On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, the joint venture company EuroTrophy GmbH announced that it had received an order from KNDS Deutschland (part of the German-French KNDS group) for the delivery of Trophy HV (Heavy Vehicles) hard-kill Active Protection System (APS) kits for the future fleet of 123 German Leopard 2A8 tanks.
Photo: Eurotrophy
In addition to the 123 Trophy HV system kits, the contract also includes initial spare parts packages and services to successfully integrate them into the technical, operational, and logistical chain of the German Army (Heer). The value of the agreement has not been disclosed.
This is the second major order for EuroTrophy in the past 12 months, following the selection of the Trophy HV system by the Norwegian Army (Hæren) for their future Leopard 2A8NO tanks. These kits were chosen by Germany and Norway for the Leopard 2A8 on September 6, 2023.
“We are honored and grateful for this award, as it clearly demonstrates the high confidence our customer KNDS has in our combat proven Active Protection System. With this step, Trophy has become an integral part of the Leopard 2 A8 standard configuration,” said Dan Kalfus, Managing Director of EuroTrophy.
“This contract award marks a major milestone and achievement in our joint effort to supply worldclass technology to our European customers. We are convinced that Trophy will be the first choice for many other NATO and European users, which want to equip their MBT and IFV fleets with an Europe-made* active protection system,” added Dr. Thomas Kauffmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of EuroTrophy.
*the system is manufactured in Europe, although it was originally developed in Israel (editor’s note).
EuroTrophy GmbH is a joint venture based in Frankfurt, formed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Germany’s KNDS Deutschland, and Europe’s General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS). Its establishment was announced on November 11, 2021, and it was officially founded on March 28, 2022. The company specializes in the production, integration support, lifecycle management, and related services for the Trophy family of systems.
Photo: KNDS Deutschland
Recently, on October 29 of this year, the German Army (Heer) began testing the first of 18 modernized Leopard 2A7A1 tanks equipped with the Trophy HV system.
The Trophy HV system consists of four Elta EL/M-2133 WindGuard radars operating in the F and G bands, which detect threats around the protected vehicle, as well as two MEFP (Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator) effector launchers, control systems, and software.
The system effectively neutralizes threats such as anti-tank guided missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, and unmanned aerial vehicles, thereby enhancing the survivability of armored vehicles on the battlefield. The capability to counter drones was announced by the original Israeli manufacturer at the AUSA 2024 exhibition in Washington.
It is expected that in the future, the Trophy HV system will be integrated into Leopard 2A8 tanks of other users, including the Czech Republic (56 units), the Netherlands (46 units with an option for 6 additional), Lithuania (54 units), and Croatia (approximately 50 units).
Previously, Trophy HV systems were integrated into Israeli Merkava Mk 3, Mk 4M Windbreaker, and the latest Mk 5 tanks, as well as American M1A2SEPv2 Abrams tanks. Meanwhile, the lighter Trophy MV (Medium Vehicles) systems are being installed on modernized British Challenger 3 tanks. The Korean KAPS-2 system, offered as part of the modernization package for the K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther), is based on Trophy technology. Additionally, the original Trophy system is of interest to Japan for its Type 10 tank modernization program. Elements of the Trophy system could also be observed on the Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 technology demonstrator, for example.