AMAP-ADS (active defence system) is a hard-kill active protection system (APS), developed by the German company ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme, a daughter company of Rheinmetall and

IBD Deisenroth Engineering IBD Deisenroth Engineering was a German company specializing in the design of armor for military vehicles. They formed in 1981 to develop applications of a new explosive suitable for use in explosive reactive armor (ERA). Through the 1980s, they de ...

, as part of their

Advanced Modular Armor Protection Advanced Modular Armor Protection (AMAP) is modular composite armour concept, developed by the German company IBD Deisenroth Engineering. According to IBD AMAP is a 4th generation composite armour, making use of nano-ceramics and modern steel alloy ...

concept. The system is also known under the name AAC in Sweden and as Shark in France. Due to its

modular Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...

design it can be adapted to a broad range of vehicles. In particular, it is capable of protecting light vehicles against large caliber weapons which the vehicles' light

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

wouldn't stop.

Design

The system has a modular design that can be adapted to almost every vehicle; it weighs 140 kg for light vehicles and up to 500 kg for heavy vehicles. The main elements are the sensor-

countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...

modules arranged all around the vehicle. A processor determines the type and the

trajectory A trajectory or flight path is the path that an object with mass in motion follows through space as a function of time. In classical mechanics, a trajectory is defined by Hamiltonian mechanics via canonical coordinates; hence, a complete tra ...

of the approaching target. Subsequently, a countermeasure module close to the calculated impact point is activated. This countermeasure destroys or disrupts the approaching threat so that it cannot penetrate the vehicle. The arrangement of sensors and countermeasures provides a hemispherical protection. The overlapping sectors of the sensor-countermeasure modules enable the system to defeat multi-attacks. Due to the short reaction time of approximately 560 microseconds, threats can be eliminated at ranges of approximately 10 m, not depending on the speed of the threat.(Authorization Required) AMAP-ADS is one of the fastest active protection systems, faster than Quick Kill, Iron Fist or Trophy. Since the countermeasures create a non-fragmenting stream of material, collateral damage to nearby troops or civilians is minimized. These are important aspects in urban environments. In comparison to other hard-kill systems, there are no moving parts. This makes ADS light and reduces power requirements. Therefore, it can be installed on lightweight vehicles. The system is not intended to completely substitute for passive base armor. Larger caliber projectiles will only be fragmented and not entirely deflected. Therefore, a minimum of passive armor is still required to absorb the residual energy of the fragments.

Applications

Prototypes have already been tested on several vehicles including

Marder Marder may refer to: German military vehicles * A series of World War II tank destroyers: ** Marder I ** Marder II ** Marder III * Marder (IFV), a modern infantry fighting vehicle * Marder (submarine), a World War II midget submarine People with ...

, SEP,

Combat Vehicle 90 The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90; Sw. ''Stridsfordon'' 90, Strf90) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (''Försvarets Materielverk'', FMV), Hägglunds and Bofors during the mid-1980s to e ...

and

Patria AMV The Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle) is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defence industry company Patria. The main feature of the AMV is its modular design, which allows the incorporation of different turrets, wea ...

LMV. Singapore has decided to use AMAP-ADS as active protection system on their vehicles, while a number of European armies are considering buying it.

Successful demonstrations

AMAP-ADS has been tested on several platforms. As part of the AAC (''Active Armor Concept'') it was installed on the SEP designed by

BAE Systems Hägglunds BAE Systems AB is a Swedish defence company and a subsidiary of BAE Systems Land & Armaments, whose ultimate parent is the British defence contractor BAE Systems. The company is a holding company for Land Systems Hägglunds AB and BAE Systems Bof ...

. On 17 April 2008 it was tested in Sweden under urban combat conditions. Threat rejection and multi-hit capability were proven, when 7.62 mm rounds and

RPG-7 The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Th ...

s were fired from a short distance of some 50 m, a range typical for urban missions. In that test the RPG-7 projectiles were destroyed. The system also detected a 7.62 mm round but rejected it as a threat.

US testings

Textron Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engin ...

ASV vehicle has been modified and equipped with the AMAP-ADS hardkill-system. Then it was tested 6 weeks extensively at Redstone Arsenal in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

. These tests were overseen by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Different types of RPGs and ATGMs were launched at various spots like the sides or the roof from close range (, including multi-hit attacks, in which multiple threats were used in a short period of time. AMAP-ADS met or even exceeded all US requirements during the tests. The operationability in hot climates was also proven.

References

:Strategie & Technik International Edition II/2007, Active Stand-Off Protection Systems, p.35-43

External links

* Manufacturer links (Authorization Required)
Webpage of Manufacturer

(Video) **Video of a ttp://www.ibd-deisenroth-engineering.de/tl_files/resources/content-flas/ads_livedemo_eurosatory_2010.flv live demonstration of AMAP-ADSon the

Eurosatory Eurosatory is the largest international defence and security exhibition for land and airland that is held every two years in the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with ...

2010.
SEP DEMOADS Gmbh website
{{APS Vehicle armour Armoured fighting vehicle equipment Land active protection systems Weapons countermeasures