New Trophy deal expands defensive suite’s Leopard 2 A8 tank user base

JERUSALEM — Trophy active protection systems will be integrated on the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks of Lithuania, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Croatia under a €300 million ($351 million) deal, manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announcement on Monday.

The multi-nation contract will be carried out by Germany-based EuroTrophy GmbH, a joint venture of General Dynamics European Land Systems, Leopard maker KNDS and the Israeli developer. EuroTrophy markets the system to countries in Europe.

The first time the Israeli Trophy was successfully tested and integrated onto a German Leopard 2 tank was in October 2021. It has also been integrated on several other Western armored platforms, including he American M1 Abrams and the Israeli Merkava main battle tanks.

According to Rafael, the list of upcoming vehicle integrations also includes K2 Black Panther tanks, as well as lighter variants on armored vehicles like the Boxer, Patria AMV and Namer.

Rafael markets Trophy as a combat-proven active protection system, designed to detect, track, and neutralize anti-tank threats in real time. The system consists of several sensors, a search radar, a firing computer and an interceptor launcher mounted on the tank.

The system has the ability to engage with a variety of threats and multiple attacks simultaneously and can operate while on the move and in all weather conditions.

According to the Israeli military, during the Iron Swords war Trophy systems intercepted thousands of Kornet missiles and RPG rockets at an estimated rate of 85%.