STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., May 29 (UPI) -- A U.S. combat vehicle with a fully integrated active protection system that defeats threats from advanced man-portable weapons is under development.
General Dynamics Land Systems said it is leading an effort to develop the APS integrated vehicle and recently concluded a successful Critical Design Review of the project.
"General Dynamics Land Systems has more than 20 years of experience with APS technology integration and development and we are actively engaged in industry studies, research and development," said Sonya Sepahban, Land Systems senior vice president, engineering, development and technology.
"We will continue to leverage our world-class systems engineering and unique survivability expertise -- coupled with broad knowledge of APS technologies -- to implement this capability on a variety of platforms for our customers."
Active Protection Systems enhance crew protection by intercepting and defeating threats before they reach the vehicle. Its integration wouldn't "significantly" sacrifice vehicle mobility and transportability, the company said.
General Dynamics is funding the effort itself and plans to validate a fully integrated APS on a Light Armored Vehicle III demonstrator later this year.
