Lasers and tanks: BAE to further develop softkill APS

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published 2nd December 2024. 

The Stromcrow laser APS from BAE Systems is to be further developed after the company was awarded a contract by the US Army. This will be accompanied by further work on Terra Raven, a softkill infrared system for armoured vehicles. Together, the two systems are designed to guard against guided missiles and “adjacent threats,” according to a 19th November BAE press release. 

The follow-on contract is to build on BAE’s Multi-Class Soft Kill System (MCSKS), which is designed to engage threats like drones and anti-tank guided missiles without eating into the vehicle’s kinetic effectors. The system has several components, including electro-optical and infrared (IR) sensors, as well as the Stormcrow laser APS and Terra Raven softkill suite. 

The sensor suite appears to include the option long wave infrared (LWIR), imagers which are useful because they work in all weather conditions and can detect threats through fog, smoke, and foliage. LWIR works by detecting the heat radiation emitted by objects in the 8-14 micrometer range. The sensor includes a lens and a detector array – the array is built of pixels that convert infrared radiation into electrical signals and form a picture corresponding to the intensity of the heat. This makes them valuable sensors for detecting an approaching missile or threat. 

Terra Raven is understood to defeat incoming missiles through spoofing or jamming its sensor in the IR range. Very little is publicly available on the Stormcrow, but it is understood to employ a high energy laser to defeat targets and may be used to intercept small drones. The BAE press material at least indicates that the system altogether can counter this sort of threat. 

Calibre comment

Active Protection Systems (APS) are a useful tool to increase the survivability of an armoured fighting vehicle. They are essentially an air defence system for the vehicle and can intercept incoming threats before they hit the armour – this is classed as an active form of protection. The armour itself is passive, it also functions on a threat to some degree, even if the threat defeats it. A third type or protection is reactive armour, which reacts to a threat making contact by detonating a small explosive and throwing a metal plate against it. Layering these types of protection increases the chances of a vehicle surviving an engagement, especially when drones and anti-tank guided missiles are so widely available. Russian solutions in Ukraine have favoured passive and reactive solutions, as seen recently with new BMD-4Ms and BMP-3s. However, the US is increasingly investing in APS technologies such as radars with a lower electronic profile, and the BAE systems mentioned above to protect its armoured vehicle fleet. Systems like Stormcrow may present a sustainable and viable counter to small drones, especially if they can defeat them quickly.