USMC considering Trophy systems for armored vehicles?

via USNI News.

As anti-tank threats are growing increasingly sophisticated, the Marine Corps is looking at protecting its ground vehicles with active protection and electronic warfare systems to fend off incoming rounds the same way ships and planes do today.

Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said at a Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that as technology proliferates, the anti-tank threat is rapidly evolving. The Navy is investing in protecting its ships and aircraft from similar threats, and Walsh said it’s time for the Marine Corps to take the same approach for its ground vehicles.

“When we start getting threats on our aircraft, our helicopters, our fixed wing aircraft, [from] infrared missiles, we quickly put out a capability to defeat those types of missiles,” he said.
“Now we’re seeing the threat on the ground changing, becoming a much more sophisticated threat on the ground. What we’ve continued to do is up-armor our capabilities on the ground, put armor on them. We’ve got to start thinking more with a higher technology capability, with vehicle protective systems, active protective systems that can defeat anti-tank guided munitions, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) … along with soft capability, which is the technology our aircraft have.”

To that end, the Marine Corps is partnering with the Army to test out the Israeli Trophy Active Protection System (APS). The Army is leasing four systems and will experiment with their Stryker combat vehicle and M1A2 tanks. The Marine Corps is currently modifying some of its M1A1 tanks to install mounts for the Trophy system, and the service will later work with the Army to test the protective system on the Marine tanks against anti-tank guided missiles and RPGs, he told USNI News after the hearing.

The Trophy system has both an active and a soft component. When sensors detect an incoming threat, the active system fires small rounds to deflect the threat, Walsh said, noting that “when they’re going that fast, it doesn’t take much to deflect them away.”

Do I believe it?  Do I think the Trophy system will become a part of the USMC inventory in the near term?

Not on your life.

The USMC is completely wedded to aviation.  Amos started it, Dunford didn't stick around long enough to put up his "I love me wall" and Neller is just nodding politely.  None of those men will go down in the history of the Corps as forceful leaders....as men who put it on the line for the best interest of the Marine Corps.

Having said that its obvious that instead of recognizing that old assumptions are no longer valid they're charging full speed ahead with the aviation centric Marine Corps.

Armor is just an after thought.

Talk about the Trophy system is just to calm the natives.  In the current Marine Corps, armor is the hare and the F-35 is the hounds.  Until the current regime, from JCS down to 2 star is purged then armor in the Marine Corps is proper fucked.