Raytheon Quick Kill APS demonstrates accuracy

Raytheon has conducted testing of its Quick Kill Active Protection System (APS) that saw the system successfully defeat one of the most lethal Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) threats by destroying it in mid-flight. The tests were conducted in December in preparation for formal US government evaluations in early 2013 to demonstrate the system's RPG-defeat capabilities.

The US Army is currently preparing to conduct formal testing to evaluate a system to protect combat vehicles from shoulder-fired and tube-launched RPGs.

Raytheon’s Quick Kill system consists of a multi-mission, fire-control radar that detects and tracks incoming threats, combined with hard-kill countermeasures that serve as a hit avoidance system, enabling multi-tracking and multi-engagement of enemy fire for vehicle and squad protection.

According to the company, the system's vertical launch countermeasure is unique in its ability to engage threats fired from any angle or elevation, providing all weather, full 360 degree hemispherical vehicle and crew protection with each countermeasure.

In previous tests, the system demonstrated its ability to defeat multiple threat types both from a stationary and an on-the-move platform, and showed its multi-threat capability by defeating two simultaneous threats.

Jeff Miller, vice president of Combat and Sensing Systems for Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business, said: ‘Raytheon's APS is based on the same radar technology deployed to perform sense and warn operations at active Forward Operating Bases. It has been extremely successful in providing timely warning against rocket and mortar attacks.

‘With Quick Kill Raytheon has matured a highly advanced system, offering our forces an unprecedented force protection capability that is essential to the future survivability of combat vehicles. This technology is ready and could begin fielding within a year.’