Rafael head of land maneuver systems directorate praises IDF Trophy system
The Trophy system detects missiles when launched and destroys the incoming missile before it can reach the tank.
By ALAN ROSENBAUMBrig.-Gen. (ret.) Michael Lurie, head of the land maneuver systems directorate at Rafael, is seen addressing The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference.(photo credit: LIOR LEV)
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Lurie, vice president and head of the land maneuver systems directorate at Rafael, spoke at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference and described the game-changing nature of Rafael’s Trophy active protection system, used to defend tanks and armored personnel carriers from incoming missile attacks.Speaking with Steve Linde, editor of The Jerusalem Report, Lurie explained that the Trophy system detects missiles when launched and destroys the incoming missile before it can reach the tank.“The incoming threat is fast; you need to detect it and look at it, keep pace with the threat, decide when to intercept it and hit it precisely. All of this requires a very high level of precision and a lot of computing,” noted Lurie.For the full conference, click here >>In the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israeli tanks were attacked by missiles, killing IDF tank crews and destroying numerous tanks. In 2010, the IDF began deployment of the first tanks with Trophy, which first saw combat action in 2011, with the first-ever combat interception of an anti-tank missile. The system was used extensively in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and was recently purchased by the US Army.Lurie says that the system not only detects the incoming missile but detects the missile’s origin, enabling the crew to neutralize the source of the attack. Additionally, he said that its use enhances the awareness of an entire battalion of tanks, allowing them to better maneuver in all terrains.
