Elbit Systems’ Iron Fist active protection system (APS) is designed to provide high-end defence against anti-tank threats.
Iron Fist uses high-precision sensing to detect, identify and classify incoming threats before engaging them across a wide range of scenarios. It is engineered to protect crews while limiting the risk of damage to the host vehicle.
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The system is available in a lighter configuration suited to armoured fighting vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and logistics platforms, alongside a heavier variant intended for main battle tanks.
Iron Fist APS design and features
The Iron Fist APS can be added as a modular fit to pre-prepared vehicles while keeping changes to the external profile to a minimum and avoiding a major weight burden. Its compact, low-mass architecture supports easier installation, maintenance and calibration.
The system is designed to connect with existing onboard systems including battle management systems, fire control systems and Elbit’s IronVision see-through armour capability. Iron Fist is intended to operate without reducing the performance of these key subsystems, while enhancing overall battlefield effectiveness.
Iron Fist APS’ sensor suite provides continuous 360° day-and-night coverage to improve situational awareness. It also incorporates hostile fire detection that can help locate the source of fire, from single shots to small-arms bursts.
Developed with the constraints of lighter platforms in mind, Iron Fist is intended for integration across numerous combat vehicle types. The lighter configuration has been optimised for light and medium vehicles, improving survivability without compromising crew operations.
Detection and tracking
Iron Fist combines radar and electro-optical sensors to deliver threat detection, classification and launch-point localisation across a broad set of anti-armour risks.
The system is built for rapid and robust target acquisition with a low false alarm rate. It can automatically recognise threats such as short-range rocket-propelled grenades, recoilless munitions and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), while the heavier version is also intended to defeat tank-fired rounds, including high-explosive anti-tank and kinetic energy ammunition.
The system supports simultaneous tracking during multi-threat engagements and helps crews identify the firing point to support return fire.
Iron Fist APS armament
Iron Fist uses a blast interceptor to neutralise threats using a compact charge deployed at a standoff distance, producing a shockwave at a calculated time and location to defeat the incoming munition.
The approach is intended to destroy the projectile without detonating its warhead and to disrupt jet formation, while limiting residual effects around the protected vehicle.
A computerised control unit fuses sensor inputs to select the optimal intercept point, and an optional laser-based soft-kill jammer can be added to counter second-generation ATGMs.
Orders and deliveries
In January 2020, Elbit Systems won an initial agreement valued at around $31m from Israel’s Ministry of Defence to supply the Iron Fist APS for the Israel Defense Forces’ Eitan vehicles.
The company received an $82m order from BAE Systems Hägglunds in February 2021. The order covers APS and electro-optical commander sights for the Royal Netherlands Army, as part of the CV90 modernisation effort.
Furthermore, a $109m contract was awarded by BAE Systems Hägglunds for its CV90 platform in September 2023 for an unnamed European customer, and an additional $130m deal was concluded in August 2024 for another European CV90 programme, scheduled across five and a half years.
In May 2024, Elbit won an initial $37m contract with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to support planned upgrades to US Army Bradley M2A4E1 infantry fighting vehicles. This was followed by a further order valued at $127m in November 2024, with deliveries planned over 34 months.
In January 2026, Elbit secured additional orders worth $150m from BAE Systems Hägglunds for the integration of the Iron Fist APS on CV90 infantry fighting vehicles operated by Nato member states in Europe.
