The Army said Monday it is a step closer to fielding active protection systems (APS) across its vehicles after officials completed successful virtual soft-kill demonstrations with a modular controller used to control a range of sensors and countermeasures.

Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) led the recent platform tests, which used the Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) controller to prove the system’s ability to engage targets and operate with different combinations of industry-supplied sensors.

An M1A2 main battle tank assigned to 1st Battalion, 35nd Armored Regiment breaches obstacles during AWA 17.1 at Fort Bliss on Oct. 21, 2016. Active protection systems for main battle tanks are one of several critical capabilities that would be key in any conflict with a military peer like Russia, but they have atrophied in recent years as the Army has faced non-peer adversaries.  (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Frederick Poirier, 55th Combat Camera)
An M1A2 main battle tank assigned to 1st Battalion, 35nd Armored Regiment breaches obstacles during AWA 17.1 at Fort Bliss on Oct. 21, 2016. Active protection systems for main battle tanks are one of several critical capabilities that would be key in any conflict with a military peer like Russia, but they have atrophied in recent years as the Army has faced non-peer adversaries. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Frederick Poirier, 55th Combat Camera)

“MAPS delivers an enduring framework and controller that provide the quickest path to active protection systems that are safe, secure, modular and upgradeable for ground vehicles across the fleet. MAPS will enable state-of-the-art vehicle protection,” Army officials wrote in a statement.

The MAPS effort looks to develop a modular framework to ensure all Army vehicles are able to integrate different components of active protection systems as the service looks to integrate platforms on its Bradleys, Strykers, Abrams and eventual Next-Generation Combat Vehicle.

The system will include a Modular APF Framework (MAF), an architecture for bringing sensors together, and a base kit, which includes the MAC controller for managing the vehicle protection systems’ sensors.

TARDEC conducted four virtual soft-kill demonstrations during the most recent set of tests, with two focusing on countermeasure modularity and the others on sensor modularity.

“These demonstrations emphasize how, with minimal configuration changes, subsystems that are MAF-compliant can be integrated with one another to accommodate specific platform and mission needs,” Army officials said in a statement.

Bill Beyer, program lead for MAPS Virtual Demonstrator, said in a statement that demonstrations are expected to continue as RDECOM looks to transition the MAF and MAPS Base Kit to the Army’s PdM Vehicle Protection Systems by the third quarter of fiscal year 2019.

“Through this series of tests, we were able to validate the ability of the MAC to control various sensors and countermeasures that comply with the MAF,” Beyer said. “The tests also proved that using a controller built on government- and industry-approved open standards and common interfaces allows integration of disparate components into a full system. This series of Virtual Demonstrations verified that the MAF delivers what we expected it would.

A fifth soft kill demonstration has been planned, according to TARDEC, which will also focus on cueing sensor modularity.

Army officials said in a statement that virtual hard kill capability demonstration are expected to start in December.