Technology: Israel’s Rafael to enhance protection of Polish K2 tanks with Trophy anti-missile system.

During MSPO 2025 in Kielce, Poland, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems from Israel and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem Company finalized a strategic teaming agreement to integrate the Israeli-developed Trophy Active Protection System (APS) onto the Polish army's K2 main battle tank and its future variants. The agreement was signed at the Hyundai Rotem booth in the presence of senior executives from both companies, symbolizing a deepening of Israeli-Korean defense ties with significant implications for both domestic force modernization and international armored vehicle markets.
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Polish Army K2 main battle tanks will be equipped with the Israeli Trophy active protection system to enhance survivability against modern anti-tank threats.  (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

The new agreement formalizes earlier cooperation under a Memorandum of Understanding and now establishes a full-spectrum collaboration covering system integration, production, lifecycle support, and joint marketing of the combat-proven APS for the Republic of Korea's defense programs. Rafael's Trophy system, the world’s first operational APS with extensive battlefield deployment experience, is set to become a core survivability feature on the Polish Army K2 Main Battle Tank (MBT), including the Polish-customized K2PL variant, marking the first integration of an APS into a Korean-built main battle tank.

This partnership represents a major leap in active protection for the K2, a platform already recognized for its cutting-edge mobility, firepower, and digital battlefield capabilities. By incorporating Trophy, the K2 gains a hard-kill defense layer capable of intercepting and neutralizing incoming anti-tank threats such as RPGs and guided missiles, significantly increasing crew survivability in high-threat environments. Hyundai Rotem confirmed that the system will be fully adapted to the K2's architecture, ensuring optimized integration with the tank’s existing command, control, and sensor suites.

Trophy, developed by Rafael in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries' Elta Systems, operates as a 360-degree active protection shield that uses advanced radar to detect, track, and instantly intercept incoming threats with explosive countermeasures before impact. Unlike passive or reactive armor, which absorbs or deflects damage, Trophy proactively eliminates the threat mid-flight. The system has been successfully deployed on the Israeli Merkava IV and Namer armored vehicles, as well as U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks, and is credited with saving lives in numerous real-world combat engagements.

The war in Ukraine has underscored the vulnerability of even modern tanks to man-portable anti-tank guided missiles, loitering munitions, and top-attack drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces have suffered substantial armored vehicle losses due to these evolving threats, which have been employed with high frequency and accuracy. In this operational context, Trophy’s battle-proven capabilities offer a decisive layer of survivability that directly addresses the most pressing threats faced by armored formations on today’s dynamic battlefield.

For the Polish Army, which is currently acquiring a significant number of K2 and K2PL tanks as part of a broader force modernization program, the integration of Trophy is a critical upgrade. It provides real-time, autonomous defense against Kornet-style ATGMs, RPG-29s, and drone-launched munitions that have proven highly lethal in Ukraine. Trophy not only intercepts these threats but also pinpoints their origin, enabling immediate counter-engagement by the tank or supporting units. This threat localization capability transforms the K2 into both a protected and a more lethal platform, enabling it to respond faster and more effectively in ambush or complex combat scenarios.

The move comes amid increasing demand for advanced survivability systems as modern armored forces face evolving threats in contested battlefields, especially in Europe. The K2, currently being delivered to Poland under a multi-phase contract, is seen as a frontrunner for several upcoming tenders, including in NATO-aligned countries seeking next-generation MBT capabilities. The addition of Trophy is expected to enhance the K2's competitiveness against European and American designs that are either considering or already deploying APS technology.

For Rafael, the deal signifies another export success for Trophy, which is already deployed on Israel’s Merkava IV tanks and Namer APCs, as well as selected U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams variants. For Hyundai Rotem, it reinforces the company’s strategic pivot toward high-value partnerships and indigenous industrial growth, particularly through localized production and technology transfer initiatives that will shape Korea’s future armored forces.

With battlefield survivability becoming a critical factor in MBT procurement, the Rafael-Hyundai Rotem alliance positions the K2 MBT as a leading-edge solution for both domestic and allied forces, underscoring a growing trend in global defense: the fusion of combat-tested systems with agile, next-gen platforms for operational superiority in multi-domain conflicts.