At this year’s Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Association of the United States Army, Rheinmetall is showcasing a selection of its advanced, world class products and projects. Examples of Rheinmetall expertise on show at AUSA include its force protection technology capabilities. Visitors can inspect the Group’s ROSY rapid smoke/obscurant system. Rheinmetall will also be informing visitors about its active protection system (APS) offered by Rheinmetall company ADS at a time when the US Army is moving rapidly to field APS capabilities on European equipment sets. ADS’s distributed APS system is among the most advanced, tested and safe systems in the world and offers distinct advantages in technical maturity and safety for dismounted infantry operating alongside armoured vehicles.

Fuchs APC fitted with Rheinmetall's ADS

In recent years, the Rheinmetall Group has been systematically adding to its portfolio of advanced protection technologies through a strategy of well-targeted corporate buyouts. With Rheinmetall Chempro GmbH, Rheinmetall Ballistic Protection GmbH, Rheinmetall Protection Systems Nederland BV and ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, the Group has a unique range of sophisticated protection technologies at its disposal – all from a single source.
A growing number of defence contractors and end-customers place their trust in Rheinmetall’s force protection expertise. The Group is currently taking part in performance upgrade programmes for a wide variety of vehicles and vessels in countries around the globe.

Active Defence System (ADS)
Hard kill standoff systems such as Rheinmetall’s ADS active protection system neutralize incoming projectiles before they reach their target, making them an especially innovative and effective solution.

Successfully tested in all environments and against a vast number of different threats, the ADS is now in production and available in both customized and off-the-shelf versions. This globally leading product is a cutting-edge-technology hard-kill system that can be installed in military vehicles of all weight classes, providing reliable protection of personnel against common operational threats. ADS contributes to the situational awareness thanks to sensor systems that continuously scan for incoming projectiles such as shaped charge warheads or antitank guided missiles. When the sensors detect a threat the system reacts within milliseconds by automatically activating a protective sector and then neutralizing the incoming threat. ADS is the only high-performance near-field active protection system that employs a countermeasure which intercepts the threat in the immediate proximity of the vehicle, thus significantly reducing and containing the risk of collateral damage.

Thanks to ADS’s system architecture, threat or tactical information can be instantly shared with the built-in battle management system (BMS) and various effectors (e.g. remote weapon stations, smoke/obscurant dispenser, etc.), providing the crew with situational awareness. Furthermore ADS is capable of receiving information from platform sensors (e.g. optical sensors, sniper location systems, laser warning systems, etc.) directly or via the BMS to ensure optimum protection and survivability at all times.

With the increased focus on self-defence, survivability, peacekeeping operations and support missions as well as force protection in general, armies around the globe appreciate the need for an active protection system, and specifically Rheinmetall’s ADS technology – proven, qualified and successfully fielded.