First German Leopard 2 tank gets Israeli Trophy Active Protection System

JERUSALEM — The Israeli and German ministries of defense held a ceremony in Germany today to inaugurate the first Leopard 2 tank to be upgraded with the Trophy Active Protection System. The system was developed by Israel’s Rafael and has been active on Israeli tanks for more than a decade.

The installation is the culmination of a government-to-government agreement signed in 2020. Israel’s Ministry of Defense noted that its Directorate of Defense Research and Development had spearheaded this initiative to “equip Germany’s Leopard 2 tank fleet with Israel’s premier active protection system.”

Carsten Stawitzki, national armaments director in the German Ministry of Defense, was present at the ceremony along with the head of the Israeli Ministry’s Survivability Systems Branch, who was unidentified and whose face blurred in photos due to security reasons.

Germany conducted live fire tests with Trophy in 2021. The tests took place with Rafael and Germany’s KMW, which developed and manufactures the Leopard. At the time Israel’s Ministry of Defense underlined how the system was combat proven and integrated on the IDF’s Merkava tanks.

“The advancement achieved by our industries in cooperation with our German friends and partners will further strengthen the capabilities of both our defense establishments. We will continue to work at the forefront of tech capabilities, prepare for every operational scenario, and deepen our relations with partners around the world,” Israel’s then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz said then.

Rafael has also established a joint venture in Germany called EuroTrophy, modelled on its success supplying European countries with the Spike family of missiles as part of the EuroSpike enterprise. The Spike family includes a number of precision guided and anti-tank missiles made by Rafael. The EuroTrophy venture includes General Dynamics European Land Systems, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rafael.

The Trophy system has also been integrated on the IDF’s Namer armored personnel carriers, as well as on US Abrams tanks and has been integrated on Challenger 3 tanks. Trophy will also be used on Leopard 2 tanks in Norway. Rafael also announced updates to Trophy at AUSA in early October, in part inspired by Israel’s experience fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. The system can now defend against top attack threats.

The Leopard 2 deal is part of a number of high profile deals for Israeli defense industries in Europe. In 2023 Finland signed a deal to acquire David’s Sling, the medium-range air defense system made by Rafael. Israel also finalized a deal to sell Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 3 to Germany in 2023.

“This [Leopard/Trophy] milestone adds to a series of recent high-value defense agreements, including Germany’s purchase of Israel’s Arrow missile defense system, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing defense capabilities,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense noted.