US Marines to Purchase Israeli Trophy APS

[Boagrius]

The Marine Corps plans to buy or lease active protection systems (APS) for its M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, told members of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on seapower April 13, 2016 that are vulnerable to proliferating anti-tank guided missiles.

Gen. Walsh said the marine Corps should approach vehicle protection as it does with aircraft protection. “As we started to get threats on our aircraft, fixed wing and helicopters, from infrared missiles, we quickly put on capabilities to defeat those type of missiles. Now we see the threat on the ground changing, becoming much more sophisticated. What we’ve continued to do is to put on more armor. We’ve got to start thinking of higher technology capability with vehicle protective systems, which can defeat anti-tank guided missiles, RPGs, and top down threats we face, along with soft kill – this is what our aircraft has. We need the same technology for our vehicles.”


The Marine Corps plans to buy or lease active protection systems for its M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, told members of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on seapower April 13, 2016 that are vulnerable to proliferating anti-tank guided missiles.

Gen. Walsh said the marine Corps should approach vehicle protection as it does with aircraft protection. “As we started to get threats on our aircraft, fixed wing and helicopters, from infrared missiles, we quickly put on capabilities to defeat those type of missiles. Now we see the threat on the ground changing, becoming much more sophisticated. What we’ve continued to do is to put on more armor. We’ve got to start thinking of higher technology capability with vehicle protective systems, which can defeat anti-tank guided missiles, RPGs, and top down threats we face, along with soft kill – this is what our aircraft has. We need the same technology for our vehicles.”

http://defense-update.com/20160415_army-marine-corps-want-to-test-israels-trophy-aps-again.html

Interesting development - looks like Quick Kill (the U.S answer to Trophy) may have been too slow out of the starting blocks.

 

[lfd0311]

I think they're just buying something that is battle tested, as opposed to trying to develop our own. Plus this is provides a cover to give more money to Israel, which they will doubtless use to rid the world of some very unsavory people, a process I'm entirely in favor of. Basically it is a win/win for everyone involved.

 

[StannisTheMannis]

battle tested? against what? palestinian kids throwing rocks?

 

[dannialn]

One of the perks of being in a perpetual conflicts is getting your battle equipment constantly tested in the field.
One of the reasons the US subsidizes its weapons industry to Israel, easier to sell stuff you can show works in the field.

 

[Rod1]

One of the perks of being in a perpetual conflicts is getting your battle equipment constantly tested in the field.
One of the reasons the US subsidizes its weapons industry to Israel, easier to sell stuff you can show works in the field.

Yes, the US rarely enters armed conflict.

 

[dannialn]

Yes, the US rarely enters armed conflict.

Not the same thing. And anyway, you can never have too much publicity and weapons testing.

 

[Rod1]

Not the same thing. And anyway, you can never have too much publicity and weapons testing.

Of course not, Israel faces real tough challenges fighting real soldiers who live in Arkham city (i mean Gaza), while the US only fights untrained chumps.

And love the publicity you know those Israeli hellfire missiles into a school or those Saudi guided bombs into an Yemeni hospital, those make American weapons look great.

 

[dannialn]

Of course not, Israel faces real tough challenges fighting real soldiers who live in Arkham city (i mean Gaza), while the US only fights untrained chumps.

And love the publicity you know those Israeli hellfire missiles into a school or those Saudi guided bombs into an Yemeni hospital, those make American weapons look great.

The bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki weren't that humane either.
I understand your stance on the issue, I'd be glad if there were no wars and we didn't need to produce weapons as well, but these are not arguments, just emotional banter.

 

[Rod1]

The bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki weren't that humane either.
I understand your stance on the issue, I'd be glad if there were no wars and we didn't need to produce weapons as well, but these are not arguments, just emotional banter.

No, im merely pointing out that Israel isnt some sort of weapons lab for the US, its simply a way to justify more taxpayer money going towards the MIC pockets.

Everyone knows the US weapon systems are the best by a mile-long.

 

[dannialn]

No, im merely pointing out that Israel isnt some sort of weapons lab for the US, its simply a way to justify more taxpayer money going towards the MIC pockets.

Everyone knows the US weapon systems are the best by a mile-long.

That's like saying that Coca Cola doesn't need to advertise because everybody knows they are the tastiest.

Israeli is one of the worlds major exporters and developers in billions of USD. If you think the US arms industry don't have their hands deep in that action you're just being naive.

 

[Boagrius]

battle tested? against what? palestinian kids throwing rocks?

The Israelis claim it was effective against a variety of anti armour weapons in Gaza, 2014 and dramatically improved the survivability of their tanks when compared to the campaign of 2006. This included reliably defeating dangerous Russian weapons like RPG29 and Kornet - the kind that have managed to penetrate the likes of Abrams, Challenger II and Merkava IV in the past. I suspect their claims may have some merit on this one.

 

[Rod1]

That's like saying that Coca Cola doesn't need to advertise because everybody knows they are the tastiest.

Israeli is one of the worlds major exporters and developers in billions of USD. If you think the US arms industry don't have their hands deep in that action you're just being naive.

No, coca cola is the most well known, not the tastiest or the only one.

This is not the cold war where showing that being team america meant the best weapons like the arab israeli wars showed.

Of course America leads in the most high tech weapons but there are other places where its not the leader since these lobbies arent as strong as others (looking at your Lockheed).

Trying to justify American assistance to Israel as beneficial to America is a joke, lets be intellectually honest on this one. America could take one year of just one year and give it to an American contract and get a better indigenous system than whatever it must BUY from Israelis.