KNDS Deutschland has signed a contract with EuroTrophy GmbH that extends utility of the Trophy active protection system (APS) to four additional nations’ Leopard 2A8 programmes: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and the Netherlands.
The 2A8 model already includes the Trophy APS as part of its standard configuration, thus allowing for far greater interoperability and full commonality of systems between participating nations. In a 19 January release, EuroTrophy refers to the system as “the NATO Active Protection System of choice,” though there is little evidence that supports official acknowledgement of such a claim. Nevertheless, Trophy is field-proven, has been rigorously tested and evaluated and – importantly – is the only APS currently manufactured and available at scale in Europe. It is currently fielded on Leopard 2, Abrams M1 and Merkava IV MBTs, as well as on lighter AFVS such as Boxer, Namer and the Patria AMV.
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The new contract will increase the Leopard 2A8 fleet protected with Trophy by a further 196 vehicles, if options are fully exercised by the Czech and Dutch MoDs. The current fleet is at least 177 strong, plus a further 18 if Norway exercises its options. That number is likely to increase as the Bundeswehr nails down its plans for further Leopard procurement, though whether the 2A8 will feature as a major component of such procurement remains uncertain.
Incorporating spares, through life support and comprehensive training packages, the contract amounts to some €330 million (US$409 million), implying an average cost north of €1.7 million per tank, including the peripherals. It remains unclear whether the fact that Trophy is part of the 2A8’s “standard configuration” means that procurement costs already take the system’s installation into account. The size of the sum involved, however, is an ample indication of the complexity of the system – and the importance that operators attach to its installation.
Headline image: Eventually a number of Leopard 2A8s approaching 400 in European service will feature the Trophy APS (courtesy Euro-Trophy GmbH)
