First Leopard 2 with Trophy APS rolled out for German Army

The first Leopard 2 equipped with the Trophy APS was rolled out on 29 October for the German Army. (Bundeswehr/Volker Muth)

The first Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) equipped with the Trophy active protection system (APS) was rolled out on 29 October for the German Army, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) and EuroTrophy announced on social media later the same day.

The Israeli MoD noted on X (formerly Twitter) that Trophy is designed to protect tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) against anti-tank threats. Colonel Gunnar Steinseifer, head of the MBT department in Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr: BAAINBw), said in an interview published on the Bundeswehr website that these threats include rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank guided missiles, and other systems without the need for additional ballistic protection, making it possible “to have an MBT with high mobility, low weight, and yet very high protection”.

He added, “The fact that the system is in daily use in Israel has proven how well it works. This was a crucial criterion for our selection.” Operational with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since 2011, Trophy is installed on all newly produced Merkava Mk 4 tanks and Namer APCs.

The MBT rolled out with Trophy on 29 October was a Leopard 2A7A1, which will undergo testing by industry and Germany's Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 41 military technology centre. It will be delivered to the German Army in mid-2025, followed by 16 more Leopard 2A7A1s by the end of that year. Also in 2025, the Bundeswehr will receive its first of 124 Leopard 2A8s, for which Trophy is standard equipment.