Anti-Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Technologies

The inexpensive RPG has caused havoc with US armored vehicles since WWII. Therefore, MSI has conceived of an active protection system that consists of six evenly spaced stationary horizontal gun tubes, able to shoot projectiles containing thousands of tungsten balls toward an RPG firing, as detected by infrared sensors between gun tubes. The frangible ogive that contains the balls is designed to split upon launch, such that dispersion of the balls will cover the side of the vehicle that the RPG is launched against, but without allowing gaps between the balls as large as the RPG. The 1/8 inch diameter balls are of a mass and relative velocity (based primarily on the velocity of the RPG, with the ball velocity as margin) that the kinetic energy from even a glancing blow will trigger the RPG piezoelectric fuze, causing the shaped charge to fire and dissipate before it can penetrate the vehicle's armor surface. The tungsten ball projectiles will be fired in pairs (each tube on each side of the triggered sensor) to maximize hit probability. The clips which hold four projectiles each would be capable of up to four successive firings before reloading of that clip would be required.