The Arena Active Protection System (APS) is an active countermeasure system developed at Russia's Kolomna-based Engineering Design Bureau to provide anti-missile defense for T-90 tanks. It uses millimeter-wavelengthradar to detect incoming projectiles, then fires a defensive explosive at the incoming round, timed to detonate immediately in front of the target.
Arena was designed partly in response to vulnerabilities in T-80 and other tanks, discovered during fighting in Chechnya in the 1990s. It is intended to help protect a tank from light anti-tank weapons and ATGMs, including those with top-attack warheads.
Currently, the system is designed for the Stryker light armored vehicle and for the Israeli Merkava main battle tank.
The system has an automatic reloading mechanism that can handle multiple attacks, and can simultaneously engage several threats, while the armored vehicle is on the move.
The system is designed to work against all types of anti-tank missiles and rockets, such as the ubiquitous rocket propelled grenades.
It is a close-in system of antimissile defense that creates an active fire zone of protection at a safe distance around the vehicle.1 Countermeasure, or soft kill, systems confuse and divert the inbound enemy missile with the use of munitions (obscurants), jammers, decoys, and signature reduction measures.
Arena will not respond to false images or targets such as: small caliber projectiles, targets flying away from the tank, targets outside of the 50 meter envelope, or slow-flying objects, such as pieces of earth.
Additionally, the system does not respond to shells or projectiles exploding around the tank, or targets whose trajectory does not cross a protected portion of the tank.18 The concern for dismounted infantry is considered, with a danger zone identified 20-30 meters around the tank.
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