Defense Review: Full Spectrum Close-In Layered Shield (FCLAS) Anti-RPG/Missile Defense System
Archangel Defense Systems is testing its Full Spectrum Active Protection Close-in Shield (FCLAS) with the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in trials at Utah’s Camp W.G. Williams. The system, designed for Humvees and bigger vehicles, uses an array of projectiles that employ a paired set of radars that firstly detects an inbound threat, which triggers a black powder projectile launch, and then uses the second radar to trigger the kill vehicle (basically, a smart grenade) to explode near the incoming missile. All of this happens at about 15 feet from the vehicle. The charges are shaped so as to create a donut-shaped explosion that shouldn’t harm the threatened vehicle.