BAE Systems ROOK system has been awarded the Soft Kill APS (Active Protection System) programme of record by the US Army.
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Press Release, Falls Church VA, 27 May 2026: BAE Systems has been awarded the Soft Kill Active Protection System (APS) programme of record by the US Army, equipping ground vehicles with advanced electronic warfare capabilities. The programme leverages BAE Systems’ Rapid Optical Observation and Kill (ROOK) system to disrupt and defeat incoming threats, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and anti-tank guided missiles, enhancing crew and vehicle survivability and mission effectiveness.
ROOK is a leading soft-kill countermeasure system, providing improved situational awareness and threat response in complex battlefield conditions. The system’s electronic countermeasures defeat threats before they reach the vehicle by confusing or jamming their guidance systems. This renders the threats ineffective while preserving the limited magazine depth of hard-kill kinetic countermeasures.
“Modern ground warfare demands a layered defence, and soft-kill technologies are a critical, complementary component,” said Dave Gillespie, director of Optics and Countermeasure Solutions at BAE Systems. “ROOK offers a cost-effective, sustainable defence with an infinite magazine depth, continuously disrupting enemy systems.”
The Soft Kill APS programme builds on core research and development programmes, and it supports the [US] Army’s commitment to rapidly field robust and adaptable active protection systems. The contract will also support further development of BAE Systems’ Stormcrow and TERRA RAVEN countermeasure systems and the delivery of prototype systems for vehicle integration and testing.
BAE Systems’ vehicle protection systems are developed and manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Austin, Texas, with research and development support in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
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