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Rapid deployment of 'Project Sheriff' rocket-propelled grenade defense system tested at Dahlgren could save American lives in Iraq Date published: 4/5/2006
By MICHAEL ZITZ There's a new sheriff in town. And it did some pretty impressive "RoboCop" shooting Friday at Dahlgren. A super-fast shield designed to protect American troops from rocket-propelled grenades that's becoming part of a platform nicknamed "Project Sheriff" succeeded in its first live-fire test as 140 VIPs and members of the media looked on. The prototype demonstration of what's being called "whiz bang" tech by some was conducted at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division on the heels of similar Israeli experiments in late February. Officially known as the Trophy Active Protection System and manufactured by General Dynamics, the device detected and tracked an inert RPG fired at a modified Army Stryker combat vehicle that was on the move. In less time than the blink of an eye, the system read and reacted to the threat, using a "countermeasure" interceptor rocket to shoot the RPG down about 10 yards away from the vehicle, with no damage and virtually no collateral effect. It also allowed an RPG fired almost simultaneously that was a "miss" to pass by harmlessly. The U.S. military was testing Trophy for integration into its Full Spectrum Effects Platform, an evolving package being developed to protect troops in the Middle East and create fast but measured responses to threats. The platform is likely to have many applications, from light armored Army and Marine Corps vehicles including the Stryker, to Navy ships--and deployment is expected to begin this summer. The media demonstration at Dahlgren was held at the request of the secretary of defense's Office of Threat Transformation. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has been criticized for the vulnerability of U.S. forces to cheap, low-tech RPGs and simply made remote-control roadside bombs called "improvised explosive devices" or IEDs. The fast-moving technological innovation of Trophy and Project Sheriff comes at a time when Rumsfeld is under more criticism. He has come under fire from some, including retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, who on Sunday called for Rumsfeld to be replaced and specifically mentioned U.S. problems in dealing with basic weaponry like shoulder-fired RPGs.
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