£20m deal to support Challenger 3 missile protection system
A £20-million contract has been awarded by Defence Equipment and Support to secure hardware for the next phase of tests on a cutting-edge new rocket and missile protection system.
The Trophy Active Protection System (APS), which is being supplied by industry partner Rafael, will be tested and integrated with Challenger 3 – a battle tank manufactured by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), who have a base in Telford.
The system aims to provide enhanced protection against rocket and missile threats, while simultaneously finding the origin of the hostile fire for immediate response.
It can locate an incoming rocket or missile in less than a second, destroying it by firing back its own ammunition.
The system has completed three weeks of assessment phase trials on the Challenger 3 representative system with a total 25 shots, including live intercept shots.
