The New Normal: Active Protection Systems for Armored Vehicles

The proliferation of anti-tank missiles has changed the armored domain. Armor is expected to operate in ever more threatening and complex environments, and due to this there has been a renewed interest in Active Protection Systems (APS). C.M Jacobs explores how the US has answered the call for better protection systems in this article delving into the thoughts and philosophies of the major APS systems in the market today. Furthermore, he argues that the introduction of APS has caused a shift in the conception of armored protection and that military planners will have to accept the system as the “New Normal”. This article covers:

• The history of APS
• Analysis of current APS Systems
• What the development of APS systems mean for procurement and planning as a whole