rainy conditions, originally planned for Phase 1 to Phase 2.
- Nine additional characterization tests on a Marine Corps M1A1 tank using inert rounds to determine APS system performance on a moving (vehicle and/or turret) platform.
- The June 2017 user assessment event identified a degradation in turret traverse performance resulting from an imbalance of the turret due to the additional weight of the Trophy system. The crew could not traverse the turret manually on slopes greater than 5 degrees and power traverse capability was degraded on slopes greater than 8 degrees. Technical analysis indicated a high likelihood of delays between pulling the trigger and the main gun round actually firing.
- The subsequent user testing in September 2017 identified several mitigations that reduced the degradation in turret traverse performance enough for crews to conduct combat operations with the additional weight, and the potential trigger delay problems were not observed during the event. The Army has not made a final decision on the final configuration for mitigations.
http://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/t...for-tanks/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-121099
- The Army selected the IMI Systems Iron Fist to be installed and characterized on the Bradley. The Iron Fist engages incoming threats with an explosive projectile intended to destroy or divert the threat, and adds approximately 450 pounds to the platform. The fielded Bradley A3 does not generate sufficient power to operate the APS. The Bradley A4, which is currently under development, does generate sufficient power, so power components from the Bradley A4 must be integrated into the APS test asset.
- The Army selected the Artis Iron Curtain to be installed and characterized on the Stryker. The Iron Curtain engages incoming threats with a kinetic projectile intended to prevent function of the warhead. The Iron Curtain adds approximately 5,700 pounds to the Stryker vehicle.
The Army conducted Phase 1 Trophy live fire testing at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, from April through July 2017. Live fire testing included a total of 46 test events.
- Twenty-nine performance characterization tests on Abrams to demonstrate basic, vendor-claimed APS capabilities. If the APS vendor did not project a successful engagement then the program manager either modified or eliminated the engagement. These tests included seven collateral damage collection events (in conjunction with live threat-countermunition interaction) to assess the potential injury to dismounted soldiers from fragmentation produced during an APS engagement.
- Eight tests to demonstrate APS performance in operationally relevant and stressing conditions to include three simultaneous (dual) threat engagement tests, two defilade tests, one elevated foliage test, and two tests with metallic clutter on the ground to assess potential radar interference. The program manager deferred testing of one threat class, tests in urban environments and tests in rainy conditions, originally planned for Phase 1 to Phase 2.
- Nine additional characterization tests on a Marine Corps M1A1 tank using inert rounds to determine APS system performance on a moving (vehicle and/or turret) platform.
- The June 2017 user assessment event identified a degradation in turret traverse performance resulting from an imbalance of the turret due to the additional weight of the Trophy system. The crew could not traverse the turret manually on slopes greater than 5 degrees and power traverse capability was degraded on slopes greater than 8 degrees. Technical analysis indicated a high likelihood of delays between pulling the trigger and the main gun round actually firing.
- The subsequent user testing in September 2017 identified several mitigations that reduced the degradation in turret traverse performance enough for crews to conduct combat operations with the additional weight, and the potential trigger delay problems were not observed during the event. The Army has not made a final decision on the final configuration for mitigations.
http://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/t...for-tanks/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-121099
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