Trophy system deflects Gazan anti-tank missile

Egypt, smugglers exchange fire, accidentally drawing in IDF; Egyptian policeman sustains light injuries in incident.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Completed fence along border (photo credit: Yaakov Katz)
Completed fence along border
(photo credit: Yaakov Katz)
An anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF tank along the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, hours after troops exchanged fire with Egyptian soldiers in the South.
The IDF said that the Trophy active protection system – which defends against anti-tank missile fire – was activated and the incoming projectile exploded, although the IDF has yet to determine if the missile was intercepted or detonated prematurely. The attack took place near the Kissufim Crossing in the central Gaza Strip.
The Trophy system is installed on Merkava Mk 4 tanks – used by the 401st Armored Brigade. Using an advanced radar, Trophy is designed to detect and track a threat, and counters it with a cloud of countermeasures that intercept the incoming anti-tank missile.
Earlier in the morning, the IDF, the Egyptian army and a group of drug smugglers exchanged fire along the border with Egypt.
The incident started when the Egyptian army spotted and opened fire on drug smugglers trying to cross the border into Israel. Some of the fire accidentally hit an IDF patrol and the soldiers, thinking they were under attack, returned fire. An Egyptian policeman reportedly sustained light injuries.