A key solution within Elbit Systems’ portfolio is the Iron Fist Active Protection System, designed to provide armored platforms with active protection against a broad spectrum of anti-armor threats while reducing the need to rely exclusively on additional passive armor and the resulting increase in vehicle weight. The Iron Fist family includes configurations intended for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and other lighter platforms, as well as a heavier configuration designed for main battle tanks (MBTs).

On 24 August 2026, officers of the Hellenic Army General Staff (HAGS) held a meeting with representatives of Elbit Land Systems focusing on Active Protection System (APS) capabilities for armored combat vehicles. The meeting comes amid the continuing international focus on improving the survivability of armored formations against increasingly sophisticated anti-tank threats.

Iron Fist combines radar and optical sensing technologies to rapidly detect, identify, classify and track incoming threats. The system is designed to counter threats including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), recoilless-rifle ammunition and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), while its heavier configuration is also intended to address tank-fired threats including HEAT and kinetic-energy rounds. Its sensor architecture is capable of dealing with simultaneous threats and can provide information on the location of hostile fire, supporting both vehicle protection and the crew’s ability to respond to the source of an attack.

Following detection, the system’s computerized control unit processes sensor information and calculates the appropriate interception point and timing. Iron Fist employs a blast interceptor based on a “miss-to-kill” concept, generating a shock-wave effect at a calculated distance from the protected vehicle in order to defeat the incoming threat without initiating its warhead. This approach is designed to minimize residual effects and collateral risk around the protected platform.

Particular emphasis has also been placed on reducing size, weight and integration requirements. The compact architecture enables Iron Fist to be adapted to different classes of combat vehicles with limited impact on vehicle weight and external silhouette. The system can therefore provide an active-protection capability not only for heavily armored MBTs but also for lighter and medium-weight vehicles where the addition of substantial passive armor would impose significant mobility and payload penalties.

Beyond interception, the Iron Fist sensor suite can contribute to the wider situational awareness of the vehicle. The system provides 360-degree day/night surveillance and hostile-fire detection capabilities and can be integrated with existing onboard systems including Battle Management Systems (BMS), Fire Control Systems (FCS) and Elbit Systems’ Iron Vision “see-through armor” technology. An optional soft-kill jammer can also provide an additional layer of protection against ATGM threats.

The presentation of APS capabilities to the Hellenic Army General Staff is particularly relevant as modern battlefield experience continues to demonstrate the vulnerability of armored vehicles to increasingly diverse anti-tank weapons. Active protection systems are consequently becoming an increasingly important component of armored vehicle survivability, combining detection, situational awareness and rapid responses with existing passive protection.

The Iron Fist concept is intended to reduce the traditional dependence on increasing armor weight to achieve higher levels of protection. Through its modular design, dual sensing technologies, 360-degree coverage and relatively low size and weight burden, the system is designed to increase the survivability of armored vehicles and their crews while preserving mobility and operational effectiveness.