"any Leopard 28A that rolls out from the factory will have Trophy on it," Managing Director Dan Kalfus told Breaking Defense — a blunt declaration that captures EuroTrophy's immediate aim after delivering two Leopard 2A8 tanks fitted with the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) to Norway.
EuroTrophy joint venture, its partners, and the Norway deliveries
EuroTrophy is a joint venture between Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, KNDS and General Dynamics European Land Systems. The venture, established four years ago, delivered two Leopard 2A8 tanks integrated with the Trophy APS to Norway. That shipment is the first public example of EuroTrophy’s push to make Trophy a widely adopted European solution for active protection on armored vehicles.
Scale: estimated tank numbers and participating countries
Dan Kalfus described the Leopard 28A as a "benchmark" and laid out a concrete scope for the program: he expects the system to be used on Leopards in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Croatia. Kalfus estimated "around 200 tanks for Germany and Norway, and another 200 for the other four countries," indicating an expected installed base on the order of 400 Leopard variants across those nations. He called the program "our major program, our main customer with KNDS and the German government," and stressed timing: "This procurement of Leopard tanks to Norway came at the right timing with the rebuilding of German armed forces and their tank fleet and we could join with KNDS and [the] German and Norwegian government[s] to create the new baseline of the Leopard."
Platforms beyond the Leopard: CV90, Patria AMVXP and Boxer
EuroTrophy is pursuing integrations on a range of European armored vehicles. Kalfus pointed to the CV90 and the Patria 8×8 as platforms that "could one day receive the APS." In 2025 EuroTrophy conducted an integration study putting Trophy on the AMVXP Patria, and a "proof-of-concept" demonstration was carried out in Lapland, Finland. The company has also integrated the system on a Boxer — a process Kalfus noted is different from mounting the APS on a tank turret, but one the venture has completed. The Boxer is used by Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Lithuania among other states, and EuroTrophy said it is "aiming for these nations" as early adopters for APS on Boxer programs.
Logistics, hubs, and a push toward NATO standardization
Kalfus described EuroTrophy's strategy as "to Europeanize" Trophy and create a European hub for the system. That approach encompasses not only integration work but also logistics and sustainment: EuroTrophy plans to build the infrastructure to support countries receiving trophy-equipped vehicles. For example, the venture is working with Ritech in Norway to install the APS on turrets of tanks in-country. Kalfus pointed to Germany as a model, saying future work should follow what is done there — "a hub and infrastructure to support the APS" — and framed the effort as moving toward interoperability: "This will be more of a NATO standardization we are trying to do."
What this means for Norway, Germany, and Lithuania
- Norway: Receives the initial delivered Leopard 2A8 tanks with Trophy and is partnering with EuroTrophy and Ritech to conduct installations locally.
- Germany: Identified by Kalfus as a major customer and as the model for hub-and-infrastructure support; Germany figures in the expected baseline for Leopard models equipped with Trophy.
- Lithuania (and other Baltic and Nordic states): With Lithuania and Norway acquiring Trophy-equipped tanks, Kalfus sees potential for the system to expand in Scandinavia and the Baltics, and pointed to additional interest tied to regional procurement of vehicles such as the Patria AMVXP.
Kalfus also noted how shifting priorities influenced demand: "The Ukraine war has also shifted defense priorities in places like Poland and Finland," a development EuroTrophy has sought to address through platform studies and field demonstrations.
EuroTrophy’s approach is straightforward and concrete: integrate the battle-proven Trophy system on a range of European platforms, replicate the German hub-and-support model in partner states, and pursue interoperability among NATO users. The immediate ledger is small — two tanks delivered to Norway — but the stated ambition is broad and specific: several hundred Leopards plus multiple classes of armored vehicles across at least half a dozen European states. Whether that ambition becomes a continent-wide baseline for APS will be decided by follow-on deliveries, in-country installations such as the work with Ritech, and further integrations and demonstrations already underway in Finland and elsewhere.
