APS vs. Anti-Tank Missiles: The Race for Tank Defense Supremacy

To counter the increasingly advanced anti-tank missiles, tanks are undergoing continuous evolution. The battle between spear and shield in the realm of anti-tank weapons and Active Protection Systems (APS) is a dynamic struggle. APS is a countermeasure system that detects, tracks and intercepts enemy rockets and missiles using radar. Even the powerful U.S. military, showcasing the world’s leading capabilities, is pursuing APS integration for the M1A2 Abrams tank and Stryker armored vehicle to address the evolving threat of anti-tank missiles. Russia, too, has equipped the Armata T-14 tank with APS in response to the trend. Israel, currently engaged in a war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, integrated APS into the Merkava tanks deployed along the Gaza Strip border in 2009.

Recently, an attention-grabbing video released by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, boasting about its previous attacks, inadvertently showcased the remarkable defense system of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) flagship tank, the Merkava. In the video, the Merkava tank was seen continuing to move without significant damage despite coming under attack from Hamas in the field.

On December 13 (local time), the U.S. military specialist publication Warzone featured a video showing the Merkava main battle tank of the Israeli military in action in southern Khan Yunis, Gaza, facing attacks from Hamas. The tank continued to move without major damage, prompting Warzone to note that the video, despite being presented by Hamas as a demonstration of their prowess, paradoxically showcased the top-notch performance of the Israel Defense Forces’ cutting-edge tank defense system.

This video shows the Active Protection System (APS) ‘Trophy’ of the Merkava tank in action. An explosion occurred a short distance from the Merkava, but it continued to charge forward without any signs of damage. In the second scene, another stationary Merkava responds to an enemy attack, more clearly showing the activation of the Trophy system, the media reported.

The Israeli military is operating tanks equipped with the advanced tank defense system, the ‘Trophy’ Active Protection System (APS), to effectively block these attacks by Hamas. The Trophy APS is a tank defense system that shoots small projectiles to shoot down missiles or rockets detected by the radar.

APS was developed to defend against anti-tank missiles, anti-tank rockets, and anti-tank bombs. It is designed to protect the tank in all directions, including a wide range of altitudes. Depending on the vehicle it is installed on, it is generally known to consist of a small radar array and multiple launchers equipped with a ‘hard-kill’ function. It is reported that it can intercept both when the tank is stationary and when it is moving.

The Merkava is the main battle tank of the Israeli military, developed independently by introducing foreign technology. The current mainstay is the ‘Merkava 4’. After the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, it is known to have been equipped with the ‘Trophy’ to intercept anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers that threaten tanks.

As main battle tanks of military powers equipped with powerful APS to block powerful anti-tank missiles and rockets are increasingly seen on battlefields, countries are paying attention to the APS system.

The person who argued the need to improve the defense system of the U.S. military’s main tanks and armored vehicles is Major General Robert Walsh, Deputy Commander in charge of Combat Development and Integration of the U.S. Army. In 2016, at the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Seapower, he advised the Marine Corps to follow the Navy’s use of active protection systems and electronic warfare systems to protect assets. Major General Walsh said, “Just as aircraft and helicopters are threatened by infrared missiles, we are developing the ability to shoot down these types of missiles,” and emphasized, “Ground threats are rapidly changing and becoming much more precise, and we need to consider active defense systems that can defeat anti-tank guided weapons and RPGs, along with advanced technology and soft capabilities like those mounted on aircraft.”

The RPG anti-tank rockets possessed by Russia, China, and North Korea are known to be powerful enough to deliver a fatal blow to tanks when fired at close range.

North Korea revealed a new type of tank equipped with APS for the first time at a military parade last July. Since then, our military authorities have been on high alert. North Korea’s Central TV released a video showing a tank firing a counter-shot when an RPG anti-tank rocket was launched from the ground towards the tank, and the counter-shot exploded near the rocket, intercepting it, and attracting attention from foreign media.

Russia, ahead of the U.S., equipped the T-14 Armata with APS

At the parade, new ‘M-2020’ tanks equipped with a new APS on the front of the turret appeared. The M-2020, first unveiled at the parade in October 2020, is similar to the U.S. ‘M1 tank’, and is believed to be a copy of the Iranian ‘Zulfiqar 3 tank’. The APS of the M-2020 is similar in form to the ‘Afghanit’ APS of Russia’s latest tank T-14 Armata, and is known to be able to block anti-tank missiles and rockets as well as wing-stabilized armor-piercing projectiles, but this has not been confirmed.

However, the APS that North Korea copied is imitating Russia, which is the second country in the world to introduce and operate APS. In 2015, Russia unveiled this equipment on its latest ‘T-14 Armata tank at the 70th anniversary of its victory in World War II. It was one step ahead of the United States. The name of the APS equipped with Armata is Afghanit. The system works similarly to the Trophy. It directly destroys incoming anti-tank weapons with explosive-formed penetrators. It can also jam the enemy’s radar guidance system.

The equipment is known to actively defend the tank 360 degrees. According to a report by Russia’s daily Izvestia, the system is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that can track and monitor 360 degrees. Through this, it can automatically detect and engage anti-tank weapons of about 30cm by simultaneously tracking 40 ground targets and 25 air targets within a radius of 100km.

Of course, our military also developed a domestic Active Protection System (KAPS) by investing 44 billion won ($38.9 million) when developing the K2 tank 10 years ago. However, it was not adopted due to expensive costs of 1 billion won ($884,000) per unit and potential friendly casualties from numerous fragments. Recently, in light of the lessons of the Ukraine war, Poland and other tank-importing countries want APS to be installed, so domestic APS development is being pushed forward centered around Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Systems.

Hyundai Rotem, which exports K2 tanks to Poland, plans to install a domestic APS on the K2 tanks produced locally in Poland after 2026. It is known to be developing an ‘improved KAPS’ by grafting the latest Israeli technology onto the KAPS developed 10 years ago. Hanwha Systems also signed a contract with the Defense Science Research Institute in March for a project to develop ‘intelligent active defense technology to respond to multiple threats from next-generation infantry fighting vehicles’, valued at about 36 billion won ($31.8 million), and is speeding up development. It plans to secure intelligent active defense technology by developing ‘composite active defense technology’ and ‘ground-based directional jamming technology’ by 2026.

Recently, our military has also speeding up development, but the actual situation of the front-line units is raising concerns.

It was reported that nine out of 10 tanks owned by the Ground Operations Command’s reserve units are not equipped with the Active Protection System (APS). This is why it is suggested that the tank’s defense capabilities should be strengthened by equipping APS and counteracting the enhancement of the North Korean military’s anti-tank weapons.

According to data submitted to the National Assembly by the Army Headquarters during last year’s national audit, out of the total 1500 tanks in possession, approximately 1300 tanks were found to lack APS. This includes 400 K1A1 tanks, 900 K1 tanks, and around 40 M-series tanks, all of which remain without APS protection.

9 out of 10 South Korean Tanks Lack Active Protection Systems (APS)

In a startling revelation, it has been reported that nine out of ten South Korean tanks do not possess Active Protection Systems (APS), a crucial technology for modern armored warfare. The only exception seems to be the K2 tanks, with approximately 200 units equipped with the infrared-guided disruption system known as ‘Soft Kill’ APS. The absence of budget allocation for improving this situation raises serious concerns about the country’s military readiness.

The importance of APS has grown significantly in recent times, with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine highlighting its necessity. Many of the Russian tanks deployed in the Ukraine war are older models lacking APS. As a result, it has been reported that over 1500 tanks have been lost to anti-tank weaponry used by Ukrainian forces since the conflict began.

Experts in the field of military affairs emphasize the urgency of preparing for unforeseen circumstances. North Korea has taken measures to counter South Korean tanks by deploying anti-tank weaponry within infantry units. Moreover, the introduction of the new tandem warhead RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade), as seen during North Korea’s 2012 military parade, poses a significant threat to South Korea’s mainstay K1-series tanks that lack APS.

Consequently, there is a growing demand to upgrade the existing ‘Soft Kill’ APS on K2 tanks to a more active destruction method known as ‘Hard Kill’ APS. Representative Sung pointed out that the Defense Science Institute had already developed a ‘Hard Kill’ APS back in 2011. However, it remained unused due to operational cost concerns and fragmentation issues upon enemy shell destruction. Given the effectiveness of anti-tank weaponry in the recent Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the significance of tank APS has become even more apparent.

Representative Sung also stressed that North Korea, South Korea’s adversarial neighbor, is bolstering its asymmetric military capabilities by deploying anti-tank weaponry extensively. To prepare for the changing dynamics on the Korean Peninsula, including the swift introduction of new tank models and the installation of APS on existing tanks, South Korea must be ready for future battlefield scenarios.

By. Hyun Ho Lee