Iron Fist (countermeasure)

Iron Fist is a hard-kill active protection system (APS) designed by Israel Military Industries (IMI), with a modular design allowing adaptation to a range of platforms ranging from light utility vehicles to heavy armoured fighting vehicles. The concept was revealed by IMI in 2006 and was expected to enter Israel Defense Forces tests by mid-2007. The system has already been successfully tested against a wide variety of threats including rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank guided missiles and tank-fired HEAT ammunition and kinetic energy penetrators.

It senses incoming threats via a fixed radar sensor developed by RADA Electronic Industries and an optional passive infrared detector developed by Elbit's Elisra. When a threat is imminent, an explosive projectile interceptor is launched towards it. The interceptor explodes very near the threat, destroying or deflecting and destabilizing it without detonating its warhead. For this, only the blast effect of the explosive is used. The interceptor casing is made of combustible materials so no fragmentation is formed in the explosion, helping minimize collateral damage.

Acquisition of the Iron Fist active protection system was approved in June 2009. The system will be installed on the Namer armoured personnel carrier.

On November 2010, The Israeli ministry of defense announced stop of funding of the system development.

On May 2011 the system intercepted Kinetic energy penetrators and Metis anti tank missiles during a test in the U.S.