Tank protected by the "Windbreaker": The "Meil Ruach" system changed the rules of the game on the battlefield

The article describes the Israeli active protection system "Meil Ruach" ("Windbreaker"), developed by the RAFAEL defense concern. The system detects anti-tank missiles and shells, calculates their trajectory, and intercepts the threat in the air before it hits the tank. It describes the operating principle, development history since the 1980s, first combat use on March 1, 2011 on the Gaza border, and international deployment: installation on American Abrams, German Leopard 2, and South Korean K2 tanks.

The article discusses the Israeli active protection system "Meil Ruach" ("Windbreaker"), developed by the RAFAEL defense concern. The system is designed to protect armored vehicles from anti-tank missiles and rockets. The operating principle: radars mounted on the vehicle scan the area, detect a threat, calculate its trajectory, and if it poses a real danger, launch an interceptor that neutralizes the projectile in the air before it hits the armor. The system also determines the direction of the shot and transmits this data to the crew. Concept development began in the 1980s, and the decision to create the system for Merkava Mk.4 tanks was made after the Second Lebanon War in 2006. In 2009, the system was declared operationally ready. The first combat interception occurred on March 1, 2011 on the Gaza border. The system was used in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and the development team received the Israel Security Prize. International recognition came in 2018 when the system was selected by the US Army for Abrams tanks. Subsequently, Meil Ruach was integrated into German Leopard 2 tanks, and in 2025, RAFAEL signed an agreement with South Korean Hyundai Rotem to install it on K2 tanks. The article emphasizes that the system changed the very concept of protection: armor no longer has to merely withstand a hit; it can actively prevent it.