The Israel Ministry of Defence and the German Ministry of Defence unveiled the first Leopard 2 tank upgraded with Israel’s TROPHY Active Protection System, developed by RAFAEL Advanced Defence Systems. This marks a significant milestone following a 2020 agreement to equip Germany’s Leopard 2 tank fleet with this cutting-edge technology.
The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, National Armaments Director in the German Ministry of Defence, underscoring the strengthening defence ties between Germany and Israel. This collaboration adds to a series of recent high-value defence agreements, including Germany’s acquisition of Israel’s Arrow missile defence system, reflecting a mutual commitment to enhancing defence capabilities.
The TROPHY system, developed in partnership with the Israel Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) and RAFAEL, is recognized as the world’s only operational and most advanced active protection system for armoured vehicles. Designed to shield tanks and armoured personnel carriers from a wide range of anti-tank threats, TROPHY has been operational with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since 2011. It is standard on all newly produced Merkava Mark IV tanks and NAMER APCs.
Proven in various operational contexts, the TROPHY system has demonstrated its effectiveness through multiple successful intercepts, significantly safeguarding troops and armoured assets on the battlefield. The integration of this technology into the Leopard 2 tanks represents a substantial enhancement to Germany’s armoured capabilities, further solidifying the collaborative defence efforts between the two nations.
