Iron Curtain is an active protection system (
APS) created in 2005 and designed by
Artis, an American technology development and manufacturing firm. The system deactivates threats, such as
rocket-propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...
s (RPG) and other shoulder-launched missiles.
The system was created as part of an accelerated acquisition effort by the U.S. Army to characterize and field active protection systems as quickly as possible. It was evaluated on the
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
Infantry Carrier Vehicle, with two systems undergoing tests by the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
: one at
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...
in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and the other at
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal (RSA) is a United States Army post and a census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The Arsenal is a garrison f ...
in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
.
Technology
Iron Curtain uses a radar to detect any incoming projectiles. As projectiles come into close range, the optical sensor tracks it within of accuracy to select an aim point and determine which ballistic countermeasure to fire. The countermeasure
deflagrates
Deflagration (Lat: ''de + flagrare'', "to burn down") is subsonic combustion in which a pre-mixed flame propagates through a mixture of fuel and oxidizer. Deflagrations can only occur in pre-mixed fuels. Most fires found in daily life are diffu ...
the
RPG warhead without detonating it, leaving the dudded round to bounce off the vehicle's side.
Because of its shelf-like design, the system can be modified to protect almost any surface, from the sides of the vehicle to all-around protection, including a turret. Artis claims that the Iron Curtain can be enhanced to protect against “more challenging threats” like the
RPG-29
The RPG-29 "Vampir" (Russian for "vampire") is a Soviet reusable rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989, it was the last RPG to be adopted by the Soviet military before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
T ...
and
RPG-32 ‘Hashim’ multipurpose anti-tank grenade launchers, which utilize
tandem warhead
A tandem-charge or dual-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation, assisting it to penetrate either reactive armour on an armoured vehicle or strong structures.
Anti-tank
Tandem charges are ef ...
s for penetrating tanks with
explosive reactive armor
Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic ene ...
. Iron Curtain is also able to defend against
ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles).
Safety
The system, which began in 2005 as a
DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
Originally known as the Adv ...
program, is able to defeat threats even if fired from an extremely close range. It has undergone significant safety testing, including temperature and shock testing, and its software architecture has been approved by the U.S. military'
Joint Services Weapons Safety Review Process The countermeasure fires straight down or up, neutralizing the incoming threat within inches of the vehicle and thereby separating the system from many others which intercept threats several meters out, resulting in minimal risk of
collateral damage
Collateral damage is any death, injury, or other damage inflicted that is an incidental result of an activity. Originally coined by military operations, it is now also used in non-military contexts.
Since the development of precision guided ...
to dismounted troops or
civilians
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
.
Radar
Iron Curtain is designed to be highly modular, and the system's radar does not need to track the threat; hence, a relatively inexpensive radar will suffice. To date, two
radars
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, ...
have been integrated onto Iron Curtain: the Mustang radar developed b
Mustang Technology Groupin
Plano, Texas
Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Hist ...
and the RPS-10 radar, built by
RADA Electronic Industries
RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. is a global defense technology company focused on proprietary radar and legacy avionics systems. The company, which includes RADA Electronic Industries and its U.S-based subsidiaries, engages in the development, m ...
.
Government testing
In 2016, the U.S. Army began an expedited effort to install and characterize several APS's, including Iron Curtain on the
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
fighting vehicle, in preparation for fielding decisions by the Army.
In April 2013, the company announced it achieved a perfect score during rigorous government tests. “We proved not only that Iron Curtain defeats threats and saves lives, but the risk from collateral damage is minimal, especially when compared with the alternative," said the company's
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
,
Keith Brendley
Keith W. Brendley (born 1958) is a leading American authority on active protection systems, and serves as president of Artis, a company which provides high-technology systems to defense and commercial markets.
Early life
Brendley was born ...
. Brendley affirmed that the system is ready to be deployed onto battlefields.
Vehicles integrated
To date, the system has been integrated onto four ground vehicles, including tracked, turreted, and wheeled vehicles. In 2016, Iron Curtain was selected for integration onto the U.S. Army's
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
. However, in August 2018 the Army decided not to continue qualifying Iron Curtain onto the Stryker, saying that while the system "generally worked in concept" and was "generally able to hit its targets," it was still not mature enough.
Previously, Iron Curtain was integrated onto the Army's
Ground Combat Vehicle
The Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) was the United States Army's replacement program for armored fighting vehicles in Armored and Stryker brigade combat teams. The GCV was organized under the ''Follow On Incremental Capabilities Package'' of the BC ...
built by
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
; the
MATV
MAtv (formerly Vox) is a Canadian community channels operated by the cable provider Vidéotron within the province of Quebec.
History
In the 1970s, the first community radio stations started to appear in Quebec. These were non-commercial radi ...
built by
Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Corporation, formerly Oshkosh Truck, is an American industrial company that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus, and access equipment. The corporation also owns Pierce Manufact ...
; and the
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
built by
AM General
AM General is an American heavy vehicle and contract automotive manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer H1, Hummer and the military Humvee that are assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana. For a relatively brie ...
.
In addition,
General Dynamics Land Systems
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is a manufacturer of military vehicles such as tanks and lighter armored fighting vehicles.
History
In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary, to Gen ...
designed the system for integration onto its
LAV III
The LAV III, originally named the Kodiak by the Canadian Army, is the third generation of the LAV (Canada), Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) family of armored personnel carriers built by General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a London, O ...
.
See also
*
Active protection system
An active protection system is a system designed to actively prevent certain anti-tank weapons from destroying a vehicle.
Countermeasures that either conceal the vehicle from, or disrupt the guidance of an incoming guided missile threat are design ...
References
External links
Artis Iron Curtain websiteDARPA video of Iron Curtain demonstration, shooting down missileNational Geographic TV report on Iron Curtain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iron Curtain Active Protection System
DARPA projects
Missile countermeasures
Armoured fighting vehicle equipment
Weapons countermeasures
Land active protection systems