Israel Matzav

Show-offs

In an unusual military training exercise, an anti-tank missile was fired at a Merkava Mark 4 tank being operated by soldiers in order to test the Trophy (Meil Ruach) active tank defense system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense System Ltd. and intended to intercept and destroy aerial threats. The experiment was carried out with kinetic missiles without warheads, which simulate the missile's path and do not pose a threat to soldiers. Commander of the Armored Corps' 401st Brigade. Col. Einav Shalev himself will take part in the exercise, sitting in the tank with Commander of the 9th Armored Battalion, Lt. Col. Itai Berin.

The Trophy, the fruit of a joint labor effort between Rafael, Elta and the American company General Dynamics, uses special radars and sensors to identify various threats directed at the tank such as anti-tank missiles, and launches a special explosive to neutralize them. This active defense system makes it possible to contend with dangers which are sometimes undetected by the crew inside the tank.

Recently, the system was used for the first time in a company training exercise of the 9th Armored Battalion. During the course of the exercise, the soldiers learned its response to environment's stimuli such as smoke emissions from other Merkava tanks and other heat factors, and got experience having it operate while driving.

"Both the battalion commander and I held our breath when the missile was shot during the demonstration," Col. Shalev said during an interview with Army Radio. He added that, "This is an excellent and reliable system tested in every situation, and we intend to provide soldiers entering the Gaza Strip with it and even those entering Lebanon if required." Lt. Col. Itai Berin, 9th Armored Battalion Commander was the commander during the exercise, added that "after a two month integration process, the battalion will be the first to take part in the demonstration on the tank."

Labels: Merkava 4, Trophy system

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:10 AM