BAE Systems said ROOK is designed to disrupt and defeat incoming threats, including unmanned aerial systems and anti-tank guided missiles. The company said the system is intended to improve crew and vehicle survivability and mission effectiveness.
ROOK is a soft-kill countermeasure system that provides improved situational awareness and threat response in complex battlefield conditions. Its electronic countermeasures defeat threats before they reach the vehicle by confusing or jamming their guidance systems.
The company said this approach can render threats ineffective while preserving the limited magazine depth of hard-kill kinetic countermeasures. BAE Systems described soft-kill technologies as a complementary part of layered ground vehicle protection.
“Modern ground warfare demands a layered defense, and soft-kill technologies are a critical, complementary component,” said Dave Gillespie, director of Optics and Countermeasure Solutions at BAE Systems.
“ROOK offers a cost-effective, sustainable defense with an infinite magazine depth, continuously disrupting enemy systems,” Gillespie said.
The Soft Kill APS program builds on core research and development programs. BAE Systems said it supports the Army’s commitment to rapidly field robust and adaptable active protection systems.
The contract will also support further development of BAE Systems’ Stormcrow and TERRA RAVEN countermeasure systems. It will also cover the delivery of prototype systems for vehicle integration and testing.
BAE Systems said it has provided combat-proven survivability equipment to the U.S. Department of War and its allies for decades. The company described its next-generation systems as part of Intrepid Shield, its layered approach to platform protection.
The company’s vehicle protection systems are developed and manufactured at its facility in Austin, Texas. Research and development support is provided in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
