The 209 new Lynx infantry fighting vehicles procured by the Hungarian government from Rheinmetall (Militär Aktuell reported), will be equipped with Rheinmetall’s StrikeShield Hard-Kill Active Protection System (APS).
This makes Hungary the latest customer for this technology, which has been part of Rheinmetall’s technology portfolio since 2006. StrikeShield is developed, produced and supplied by Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH. The order is worth over 140 million euros. A key reason for procuring the system is the NATO member’s willingness to take part in challenging operations in which its own forces are exposed to the threats posed by modern anti-tank weapons. StrikeShield is the third and latest generation of Rheinmetall Active Defense System (ADS) technology, a special variant of a hard-kill APS system. The ADS is a distributed system in which the sensors and countermeasures are integrated into the contour and architecture of the entire vehicle. Among other advantages, StrikeShield sets itself apart from the competition with low emissions in the electromagnetic spectrum and a fast, safe and reliable response speed in ambush or multi-hit scenarios. The vehicle is thus protected against unguided and guided shaped-charge threats, as incoming projectiles are neutralized before hitting the vehicle.
The StrikeShield APS is integrated directly into hybrid protection modules of the Lynx. Instead of conventional, passive additional armor modules, the vehicle receives specially designed passive protection solutions in which the components of the APS are fully integrated between the hull and outer shell of the vehicle. “We see enormous advantages in the application of our unique hybrid protection design,” says Manfred Salk, CEO of Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH. “The threats against which classic passive protection is designed are standardized and established. Hybrid designs are different. They allow us to better deal with new threats and the resulting effects. This includes, for example, the residual energy of destroyed missiles that hit the vehicle hull and deflagrate. The combination of passive and active protection technologies into hybrid protection solutions provides our customers with unique advantages in terms of protection performance, but also in terms of weight and cost efficiency.” Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH was founded in 2019 and is Rheinmetall’s Center of Excellence for protection technologies. The core of the product strategy is the hybridization of protection solutions, which enable better, lighter and more cost-effective protection solutions for armored vehicles.
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