“Our company began operations in 2022, a year of particular importance for European security. We managed to implement our planned roadmap and even exceed it. The outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war triggered a significant increase in interest among European armed forces in the Trophy APS. At the same time, the expansion of the Leopard 2A8 tank to additional European markets required us to accelerate the pace of our activities,” Kalfus said.
Trophy APS saves soldiers’ lives
Trophy APS is a well-recognized active protection system on the international defence market, designed to protect platforms such as main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and wheeled armoured personnel carriers.
The system has been used for years by the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. Army, and the solution has already proven its effectiveness in real combat hundreds of times, saving the lives of many soldiers.
The course of the war in Ukraine, together with the enormous losses of armoured equipment suffered by both sides, has made European armed forces increasingly aware that equipping tanks with systems such as Trophy APS has become a necessity. Above all, it is about protecting the lives of soldiers, but the issue extends beyond that. The threats present on the modern battlefield mean that tanks must be adequately protected in order to carry out their missions effectively.
“The Trophy APS protects combat vehicles against most threats encountered on the modern battlefield. These include anti-tank grenade launchers, guided missiles and drones. In the case of drones in particular, the Russia–Ukraine war has demonstrated just how significant this threat can be for armoured vehicles. For that reason, the Trophy APS is continuously being upgraded by adding new defensive capabilities. As a result, the system is now able to effectively protect vehicles against drones and other threats employing top-attack profiles. This is of crucial importance,” Kalfus explained.
Leopard 2 A8 programme accelerates EuroTrophy’s growth
Kalfus also recalled that in September 2023 the Trophy APS was selected as part of the baseline configuration of the Leopard 2A8 main battle tank. As a result, the system will soon be operated by a number of European armed forces.
In recent years, Leopard 2A8 tanks have been ordered by Norway, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Croatia.
“In January we signed a contract worth €330 million for the delivery of Trophy systems for tanks that will be supplied to Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Croatia. Earlier, the system had already been selected for German and Norwegian tanks. Today, EuroTrophy GmbH holds orders for the production and delivery of approximately 400 systems, with our main customer being KNDS Deutschland, the manufacturer of the Leopard 2A8,” Kalfus said.
It should also be noted that Poland’s fleet of South Korean K2 main battle tanks will be equipped with the Trophy APS. Poland has already contracted 360 of these tanks.
In the future, EuroTrophy may become involved in the servicing and modernisation of Trophy systems installed on Polish tanks and other platforms in the country. From a geographical perspective, such an arrangement would likely represent the most efficient, cost-effective and logistically practical solution.
EuroTrophy focuses on industrial cooperation
The scale of current orders also presents significant challenges for EuroTrophy. The approximately 400 systems mentioned by Kalfus must not only be manufactured. They must also be installed on tank turrets and supported throughout their entire life cycle.
“We currently operate in four locations in Germany, where our offices, production infrastructure and logistics facilities are located, where dozens of people are working in management positions as well as production. Of course, we are growing and are still looking for additional engineers and technical specialists,” Kalfus said.
“We are fully aware of the scale of the challenge associated with the rapid strengthening of European armoured capabilities. For that reason, we are strongly focused on building partnerships with local companies. A good example is the Norwegian company RITEK, which KNDS has involved in the assembly of Leopard 2A8 tanks intended for the Norwegian Army. We have also established cooperation with RITEK. Under this activity, the company will install the Trophy APS on the turrets of Norwegian tanks and will subsequently may become involved in servicing and technical support.”
“We are ready to replicate this model of cooperation in other countries as well. I am convinced that users expect this, as all countries strengthening their armed forces today are seeking to build resilient and secure supply chains,” he added.
Beyond tanks: Trophy APS for new platforms
Trophy APS is currently integrated on platforms including the Merkava, Leopard 2A8 and M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks. From a technical perspective, it can be integrated with virtually any heavy to medium military vehicle, including infantry fighting vehicles and wheeled armoured personnel carriers.
“Last year we presented the integration of the Trophy APS with the Patria AMV XP 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicle, and we have high expectations for our cooperation with the Finnish partner. We see strong demand on the European market for platforms produced by Patria,” Kalfus said. At the same time, it seems that EuroTrophy is in the position to integrate the Trophy APS with Polish Rosomak vehicles, which are local variants of the Patria platform in both 6×6 and 8×8 configurations produced by the Polish defence industry.
The system has also been integrated with the Boxer Armoured Personnel Carrier, a capability officially presented in September last year. This represents another stage of technological cooperation between EuroTrophy and KNDS Deutschland.
“We know that the European fleet of vehicles based on the Boxer platform will grow significantly in the coming years, and our proposal is addressed to all current and future users of these platforms. At the same time, this also applies to other vehicles of this class currently in service with European armed forces,” Kalfus said.
Kalfus added that European countries are showing increasing interest in integrating the Trophy APS with new infantry fighting vehicles. The fact that several European states have already ordered or are preparing to procure large numbers of IFVs means that new business opportunities are opening up for EuroTrophy
However, the company’s ambitions extend even further. According to Kalfus, EuroTrophy is ready to participate in the European Next Generation MBT programme, which aims to develop capabilities for the future of European main battle tank.
“The Trophy APS is the only solution of its kind with such a high level of maturity and combat-proven capability, which makes it a natural choice for a future European tank. At the same time, we are fully prepared to cooperate with the armoured vehicle industry in the development of the next-generation tank, to implement our technological roadmap into this programme, as well as to integrate our solution as an interim capability if necessary. It is difficult to imagine that the future European tank would not be equipped with an active protection system, and the Trophy APS is currently the best solution available in this class,” Kalfus concluded.
