Qinetiq to evaluate Active Protection System for tanks and armoured vehicles of British Army 10707163

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Defence & Security Industry News - QinetiQ
 
Qinetiq to evaluate Active Protection System for tanks and armoured vehicles of British Army.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has placed a £7.6 million contract with QinetiQ to evaluate an Active Protection System (APS) for armoured vehicles. The new system will improve the survivability and situational awareness, with an ability to minimise the weight growth that could impede the mobility of vehicles.
     
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has placed a £7.6 million contract with QinetiQ to evaluate an Active Protection System (APS) for armoured vehicles. The new system will improve the survivability and situational awareness, with an ability to minimise the weight growth that could impede the mobility of vehicles. Challenger 2 TES main battle tank (Threat Entry Standard) at DVD 2014 Defense Exhibition in United Kingdom. (Copyright Army Recognition)
     

QinetiQ will work with a number of sub-contractors, including Airbus Defence and Space who are contracted to deliver, for evaluation, a number of systems based on the MUSS® self-protection systems. The technical assessments will quantify how well the system performs against a range of weapon systems, and will also include a BAE Systems appliqué integration of a MUSS® system onto a Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank to demonstrate potential future capability.

The MEDUSA Technical Assessment Programme (TAP) is a key part of on-going Dstl research into APS, alongside a complementary effort to develop the open architecture to support a future modular capability.

Dstl has been investigating APS for a number of years, and considers them an important part of a future survivability capability for keeping pace with new threats. A holistic view of survivability is required, drawing upon a range of technologies, which address all aspects from prevention of target detection to mitigation of potentially lethal effects. Active Protection defeats threats before they strike a vehicle, by sensing them and providing a ‘soft’ response (based on jamming or obscuration of the guidance mechanism) or ‘hard’ response (based on physical interception).

QinetiQ is working closely with other industrial partners with APS domain expertise in order to conduct and deliver the MEDUSA TAP. Textron and Frazer-Nash are also key contributors to the MEDUSA team.

"The Project Medusa contract is great news for the Army. The development of an effective Active Protection System would provide a hugely significant step change in the survivability of our platforms, particularly as we are reaching the technological limits of what passive armour can achieve. Initially, this capability is likely to have utility across all of our major battle-winning equipment programmes - Ajax, Warrior, Challenger 2 and the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle. But elements of APS should have applications across other platforms and systems too. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Dstl in this key project.", said Brigadier Ian Gibb, Head of Combat Capability at Army Headquarters, Andover.