Arena-M: Russias unique Javelin-stopping active protection system

Arena-M: Russia’s unique Javelin-stopping active protection system Development work on Arena-M, a modernized version of the Arena active protection system (APS) is proceeding apace, with the chief designer of the Mashinostroyeniya Construction Bureau informing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu this week that the system has been submitted for qualification tests. Here’s what we know about the new defensive platform: The Arena is a hard-kill APS, featuring projectiles fired at enemy anti-tank missiles to prevent them from reaching and damaging or destroying the tank on which the system is equipped. The base system comes with a powerful, multifunctional, jamming-resistant Doppler radar to detect enemy projectiles. The radar is connected to an onboard targeting and tracking computer, which automatically fires anti-ATGM rounds at projectiles flying at pre-designated speeds and trajectories. Response time is just 70 milliseconds. The Arena-M is expected to feature a maneuverable defensive sub-munition, allowing the system to cover a wider area with fewer fires. The upgraded model is expected to feature 360 degree protection, including of the upper hemisphere, creating a dome of cover around the tank that even advanced NATO ATGMs like the TOW and Javelin cannot penetrate. Reports suggest the Arena-M will feature an altered configuration aboard the tanks, including additional radar antennas and housing divided into multiply blocks, which should simplify retrofitting and repairs. Russia today is a global pioneer of active protection systems, with the Arena’s predecessor, the Drozd (lit. ‘Thrush’) first entering into service in the early 1980s, and complemented by the Shtora-1 (lit. ‘Curtain-1’) soft-kill APS later in the decade. Источник: Sputnik International