WARFARE TECHNOLOGY: One Man Turrets

Sunday, May 4, 2014

One Man Turrets

One-Man Turrets

Condensed Fire Power

French Tarask Turret on VBCI 8x8

One-Man Turrets (1MT), although not as common as the two-men turrets and remote weapon stations (RWS), offer a significant boost in fire power for Infantry Fighting Vehicles- IFVs.

The advantage of the 1MT comes from its compact dimensions, small ring diameter and light weight compared with the 2-Men Turrets.

As a comparison, a one-man turret has approximately 1m ring diameter and a combat weight of 1.8 tons; whereas a two-men turret (2MT) with same weapon and more or less equal protection level comes with a ring diameter of 1.5m and combat weight of more than 2.5tons.

IFV Turret selection depends on many parameters, however the choice between 1MT and 2MT usually comes to the doctrine of the mechanised infantry. If the commander of the IFV is also the commander of the squad and if he is expected to dismount with the squad, a one-man turret is usually the preferred choice.

The sweep volume turret basket takes up inside the vehicle is also another point to be considered along with the weight on top of the vehicle and its effect on the vehicle stability.

FNSS Sharpshooter Turret on ACV300 Malaysia

However when we look at today's IFVs, the preferred solution is mostly 2 men turrets. There are also many reasons for this. Locating the commander in the turret up above the vehicle thus providing him the best situational awareness and better means of coordinating and commanding the gunner being among the primary reasons.

One-Man Turrets, on the other hand provide a feasible upgrade solution to existing armored vehicles to provide them IFV capabilities, especially the turrets armed with medium caliber cannons.