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Missile fired at IDF tank thwarted by new shield

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  • Missile fired at IDF tank thwarted by new shield

    Missile fired at IDF tank thwarted by new shield

    Terrorists fire RPG at IDF tank near Khan Younis; new Trophy system prevents hit; no injuries on Israeli side; Palestinians say warplanes, choppers seen above city
    Elior Levy

    An RPG was fired at an IDF tank travelling east towards the city of Khan Younis in Gaza Tuesday afternoon. Soldiers returned fire, and the Palestinians claim one person was injured from artillery fire in the area.

    The anti-tank missile that was fired towards the tank was thwarted by the Trophy missile protection system, which was used for the first time during operational activity. The missile exploded at a large distance from the tank, preventing damage, the army said.

    Eyewitnesses said the RPG hit the tank and set it on fire. The IDF confirmed an attack on a force patrolling the border, but said the incident did not result in any injuries or damage.

    According to the Palestinians, IDF forces opened fire on the terror cell behind the RPG attack. Israeli warplanes and helicopters were seen circling above Khan Younis, sources in Gaza said.

    The spokesman for Gaza's rescue services, Adham Abu Selmiya, said one person was injured from artillery fire targeting the terror cell east of Khan Younis. The injured man was evacuated to a hospital in Deir el-Balah.

    No one claimed responsibility for the RPG attack, but the Ali Abu Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine, said it had fired three mortars towards Israel shortly before the RPG attack from the same area. The IDF said it did not know of any mortar fire towards Israel.

    Attacks involving anti-tank fire against IDF soldiers are relatively scarce, as Palestinian terrorists focus mostly on planting explosives along the security fence separating Israel from Hamas-ruled Gaza.

    The IDF has launched a number of strikes in Gaza over the past few days in response to the continued rocket fire emanating from the Strip.

    Yoav Zitun contributed to the report
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

  • #2
    IDF celebrates Armored Corps history: Trophy system successful

    IDF celebrates Armored Corps history: Trophy system successful

    Army top brass ecstatic as tank active protective system has first operational success. 'Changes equation in Gaza and in northern sector against Hezbollah's anti-tank threat,' says senior IDF official
    Yoav Zitun

    IDF feels like it has crossed the Rubicon in the anti-tank missile battle with the operational success of the 'Trophy': Senior IDF sources expressed immense satisfaction Tuesday from the first operational activation of the active protection system (APS), designed to supplement the armor of both light and heavy armored fighting vehicles, known as Trophy, this afternoon near the southern Gaza Strip border.

    An initial report into the incident shows that a Palestinian terror cell that got close to the border fence fired an RPG from close range at a tank that was carrying out a routine patrol.

    The system, which is fitted to the tank, immediately recognized the fire and fired a neutralizer which caused the rocket to explode in mid-air within safe distance of the tank. As a result, the tank incurred no damage and none of the soldiers within the tank were hurt.

    The IDF stressed that this is an unprecedented and historical event in Israel's Armored Corps and around the world. Above all this is also "a change in the equation in the southern sector and in the northern sector against the Hezbollah's anti-tank threat".

    A senior IDF source noted that "the system has proven itself above and beyond expectations and it is also effective against missiles that are larger than RPGs."

    "Just two months after it came into operational use the Trophy prevented injury among soldiers with unimagined success," the senior source added. "Investment in technological development that went on for years presented unprecedented results. This doesn't mean that tanks won't be hit in the future, but without a doubt this is a new method of dealing with the anti-tank threat."

    The Armored Corps technological innovation first made headlines two months ago when the IDF prepared a final test for the Trophy system, which was supposed to include a fully-manned tank. Following appeals from bereaved parents who lost their children in the Ze'elim disaster, it was eventually decided to avoid using live fire on the tank.

    The test, which was held under supervision and using all available safety measures was a success – and the system was immediately put into the mark-4 Merkava tanks.
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

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