U.S. MBT M1A2 SEP v2 Abrams w/ Trophy APS

Plastic model kit for building a U.S. M1A2 SEP v2 Abrams with Trophy Active Protection System

• Scale 1:72
• Movable gun and turret
• Sectional tracks
• Unassembled, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The M1A2 SEP v2 (System Enhancement Package Version 2) was the first Abrams variant in which the US Army integrated the Israeli Trophy Active Protection System (APS) on a large scale. This measure was a response to the growing threat posed by modern anti-tank guided missiles and handheld anti-tank weapons. The Army explicitly describes the SEPv2 as the first M1A2 version to incorporate Trophy - an APS not originally developed specifically for the Abrams.

Trophy is a "hard-kill" protection system. Multiple radar antennas mounted on the turret monitor the surrounding area, detect and track incoming projectiles, and determine their trajectories. If a threat to the tank is detected, the system aligns a countermeasure launcher mounted on the side of the turret and engages the incoming projectile with a directed kinetic countermeasure before it reaches the tank's actual armor. It is designed to provide protection primarily against ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and RPGs, as well as certain recoilless anti-tank weapons.

Consequently, the most noticeable features of an M1A2 SEP v2 equipped with Trophy are the additional components on the turret: the flat radar antennas, the two side-mounted hard-kill launchers, and the associated protective housings and electronic assemblies. The large side-mounted Trophy assemblies, in particular, significantly alter the Abrams' silhouette.

This integration was not merely an experimental setup. The US Army completed testing of the Trophy-equipped M1A2 SEPv2 in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019; this included mobility, live-fire, and ballistic impact tests.

The SEP v2 retains the 120mm M256 smoothbore gun as its main armament. Also characteristic are the fully digital vehicle architecture, the gunner’s thermal imaging sighting system, and the commander’s independent thermal viewer (CITV). This enables the crew to operate according to the "hunter-killer" principle: while the gunner engages a target, the commander is already searching for the next one.

Later SEPv2 upgrades also included the CROWS-LP (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station – Low Profile), an ammunition data link for more modern programmable ammunition, and increased battery capacity.