CPI’s Active RPG Defense System for the US Military

While CPI is certainly well known for its Waterproof Switches and Linear Position Sensors, lesser known are certain patents and intellectual property that CPI regularly develops.  One of the most exciting ideas has to be CPI’s RPG Active Defense System

For over a decade, military forces around the world have been looking for a system that can defeat short range missile attack.  Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s) and other ordinance have continued to become more and more lethal to ground vehicles and helicopters, and just increasing armor is not a deterrent and carries its own set of issues.
There have been systems under development for many years but problems related to current systems abound.

1. They mostly try to hit a rocket with a shotgun blast. Problem is the shotgun blast hits friendly troops near the vehicle too.
2. They respond slowly and can respond to only one attack at a time.
3. They can be defeated easily by new RPG 30 tactics which lead with a bullet in front of the missile which fools many of these systems into releasing their ordinance too early.
4. The current systems are not suitable for aircraft due to the collateral damage issue.
5. They are very expensive.

The CPI system consists of the Active Rotating Countermeasure (ARC) System and Rocket Towed Barrier (RTB) munition shown below. These patented system elements represent unique innovations combined with highly developed technologies which greatly improve threat neutralization, providing the most reliable and effective system for protecting both ground vehicles and for the first time, helicopters, from MANPADS of all types, while eliminating unintended damage/casualties.

How the CPI Active Protection System Works

The CPI Rocket Towed Barrier combines two patented parts of CPI’s RPG missile defense approach. First is the “Rocket Towed Barrier” or RTB. This is essentially a munition containing a small parachute like barrier made of Kevlar or other material which deploys behind a short range rocket which tows it into the path of the incoming threat(s).  The RTB system utilizes existing technologies in novel and effective combinations. The system does not rely on future technological breakthroughs, such as airborne lasers, nor does it embody unrealistic operating requirements such as “hitting a bullet with a bullet.

Second is the ARC system, a continuously rotating turret that can bring a wide variety of ordinance to bear on incoming threats, in a fraction of the time of current systems.

The RTB utilizes a variety of defeat modes which include fuzing, deflection, and flight disruption.  Since defeat is not based on destroying the incoming threat, probability of successful countermeasure is greatly enhanced.  Barriers can be configured as simply as a Kevlar shield, or can incorporate features such as decoy IR, planar cutting charges, or percussion charges.

The RTB system is non-fratricidal (no primary explosives or deadly hail of shot pellets). The system is much safer for situations involving dismounted troops or non-combatants. This presents a major advantage over other proposed systems like Trophy® and QuickKill.

CPI System Licensing

Currently, CPI is looking for a partner who is willing to license and develop this unique technology. If you are responsible for munitions development for any aspect of the military, we believe that this design is both cost effective to prototype and has significantly more potential than all current active protection systems.

Please contact Mac Stuhler of CPI today for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpis-active-rpg-defense-system-for-the-us-military/