Israel’s Plasan will launch three new survivability solutions at Eurosatory in Paris later this month: ATHENA (Advanced Thickening Energetic Armour), LAPS (the Leg Active protection System) and TAPS (Top-Attack Protection System), expanding the company’s protection portfolio technologies focused on mine-blast protection, top-attack defence, and advanced armour protection.
ATHENA is a non-explosive reactive armour solution designed to counter a wide range of battlefield threats, including shaped-charge jets, RPGs, explosively formed penetrators and kinetic penetrators. It combines composite armour with an expanding interlayer that disrupts incoming threats, while eliminating the risks associated with explosive or semi-explosive armour systems. ATHENA provides a safer, more versatile, and cost-effective protection solution while maintaining operational flexibility.
LAPS, a unique active survivability solution, significantly enhances mine-blast protection without increasing vehicle weight or compromising space. Integrated within the Energy Attenuating Seat structure, the system detects mine blast events within milliseconds and immediately lifts the legs of passengers before floor impact, significantly reducing leg injury risk. The system is designed to support lighter, lower, and more efficient vehicle designs while improving overall protection capabilities.
The TAPS system was developed to counter top-attack threats from overhead of AFVs, including submunitions. Designed as an add-on protection system mounted above the vehicle’s top surfaces, TAPS provides additional shielding against kinetic threats and artillery fragments. The system has been successfully tested by multiple Western armies and approved for field deployment.
“These new solutions reflect the evolving requirements of modern battlefield survivability and the need to address increasingly complex threats targeting combat platforms,” explained Gilad Ariav, Plasan’s VP Marketing. “Our focus is on developing advanced survivability technologies that enhance protection while supporting operational flexibility and platform efficiency. At the same time, Plasan continues to expand its global manufacturing and industrial collaboration activities worldwide, including in Europe and North America, while working with local industry partners to support technology transfer and localized production capabilities for customers across different regions.”
DA Comment
Plasan cements its sector leadership position through innovation. The idea of a sensor-centric system that lifts legs off the vehicle floor in the first milliseconds of an underbelly explosion sounds simple when said quickly – but must have taken years if not decades of dedicated research and exhaustive testing. One of the few Israeli companies likely to be presenting at Eurosatory, its stand at D311 will reveal the company’s deep expertise in ballistic protection and innovative survivability solutions.
Headline image shows a real-world test of the LAPS survivability solution (Plasan)
