US Army to Proceed with Iron Fist Light APS Supported by RADA’s Software-Defined Radars

NETANYA, Israel. 07 January 2019 . RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. A leader in the development, production and sale of tactical land radar for force and border protection – announced that following the recent announcement by General Dynamics of a positive Army Requirements’ Oversight Council (AROC) decision, Phase II of the Iron Fist Light (IFL) Active Protection System (APS) for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle is moving forward.

The project is a joint venture between General Dynamics’ subsidiary, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, together with Israel Military Industries (IMI), which was recently acquired by Elbit Systems. RADA is the provider of the radars to the Elbit/IMI IFL system.

The IFL system is a lightweight APS, providing enhanced survivability for armored and tactical platforms. RADA’s software defined radars identify and precisely track incoming threats, from any direction, in real time. The system then intercepts the threat by launching a small warhead and activating it at a safe distance from the protected platform at a precisely calculated moment, defeating the threat through a shock-wave effect.

In phase II of the IFL for Bradley project, RADA expects to receive near-term orders for the supply of radars for qualification testing, and the current potential is to equip one US army brigade of Bradley armored vehicles. This phase is expected to continue into the years 2020 and 2021.

Commented Dubi Sela, CEO of RADA, “The IFL is the ideal candidate for protecting the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, as the US Army continues its upgrade program for its primary troop carrier. Fielding Active Protection capabilities has been identified as a current and urgent need by the US Army. The APS market potential for RADA in the coming years is estimated at a few thousand vehicles of various types, just in the United States, while the total global potential is significantly greater. We are very proud to be a key technology provider for the Active Protection market, a new and emerging market which is heading mainstream in the USA and globally.”