BAE Systems to provide active protection system for U.S. Army combat vehicles

Soft kill electronic warfare system defends against missiles and unmanned aerial systems in complex battlespaces

AUSTIN, Texas, May 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has been awarded the Soft Kill Active Protection System (APS) program of record by the U.S. Army, equipping ground vehicles with advanced electronic warfare capabilities. The program leverages BAE Systems' Rapid Optical Observation and Kill (ROOK) system to disrupt and defeat incoming threats, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and anti-tank guided missiles, enhancing crew and vehicle survivability and mission effectiveness.

ROOK is a leading soft-kill countermeasure system, providing improved situational awareness and threat response in complex battlefield conditions. The system's electronic countermeasures defeat threats before they reach the vehicle by confusing or jamming their guidance systems. This renders the threats ineffective while preserving the limited magazine depth of hard-kill kinetic countermeasures.

"Modern ground warfare demands a layered defense, and soft-kill technologies are a critical, complementary component," said Dave Gillespie, director of Optics and Countermeasure Solutions at BAE Systems. "ROOK offers a cost-effective, sustainable defense with an infinite magazine depth, continuously disrupting enemy systems."

The Soft Kill APS program builds on core research and development programs, and it supports the Army's commitment to rapidly field robust and adaptable active protection systems. The contract will also support further development of BAE Systems' Stormcrow™ and TERRA RAVEN™ countermeasure systems and the delivery of prototype systems for vehicle integration and testing.

BAE Systems is a leader in full-spectrum electromagnetic warfare technology that has provided combat-proven survivability equipment to the U.S. Department of War and its allies for decades. The company's next-generation systems are part of its Intrepid Shield^TM layered approach to platform protection.

BAE Systems' vehicle protection systems are developed and manufactured at the company's state-of-the-art facility in Austin, Texas, with research and development support in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

For more information, please contact:

Mark Daly, BAE Systems
Mobile: 603-233-7636
[email protected]

www.baesystems.com/en-us
@BAESystemsInc

Note:  This effort was sponsored by the U.S. Government under Other Transaction number W56HZV-23-9-D001 with The National Advanced Mobility Consortium, Inc. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein.

The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government, the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, Inc., or any of its members.

SOURCE BAE Systems, Inc.