Artis’ new APS is in a fixed configuration where the directional explosive charges are stored in slots looking in different directions and scattered around the vehicle. The control system takes information from the sensors and finds the correct time and charge to detonate to destroy incoming projectiles. The charges work similarly with Claymore trip mines, where large amounts of fragments are scattered throughout a cone.
The company previously developed the Iron Curtain APS of the same configuration for the U.S. Army for tactical wheeled vehicles. However, the Sentinel appears to have a more compact structure than the Iron Curtain.
Sentinel is developed in response to the changes in threats to armoured vehicles and ground facilities on the battlefield. For the last two years, the kamikaze UAVs and munition-dropping UAVs often employed against vehicles in Ukraine have been added to the threat list previously containing ATGMs and RPGs. This will be possible through increased elevation limits, which will allow the system to engage said threats and top-down attack ATGMs, typically coming with a near-vertical approach.
Another detail to consider is adaptability for ground facilities. Especially in conflict zones such as the Middle East, bases and outposts are regularly attacked with shoulder-fired rockets, mortars, ATGMs and recently kamikaze UAVs. C-RAM systems such as Centurion and Iron Dome have little time to react effectively, especially against shoulder-fired rockets and ATGMs. An APS adapted for these facilities might come as a solution, designed to respond quickly to close proximity threats.
