Textron Defense Systems [TXT] said its TRAPSNet countermeasure, an enhancement of the company’s Tactical Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) Airbag Protection System (TRAPS), has successfully completed a two-week test event sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
“Our TRAPS system is flexible and modular,” said Textron Defense Systems Vice President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance & Protection Systems Tom McNamara. “It can be configured for front, rear or flank protection, as well as for 360-degree vehicle protection. The introduction of a passive countermeasure virtually eliminates collateral effects and paves the way for rapid fielding of an active protection system.”
Held at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center in Socorro, N.M., TRAPSNet excelled during the rigorous testing including dozens of RPG shots at various angles and ranges, the company said in a July 18 statement.
TRAPSNet is a passive countermeasure that can be integrated with TRAPS onto any ground vehicle, wheeled or tracked. TRAPS incorporates Textron Defense Systems’ sensors, which are configured to identify incoming objects fitting the profile of an RPG warhead. Once the sensors confirm an RPG threat, the countermeasure deploys a net, originally developed by AmSafe, integrated into a standard airbag to defeat the RPG while preventing vehicle penetration.
The modular TRAPS architecture allows the TRAPSNet countermeasure to be swapped within minutes for various energetic countermeasures, as needed to satisfy different operational and threat needs, the statement said. The system hardware, software and controller all remain the same for a low total cost of ownership and more effective, customized vehicle protection.
The TRAPSNet countermeasure is multi-hit capable and does not significantly increase the width of the vehicle in its installed configuration. Moreover, it is only deployed once an RPG threat has been detected and verified by system sensors, improving visibility for the driver and passengers.
“The effectiveness and maturity of our TRAPS system was successfully demonstrated at last year’s Live-Fire Test and Evaluation event by the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” said McNamara. “This most recent DARPA testing has established that TRAPS is easily adaptable to different user needs. The TRAPSNet countermeasure provides a simple and highly effective RPG defeat solution. With easy integration onto any ground vehicle and field retrofit capability, we’ve created an accelerated path to the field that’s critical for today’s fight, while our modular architecture makes the system flexible for future protection needs.”