US Army set to test StrikeShield Active Protection System

The US Army has selected Rheinmetall’s StrikeShield Active Protection System (APS) for testing.

The army has awarded an $11m contract to Rheinmetall Protection Systems and its partner Unified Business Technologies (UBT) for the testing, which will be conducted at Redstone Test Center in Huntsville, Alabama, US, in October 2020.

Rheinmetall and UBT proposed the StrikeShield protection solution for the US Army’s Stryker combat vehicle.

The StrikeShield will undergo evaluation by the army’s Vehicle Protective Systems (VPS) programme office.

This will be the first funded StrikeShield APS testing to be carried out by the army.

Rheinmetall hopes that the contract will lead to potential opportunities for integration of the APS solution on existing and future army vehicles.

The StrikeShield is a distributed real-time system designed to operate in the ‘immediate vicinity of the vehicle’.

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The system can offer protection to the carrying platform from threats such as anti-tank rockets and missiles.

Rheinmetall Active Protection head Stefan Haase said: “We are excited to enter into a new phase of partnership with the army that will enable the army to carry out extensive tests of the StrikeShield APS system.

“We are confident the system will perform very well in the testing and that possibilities for fielding the technology on army vehicle systems will arise.”

The extensive live-fire testing of the StrikeShield APS will run for several months.

Tests will allow the US Army to collect data related to performance to inform future decision on APS systems for different platforms.

Test results will provide feedback that will assist the army in its pursuit of APS technologies for platforms, including Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF), Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), and the Optionally-Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV).

UBT CEO Michelle D’Souza said: “The StrikeShield system is a world-class, mature APS system that will deliver tremendous capability for the US Army. UBT and Rheinmetall are proud to be teamed together as a partner to the army in addressing the high priority requirement for APS technology.”