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A brand new video launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, maybe satirically, provides probably the greatest seems to be to this point on the Israeli-made Trophy energetic safety system in motion. The system on this case is put in on considered one of Israel’s Merkava tanks concerned in the present battle in Gaza. The clip additionally underscores the precise type of use circumstances the place this type of extra safety is very invaluable.
The video in query is the primary in a montage of clips, seen within the social media submit beneath. All the footage is alleged to have been shot by Hamas militants throughout current preventing in and round Khan Younis (additionally usually spelled Khan Yunis) within the southern finish of the Gaza Strip.
https://twitter.com/clashreport/standing/1735000893580267908
The preliminary clips reveals a Merkava tank heading down a avenue at a comparatively excessive pace when it’s attacked. It’s unclear what weapon the assailants employed, however Hamas has been actively using varied sorts of rocket-propelled grenades towards Israeli automobiles. Regardless, the tank’s Trophy system is clearly triggered. Although the footage ends with no clear take a look at the Merkava within the aftermath of the assault, it may possibly seen nonetheless transferring alongside earlier than it cuts off.
The second clip within the montage might present the Trophy system on a stationary Merkava activating in response to an assault, as nicely. Nevertheless, what’s seen occurring in that footage is far much less clear-cut general and the Merkava additionally seems to be as if it could already be immobilized or in any other case broken.
Trophy’s precise configuration is dependent upon the car on which it’s put in, however all of them include an array of small radars and a number of launchers pre-loaded with a number of ‘hard-kill’ projectiles. The radars detect incoming threats and cue the launchers to fireside their payloads. Although an explosive cost is used to blast the projectiles outward, they’re themselves kinetic in nature, which means they’re designed to destroy, or no less than disrupt, their targets by bodily smashing into them.
The promotional video beneath from Trophy’s producer Rafael provides a great common overview of how the system capabilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmvx430HJlou0026t=37s
Trophy is primarily meant to defend towards anti-tank guided missiles and other forms of infantry anti-armor weapons, corresponding to shoulder-fired rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. Commonplace installations are designed to offer “360° safety in azimuth in addition to in depth elevation protection,” not complete 360-degree protection in all instructions, in keeping with Rafael.
The clip that Hamas has launched underscores the worth of energetic safety programs like Trophy, particularly for tanks and different automobiles working in dense city environments. City landscapes supply hostile forces a prepared provide of vantage factors and laborious cowl from which they’ll mount ambushes on passing automobiles at very shut vary.
The Merkava seen within the video can be transferring at pace and with its crew buttoned up inside, all of which may restrict situational consciousness. The tank additionally seems to be by itself with no different automobiles or accompanying dismounted infantry to assist present overwatch. Why that is the case is unclear, however it’s value noting that Trophy does current some dangers to infantry, particularly if they’re working very near the car it’s mounted on, as could be the case in an city surroundings. Rafael does say that Trophy is designed to offer “pre-defined security zone for pleasant troops” and current “minimal threat to dismounts, crews, or civilians.” Regardless of the circumstances, the video does present Trophy serving to to fill in a few of these gaps.
Israeli protection contractors have been pioneers in energetic car defenses and proceed to be leaders on this area. The Israel Protection Forces first started fielding Merkava tanks with Trophy, particularly, in 2009. This was a call that was pushed in no small half by classes discovered from Israel’s battle with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in that nation in 2006.
Not less than 40 Merkavas had been broken within the preventing again in 2006 by anti-tank guided missiles, in addition to infantry anti-armor weapons and mines, in keeping with a white paper printed by the U.S. Military’s Mixed Arms Middle. Between 5 and 6 Merkavas had been categorized as “destroyed” on account of varied sorts of assaults, in keeping with separate evaluation from the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research assume tank in Washington, D.C. A few of these tanks might have been subsequently returned to service after in depth repairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xueOm0fdY70
Israeli officers subsequently credited Trophy with being an enormous a part of why no Merkavas reportedly suffered vital injury in the course of the battle in Gaza in 2014.
Trophy is, after all, not excellent. There’s nonetheless the potential for incoming threats to get by, particularly if a big quantity of weapons are fired at a single goal directly. It’s not designed to guard towards all types of threats, both, together with enemy personnel sneaking as much as plant explosive costs instantly on automobiles. The system additionally merely might not all the time be energetic, both, particularly if infantry are current close by.
As already famous, it additionally doesn’t present complete 360-degree protection and Israeli Merkavas and different armored automobiles have emerged with add-on steel armor screens on prime in the middle of the present battle in Gaza. Screens like this, which first appeared on Russian tanks within the build-up to that nation’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, are primarily designed to defend towards assaults involving lower-tier drones. Ukrainian forces now additionally make in depth use of this type of improvised armor and it has begun to look elsewhere all over the world, together with with Mexican drug cartels.
https://twitter.com/AtienzaElias/standing/1720431112936137130?s=20
As already famous, Trophy doesn’t present full 360-degree protection. Hamas notably used weaponized drones to conduct top-down assaults on Israeli tanks and different targets as a part of its brazen assaults on October 7.
https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/standing/1710595943664329027
Precisely what number of Merkavas, in addition to different Israeli armored and unarmored automobiles, might have been destroyed or broken within the preventing in and round Gaza since October 7 is unclear. On the time of writing, there may be visible proof that no less than 24 Merkavas have been destroyed or broken within the battle to this point.
Regardless, the video clip of the Merkava below assault reveals clearly how Trophy supplies an essential extra layer of protection. On the similar time, as was the case with the preventing in Lebanon in 2006, new classes discovered about defending tanks and different automobiles from present and rising threats will undoubtedly come out of the present battle in Gaza.
Contact the writer: joe@thedrive.com
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