Everything you need to know about Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH:
Knowledge, dates, news

01/08/2019

Rheinmetall Active Defence System (ADS)

The Rheinmetall Active Defence System (ADS) for light to heavy vehicles combines performance and innovation. ADS is able to counteract various severe attacks thanks to the most precise interaction between individual high-tech components. Threats are detected, assessed and intercepted in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle before they reach their target. ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to active protection systems (APS). As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

► Watch the video

The Rheinmetall Active Defence System (ADS) for light to heavy vehicles combines performance and innovation. ADS is able to counteract various severe attacks thanks to the most precise interaction between individual high-tech components. Threats are detected, assessed and intercepted in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle before they reach their target. ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to active protection systems (APS). As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

► Watch the video

05/10/2018

Rheinmetall to demonstrate its ADS active protection system on US Army Strykers

The US Army will explore using Rheinmetall’s ADS active protection system (APS), among others, on its Stryker wheeled combat vehicles after determining that the Artis Iron Curtain APS was not a good fit.

► Read more

The US Army will explore using Rheinmetall’s ADS active protection system (APS), among others, on its Stryker wheeled combat vehicles after determining that the Artis Iron Curtain APS was not a good fit.

► Read more

26/06/2018

ADS tackles active protection system signature challenges

ADS – a member of the Rheinmetall Group – is continuing to develop its active protection system (APS), the ADS Gen-3 with new certifications and future customers.

During EW Europe 2018 earlier this month Shephard spoke to Ronald Meixner, lead engineer at ADS, about the integration of a specially-developed low power radar system.

► Read more

ADS – a member of the Rheinmetall Group – is continuing to develop its active protection system (APS), the ADS Gen-3 with new certifications and future customers.

During EW Europe 2018 earlier this month Shephard spoke to Ronald Meixner, lead engineer at ADS, about the integration of a specially-developed low power radar system.

► Read more

08/06/2018

ADS integrates world’s lowest power missile detection radar for Autonomous Protection Systems

ADS sets the market standard for APS system design

Bonn, Germany, 08/06/2018 – ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, the pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems, today announces that it has integrated the world’s lowest power radar for APS missile detection into its’ ADS-Gen3 APS, giving its adopters significant tactical battlefield advantage.

In symmetric warfare environments such as Eastern Europe the adversary has sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) capability. Deployment of advanced APS defensive measures that utilise radar must respond by lowering their detection profile to the greatest extent possible. This is achieved by making the missile detection distance requirement of the APS radar as small as feasible, directly facilitating the integration of the lowest power radar.

ADS focussed on extreme performance for its missile detection to countermeasure deployment time for ADS-Gen3, resulting in what is referred to as a Minimum Defeat Distance (MDD) of <10m for successful detection to missile destruction. This is 5x to 15x less than adversary launcher APSs, granting allied forces a huge tactical EW detection and potential jamming advantage when contrasted with adversarial APS deployments. To put this into context, this means EW receivers have to be within 350m. Even with SIGINT airborne detection systems ADS-Gen3 won’t be detected unless within 10Km. For the adversary these distances are at least two orders of magnitude greater.

Despite being very difficult to detect, ADS sensors still provide valuable threat data to the vehicle’s Battle Management System or to other integrated systems. This increases overall situation awareness and enables crews to engage adversaries with an immediate and targeted response.

ADS-Gen3 radiates less power, and thus EW visibility, than even the radio communication systems used vehicle to vehicle. “By designing the fastest next generation Autonomous Protection System, we give armoured vehicles and tanks full missile defence whilst granting EW advantage in the symmetric warfare contexts such as NE Europe.” Said Dr. Ronald Meixner, ADS “By keeping the power radiation below that of communication systems ADS-Gen3 minimizes the potential for APS EW detection and jamming.”

“Our investment in the world’s fastest response APS delivers innovation opportunity and deployed tactical advantage.” said Stefan Haase, CEO ADS, “We have been able to integrate an incredibly low power radar into our APS, granting huge battlefield advantage.”

 

Further information:

• Companion Press Briefing document “Electronic Warfare and Battle Management System
Brief May 2018”
• Information on https://www.ads-protection.org/news

 

 

About ADS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, is a world leading pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APSs). Part of the Rheinmetall group of companies, ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to APS’s. As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

 

 

Media Contact Details

Oliver Hoffmann
Head of Public Relations
Rheinmetall AG

Office: +49-(0)211-473 4748
Email: oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com

 

ADS Technical Briefing Support:

Geoff Revill

Office: +44 117 230 2344
Mobile: +44 7717 472171
Email: geoff@market-altitude.com

 

 

 

 


 

Electronic Warfare and Battle Management System Briefing for APS and ADS-Gen-3

This document provides a contextual briefing for the importance of missile sensor design for Autonomous Protection Systems. It discusses the role of an APS in a Battle Management System (BMS) and the tactical objectives for radar design for APS’s in an Electronic Warfare context.

 

 

EW Perspective

Why is APS radar design so important?
In any symmetric warfare environment with an adversary that is equipped with sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) or Signal intelligence (SIGINT) capability it behooves the APS provider to compete to mitigate comparative EW exposure. Radars visible at long range alert the adversary of the incoming threat, possibly its range and position, type and certainly its number.
While the threat of the RPG being able to take out a main battle tank has driven much of western country to APS adoption, the renewed threat of a cold war requires a broader consideration of APS design to take into account EW.

 

What does the adversary’s system look like?
Russia has led APS deployment since the 1980’s and the west is only just starting to recognize the need to integrate this technology. Russia has universally used a launcher-based approach to APS design. These systems need significant (in missile speed context) time to respond to a recognized threat and orientate the launcher to intercept. This time factor means the radar has to be powerful enough to recognize a threat from anything from 60m to several 100m’s.
In addition Russia has invested heavily in EW and SIGINT capability and powerful jamming capabilities. This creates a wholly different context for APS deployment when contrasted with the Middle East, where a strongly capable EW adversary is rarely part of the battlefield environment. Summing up Soviet attitudes toward the role of electronic warfare systems, Adm. Sergei G. Gorshkov, the late commander of the Soviet Navy, said in 1972, „The next war will be won by the side that best exploits the electromagnetic spectrum.“

 

How can the west gain tactical advantage?
By adopting APS’s that react much faster. The time from recognition of a threat to ability to destroy the threat has to be minimized, because this has a direct impact on the power requirements of the radar. The longer the APS takes to respond, the further out it needs to recognize the threat and thus the greater range and power the radar needs. Radar has to exponentially increase its power to gain a single order of range gain, so the APS missile detection distance has a massive impact on radar power requirement, as this graph shows.

 

Radar or Comms System

.
.

Detectable Range

Electronic Warfare Support Measures
(ESM used by ground systems)

Detectable Range

Electronic Intelligence
(ELINT used by aircraft surveillance)

Distributed APS (1 W)
(e.g. ADS-Gen3)
~ 0.35 km ~ 6.0 km
VHF Tactical Radio (10 W)
Launcher APS (100 W) ~ 21.5 km ~ 380 km
Launcher APS (200 W) ~ 30 km ~ 535 km

 

Clearly the tactical advantage of being able to remain undetected whilst sustaining full APS capability is significant. In Eastern Europe this means the West will know almost immediately when Russian tanks are on the move whereas the converse is not true for western tanks or vehicles.

 

What other advantage is there to ultra low power APS radar?
There are two types of detectable emissions, those used by communication systems detectable by COMINT systems, and those used by radar and other sensors detected by ELINT systems. In general the power output of communication systems is much lower than most radars. But an ultra low power radar can, and in the case of ADS-Gen3 is, lower power output than the communication systems. This means that it does not expose the vehicle to any greater detection possibility than having a radio system active.

 

 

Battle Management Systems Enhancement (BMS)

How does an APS contribute to a BMS?
An APS needs to identify the trajectory and the missile type in order to ensure a ‘hard kill’. This means that an enemy surprise attack is automatically defeated by the APS, but more importantly the enemy has now disclosed their type (based on missile type) and their bearing from the vehicle. Integration of this information from the APS can directly guide an immediate response from the vehicle, knowing whether a machine gun or heavy cannon is needed to defeat the attacker. This data can be automatically shared with all allied forces in the vicinity to enable a coordinated response.

 

Does a lower power radar mean you lose this BMS value?
No. You gain the same data value from an APS protected vehicle irrespective of the range capabilities of the radar.

 

► Read less

ADS sets the market standard for APS system design

Bonn, Germany, 08/06/2018 – ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, the pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems, today announces that it has integrated the world’s lowest power radar for APS missile detection into its’ ADS-Gen3 APS, giving its adopters significant tactical battlefield advantage.

In symmetric warfare environments such as Eastern Europe the adversary has sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) capability. Deployment of advanced APS defensive measures that utilise radar must respond by lowering their detection profile to the greatest extent possible. This is achieved by making the missile detection distance requirement of the APS radar as small as feasible, directly facilitating the integration of the lowest power radar.

ADS focussed on extreme performance for its missile detection to countermeasure deployment time for ADS-Gen3, resulting in what is referred to as a Minimum Defeat Distance (MDD) of <10m for successful detection to missile destruction. This is 5x to 15x less than adversary launcher APSs, granting allied forces a huge tactical EW detection and potential jamming advantage when contrasted with adversarial APS deployments. To put this into context, this means EW receivers have to be within 350m. Even with SIGINT airborne detection systems ADS-Gen3 won’t be detected unless within 10Km. For the adversary these distances are at least two orders of magnitude greater.

Despite being very difficult to detect, ADS sensors still provide valuable threat data to the vehicle’s Battle Management System or to other integrated systems. This increases overall situation awareness and enables crews to engage adversaries with an immediate and targeted response.

ADS-Gen3 radiates less power, and thus EW visibility, than even the radio communication systems used vehicle to vehicle. “By designing the fastest next generation Autonomous Protection System, we give armoured vehicles and tanks full missile defence whilst granting EW advantage in the symmetric warfare contexts such as NE Europe.” Said Dr. Ronald Meixner, ADS “By keeping the power radiation below that of communication systems ADS-Gen3 minimizes the potential for APS EW detection and jamming.”

“Our investment in the world’s fastest response APS delivers innovation opportunity and deployed tactical advantage.” said Stefan Haase, CEO ADS, “We have been able to integrate an incredibly low power radar into our APS, granting huge battlefield advantage.”

 

Further information:

• Companion Press Briefing document “Electronic Warfare and Battle Management System
Brief May 2018”
• Information on https://www.ads-protection.org/news

 

 

About ADS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, is a world leading pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APSs). Part of the Rheinmetall group of companies, ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to APS’s. As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

 

 

Media Contact Details

Oliver Hoffmann
Head of Public Relations
Rheinmetall AG

Office: +49-(0)211-473 4748
Email: oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com

 

ADS Technical Briefing Support:

Geoff Revill

Office: +44 117 230 2344
Mobile: +44 7717 472171
Email: geoff@market-altitude.com

 

 

 

 


 

Electronic Warfare and Battle Management System Briefing for APS and ADS-Gen-3

This document provides a contextual briefing for the importance of missile sensor design for Autonomous Protection Systems. It discusses the role of an APS in a Battle Management System (BMS) and the tactical objectives for radar design for APS’s in an Electronic Warfare context.

 

 

EW Perspective

Why is APS radar design so important?
In any symmetric warfare environment with an adversary that is equipped with sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) or Signal intelligence (SIGINT) capability it behooves the APS provider to compete to mitigate comparative EW exposure. Radars visible at long range alert the adversary of the incoming threat, possibly its range and position, type and certainly its number.
While the threat of the RPG being able to take out a main battle tank has driven much of western country to APS adoption, the renewed threat of a cold war requires a broader consideration of APS design to take into account EW.

 

What does the adversary’s system look like?
Russia has led APS deployment since the 1980’s and the west is only just starting to recognize the need to integrate this technology. Russia has universally used a launcher-based approach to APS design. These systems need significant (in missile speed context) time to respond to a recognized threat and orientate the launcher to intercept. This time factor means the radar has to be powerful enough to recognize a threat from anything from 60m to several 100m’s.
In addition Russia has invested heavily in EW and SIGINT capability and powerful jamming capabilities. This creates a wholly different context for APS deployment when contrasted with the Middle East, where a strongly capable EW adversary is rarely part of the battlefield environment. Summing up Soviet attitudes toward the role of electronic warfare systems, Adm. Sergei G. Gorshkov, the late commander of the Soviet Navy, said in 1972, „The next war will be won by the side that best exploits the electromagnetic spectrum.“

 

How can the west gain tactical advantage?
By adopting APS’s that react much faster. The time from recognition of a threat to ability to destroy the threat has to be minimized, because this has a direct impact on the power requirements of the radar. The longer the APS takes to respond, the further out it needs to recognize the threat and thus the greater range and power the radar needs. Radar has to exponentially increase its power to gain a single order of range gain, so the APS missile detection distance has a massive impact on radar power requirement, as this graph shows.

 

Radar or Comms System

.
.

Detectable Range

Electronic Warfare Support Measures
(ESM used by ground systems)

Detectable Range

Electronic Intelligence
(ELINT used by aircraft surveillance)

Distributed APS (1 W)
(e.g. ADS-Gen3)
~ 0.35 km ~ 6.0 km
VHF Tactical Radio (10 W)
Launcher APS (100 W) ~ 21.5 km ~ 380 km
Launcher APS (200 W) ~ 30 km ~ 535 km

 

Clearly the tactical advantage of being able to remain undetected whilst sustaining full APS capability is significant. In Eastern Europe this means the West will know almost immediately when Russian tanks are on the move whereas the converse is not true for western tanks or vehicles.

 

What other advantage is there to ultra low power APS radar?
There are two types of detectable emissions, those used by communication systems detectable by COMINT systems, and those used by radar and other sensors detected by ELINT systems. In general the power output of communication systems is much lower than most radars. But an ultra low power radar can, and in the case of ADS-Gen3 is, lower power output than the communication systems. This means that it does not expose the vehicle to any greater detection possibility than having a radio system active.

 

 

Battle Management Systems Enhancement (BMS)

How does an APS contribute to a BMS?
An APS needs to identify the trajectory and the missile type in order to ensure a ‘hard kill’. This means that an enemy surprise attack is automatically defeated by the APS, but more importantly the enemy has now disclosed their type (based on missile type) and their bearing from the vehicle. Integration of this information from the APS can directly guide an immediate response from the vehicle, knowing whether a machine gun or heavy cannon is needed to defeat the attacker. This data can be automatically shared with all allied forces in the vicinity to enable a coordinated response.

 

Does a lower power radar mean you lose this BMS value?
No. You gain the same data value from an APS protected vehicle irrespective of the range capabilities of the radar.

 

► Read less

16/03/2018

Demo in Unterlüß, Defense News states: “Rheinmetall intensifies push to enter US Army’s vehicle protection program”

UNTERLUESS, Germany — Germany company Rheinmetall has made another push to show the U.S. Army that it has a ready and working active protection system. The company’s marketing effort this week at its Germany-based proving grounds comes as potential fiscal 2018 funding would cover the qualification of another APS for Army combat vehicles waiting in the wings for congressional approval.

► Read more

UNTERLUESS, Germany — Germany company Rheinmetall has made another push to show the U.S. Army that it has a ready and working active protection system. The company’s marketing effort this week at its Germany-based proving grounds comes as potential fiscal 2018 funding would cover the qualification of another APS for Army combat vehicles waiting in the wings for congressional approval.

► Read more

16/03/2018

Media Reaction to Rheinmetall press release

Mönch Online
Intuition can sometimes be counterproductive. Experience in recent years with active protection systems (APS) – various solutions to the seemingly intractable issue of how to ‘hard kill’ incoming missiles or RPGs targeting your vehicle – has resulted in a mindset that in many cases categorises the solution as an autonomous weapon system – and therefore one that is inherently unsafe.

► Read more

 

Jane’s 360
ADS – the distributed hard-kill active protection system (APS) developed by Germany’s ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall – has been developed to IEC61508 Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3), the highest safety critical standard currently achievable for an APS.

► Read more

 

Jane’s 360
At the 2018 International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) conference in London, ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, part of Rheinmetall, has announced that its third-generation Active Defence System (ADS Gen 3) is set to conform to IEC61508 SIL 3 safety standards before the end of 2018.

► Read more

 

Shephard
ADS, a member of the Rheinmetall Group, is preparing for the broader and rapid adoption of active protection systems (APS) by Western armies in response to the growing threat from anti-tank weapons and significant improvements in the system safety standards.

► Read more

 

Breaking Defense
German arms maker Rheinmetall is rolling out a new Active Protection System (APS) it says should lay Army safety concerns about such systems to rest. The Army is rushing to install anti-missile defenses on its armored vehicles but remains concerned about whether they might accidentally shred nearby civilians or friendly troops.

► Read more

 

The Drive
German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall says it latest active protection system for tanks and other armored vehicles, which protects military vehicles against various types of incoming projectiles, has become the first anywhere in the world to pass a stringent independent safety evaluation.

► Read more

 

Defense Procurement International
Let the battle of the Active Protection Systems (APS) begin. At the opening day of the International Armoured Vehicles conference in Twickenham, London this week, ADS, Israeli company Rafael and Raytheon set out their stalls or APS offerings for armoured vehicles.

► Read more

 

IBT
A German defence contractor has made a ground vehicle protection system that engages with incoming projectiles and disables them before they hit the target. It has now become the first independently-assessed active protection system (ADS) ever.

► Read more

► Read less

Mönch Online
Intuition can sometimes be counterproductive. Experience in recent years with active protection systems (APS) – various solutions to the seemingly intractable issue of how to ‘hard kill’ incoming missiles or RPGs targeting your vehicle – has resulted in a mindset that in many cases categorises the solution as an autonomous weapon system – and therefore one that is inherently unsafe.

► Read more

 

Jane’s 360
ADS – the distributed hard-kill active protection system (APS) developed by Germany’s ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall – has been developed to IEC61508 Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3), the highest safety critical standard currently achievable for an APS.

► Read more

 

Jane’s 360
At the 2018 International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) conference in London, ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, part of Rheinmetall, has announced that its third-generation Active Defence System (ADS Gen 3) is set to conform to IEC61508 SIL 3 safety standards before the end of 2018.

► Read more

 

Shephard
ADS, a member of the Rheinmetall Group, is preparing for the broader and rapid adoption of active protection systems (APS) by Western armies in response to the growing threat from anti-tank weapons and significant improvements in the system safety standards.

► Read more

 

Breaking Defense
German arms maker Rheinmetall is rolling out a new Active Protection System (APS) it says should lay Army safety concerns about such systems to rest. The Army is rushing to install anti-missile defenses on its armored vehicles but remains concerned about whether they might accidentally shred nearby civilians or friendly troops.

► Read more

 

The Drive
German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall says it latest active protection system for tanks and other armored vehicles, which protects military vehicles against various types of incoming projectiles, has become the first anywhere in the world to pass a stringent independent safety evaluation.

► Read more

 

Defense Procurement International
Let the battle of the Active Protection Systems (APS) begin. At the opening day of the International Armoured Vehicles conference in Twickenham, London this week, ADS, Israeli company Rafael and Raytheon set out their stalls or APS offerings for armoured vehicles.

► Read more

 

IBT
A German defence contractor has made a ground vehicle protection system that engages with incoming projectiles and disables them before they hit the target. It has now become the first independently-assessed active protection system (ADS) ever.

► Read more

► Read less

23/01/2018

ADS defines the next generation of APS

ADS defines the next generation of Active Protection System (APS) by the rigorous application of highest safety standards – world’s first independently assessed ‘functionally safe’ APS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, the pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APS), today announces it has achieved a world first; the design and development of an APS to the highest safety standard, IEC61508. In 2018 ADS-Gen3 plans to be certified to IEC61508 SIL 3 (Safety Integrity Level), to be independently assessed by auditing firm tms (technisch-mathematische studiengesellschaft mbH) using the German Armed Forces’ assessment methodology for weaponry safety.

After seven years of risk-assessed design, development and system testing, ADS-Gen3 delivers world leading consistent APS defensive performance, validating defensive operation as succeeding in at least 999 of 1000 system responses, and potentially as high as 9,999 in 10,000 system actions1. IEC61508 SIL 3 is the same safety integrity level used to ensure the explosives in our airbags in our cars don’t fire inadvertently, yet respond in critical situations exactly when needed in the event of an accident.

Further, the system is designed to run continuously safely, thus assuring that dismounted crew or support infantry are not put at unnecessary risk by the APS automated defensive firing capabilities. The reliability of functional safety in ADS-Gen3 aims at a level higher than daily used elevators, critical components in public transport or traffic light controls.

“Functional safety is not about whether a system is working well in its field and delivering an expected performance – it’s about whether it is safe for all of us to use such system – as operator or as any human being which simply happens to be nearby.” Clarifies Dr. Ronald Meixner, lead engineer for the ADS design.

The combination of defensive performance tested by the NATO STANAG group coupled with the highest degree of regard for the IEC61508 safety of those around an APS defended vehicle, defines a new era for APS design. The achievement of these different APS safety as well as system performance levels brings the same level of confidence we give to our car design to keep us safe, to the APS sector, marking a fundamental shift from new technology adoption caution to an assurance of the familiar and proven.

“With this announcement ADS confirms its technical pioneering leadership in APS design and development.” Said Stefan Haase, CEO, “by bringing our automotive engineering heritage and discipline to the APS sector we expect to reduce market adoption timeframes, enabling the rapid deployment of APS’s to defend sorely pressed vehicle assets from the spectre of the insurgent with an RPG or ATGM threats.”

 

► Watch the video

 

 

About ADS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, is a world leading pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APSs). Part of the Rheinmetall group of companies, ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to APS’s. As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

Information on IEC61508 independent assessor tms:
https://www.tms-bonn.de/en/projects/systemsafety

 

For more information, please contact:
Oliver Hoffmann
Head of Public Relations
Rheinmetall AG
Tel.: +49-(0)211-473 4748
oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com

 

1 Against all known missile threats in the context of all natural environmental conditions expected in system deployments.

► Read less

ADS defines the next generation of Active Protection System (APS) by the rigorous application of highest safety standards – world’s first independently assessed ‘functionally safe’ APS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, the pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APS), today announces it has achieved a world first; the design and development of an APS to the highest safety standard, IEC61508. In 2018 ADS-Gen3 plans to be certified to IEC61508 SIL 3 (Safety Integrity Level), to be independently assessed by auditing firm tms (technisch-mathematische studiengesellschaft mbH) using the German Armed Forces’ assessment methodology for weaponry safety.

After seven years of risk-assessed design, development and system testing, ADS-Gen3 delivers world leading consistent APS defensive performance, validating defensive operation as succeeding in at least 999 of 1000 system responses, and potentially as high as 9,999 in 10,000 system actions1. IEC61508 SIL 3 is the same safety integrity level used to ensure the explosives in our airbags in our cars don’t fire inadvertently, yet respond in critical situations exactly when needed in the event of an accident.

Further, the system is designed to run continuously safely, thus assuring that dismounted crew or support infantry are not put at unnecessary risk by the APS automated defensive firing capabilities. The reliability of functional safety in ADS-Gen3 aims at a level higher than daily used elevators, critical components in public transport or traffic light controls.

“Functional safety is not about whether a system is working well in its field and delivering an expected performance – it’s about whether it is safe for all of us to use such system – as operator or as any human being which simply happens to be nearby.” Clarifies Dr. Ronald Meixner, lead engineer for the ADS design.

The combination of defensive performance tested by the NATO STANAG group coupled with the highest degree of regard for the IEC61508 safety of those around an APS defended vehicle, defines a new era for APS design. The achievement of these different APS safety as well as system performance levels brings the same level of confidence we give to our car design to keep us safe, to the APS sector, marking a fundamental shift from new technology adoption caution to an assurance of the familiar and proven.

“With this announcement ADS confirms its technical pioneering leadership in APS design and development.” Said Stefan Haase, CEO, “by bringing our automotive engineering heritage and discipline to the APS sector we expect to reduce market adoption timeframes, enabling the rapid deployment of APS’s to defend sorely pressed vehicle assets from the spectre of the insurgent with an RPG or ATGM threats.”

 

► Watch the video

 

 

About ADS

ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme mbH, is a world leading pioneer in reliable and precise hard-kill Active Protection Systems (APSs). Part of the Rheinmetall group of companies, ADS brings the rigorous engineering principles of the automotive sector to the defence sector and specifically to APS’s. As an innovator ADS is the world’s first APS developer to apply safety-critical design principles to APS development to deliver predictable and safe system performance.

Information on IEC61508 independent assessor tms:
https://www.tms-bonn.de/en/projects/systemsafety

 

For more information, please contact:
Oliver Hoffmann
Head of Public Relations
Rheinmetall AG
Tel.: +49-(0)211-473 4748
oliver.hoffmann@rheinmetall.com

 

1 Against all known missile threats in the context of all natural environmental conditions expected in system deployments.

► Read less

18/09/2017

Interview with Ronald Meixner of ADS at DSEI

Jane’s interviews Dr. Ronald Meixner of ADS about their modular Active Defence Systems, and plans for future vehicle protection during DSEI 2017 in London:

► Watch the video

Jane’s interviews Dr. Ronald Meixner of ADS about their modular Active Defence Systems, and plans for future vehicle protection during DSEI 2017 in London:

► Watch the video