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2024-03-06

LACROIX Reveals Latest S-KAPS Configuration

LACROIX showcased its latest generation Soft-kill Advanced Protection System (S-KAPS), upgraded with Local Situational Awareness 360° solution by Bertin Technologies, at the recently concluded World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh. S-KAPS was displayed in the UAE Pavilion at the NIMR booth.

Through S-KAPS, LACROIX has engineered its proven self-protection system (GALIX-AOS) into an open and scalable solution to meet the growing need to increase the survivability of battlefield vehicles. This system, connected to the vehicle’s vetronics or BMS, includes threat detection, situational analysis and protection reaction features.

It considerably upgrades the survivability of vehicles by offering multi-band masking solutions (UV, visible, infrared and millimetre), modern decoy concepts, jamming and disengagement capabilities when used in accordance with the recommended operating conditions. With its GALIX ammunition (installed on more than 15,000 platforms, armoured or not, in France and abroad), the S-KAPS system is an adaptable, incremental, and evolving system.

S-KAPS combines detection and GALIX’s capability of reaction. It takes advantage of a suit of sensors of different types to detect an extended range of threats to armoured vehicles. Once a threat is detected, the system establishes the tactical situation, routes the firing orders to the right launchers to deploy rapid screening in the direction of the incoming threat, and gives to the crew, through the Man-Machine Interface, the best recommendation of manoeuvre (course and speed to maintain) to stay as long as possible behind the smoke screen.

Combining cutting-edge sensors and effectors dedicated to increasing the protection of combat vehicles against various threats, S-KAPS provides advanced capabilities. These include:

Detection: Specific sensors (laser, acoustic, infrared) detect and identify several types of threats (missiles, vehicles, soldiers, snipers, laser range finders, UAV). Additional sensors can be integrated in order to obtain further information such as environmental conditions, such as weather stations to collect wind speed and direction.

Data Analysis and Decision: Through its advanced algorithms, S-KAPS recommends and generates the most appropriate reaction.

Different Reactions

Defensive: It can be defensive with masking or decoying effects coming from the GALIX LACROIX range of ammunition fired by the smoke grenade launchers. Additional jamming effects can be used against UAV threats.

Recommended Manoeuvre: Recommended manoeuvre is displayed to the crew (commander, driver) based on environmental (wind data from weather station) and vehicle kinematic (speed and direction data from GPS and Inertial Navigation System), it can offer inputs to optimise the efficiency of the S-KAPS protection sequence (duration, vehicle relative live position versus the detected threats).

Offensive: S-KAPS can provide slew-to-cue capability if the vehicle is equipped with a Remote Weapon Station (RWS). Collaborative protection can be taken into account in the future.

The “live” configuration presented at WDS combined GALIX smoke grenade launchers, Pilar acoustic detection by Metravib, LED50 laser warning sensors by Saab Grintek, and now with Perisight, the scalable optronic solution from Bertin Technologies, to provide 360° situational awareness during the day and night. S-KAPS system is capable of defeating top attack threats, too.

Local Partnerships

LACROIX recently established a local joint venture in Saudi Arabia called Shield Defense Services (SDS). To meet the Kingdom Vision 2030, SDS provides ILS (Integrated Logistics Support such as training, maintenance, etc.) of LACROIX self-protection equipment, which the Saudi Arabia armed forces have operated for three decades.

During WDS 2024, the LACROIX team also highlighted the SYLENA MK2 naval decoy launching system that has equipped most of the Navies in the Middle East and has been successfully delivered onboard AVANTE corvettes of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.

The SYLENA range of systems has been developed to offer an optimised solution for ship protection with RF and IIR (Imaging Infrared) SEACLAD decoy effects. Unlike the Decoy Launching Systems, which deploy chaff, SYLENA utilises corner reflector (CNR) technology. Furthermore, SYLENA offers omnidirectional (360°) protection and is effective whatever the missile’s relative bearing, thanks to the omnidirectional characteristics of its decoy.

The decoying solution allows permanent monitoring of the missile and does not interfere with signal propagation.

The company also shed light on its global range of customer ILS services at WDS, including dedicated munition life cycle management.

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