Rafael Samson Dual 30 on JLTV

Rafael Aiming for JLTV Weapons Carrier Variants with Samson

AUSA 2017 saw Rafael exhibiting a JLTV with active protection and a 30mm Remote RWS.

The RWS showcased is a modified version of the Samson Dual armed with OATK M230LF 30mm automatic cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun.

It seems, M230LF is becoming a popular weapon. Given its light weight and low recoil combined with high lethality makes it an attractive choice versus .50cal and Mk19.

So far, four companies offered RWS's with M230:

• EOS
• Kongsberg
• Rafael
• Moog

Moog's RIwP differs from the others in terms of modularity. It is also quite larger than the other systems, especially EOS and Kongsberg, which are basically .50cal RWS systems modified for M230.

TEBER MODULAR MEDIUM CALIBER TURRET

TEBER 

MODULAR MEDIUM CALIBER TURRET

Teber Two Man Turret

In IDEF 2017 exhibition, FNSS Savunma Sistemleri of Turkey unveiled Teber Two-Man Turret for the first time.

TEBER is a modular turret system in the medium caliber range that can be offered in Two-Man or Unmanned (Remote) configurations. 

Turret is armed with an Orbital ATK 30mm or 40mm Bushmaster automatic cannon as main armament. Mk44 Bushmaster cannon is the next generation member of the OATK's Bushmaster family after the venerable M242 25mm Bushmaster. In standard configuration Mk44 fires 30x173mm ammunition. However, with change of barrel and some parts in the feeder of the gun, the same cannon can fire what is called as the 'SuperShot 40', that fires 40x180mm ammunition.

This enables a modular lethality capability to the turret system, that can be configured to engage different threat levels.

Mk44 Bushmaster 30/40mm

30x173mm and SuperShot 40: 40x180mm

Both calibers offer HE, AP and Programmable Air Burst PABM ammunition. However Supershot 40 offers increased capabilities such as:

• Nearly 1.5 times lethality increase in HE ammunition over 30mm
• 3 times lethality increase for PABM over 30mm
• Nearly 1.5 times penetration increase in APFSDS ammunition over 30mm

Teber turret is also armed with an OATK Mk52 7.62mm electric operated machine gun as the secondary armament. This machine gun enables better control on firing, no dependence to the propellant quality and strong belt pull eliminating the need for a powered forwarder for large quantities of ready rounds. The propellant fumes from firing discharged inside the turret is dramatically minimized compared with the conventional gas operated machine guns. In fact, Mk52 is the redesigned new version of the venerable Hughes EX-34 or L94A1 machine gun used in British Army Challenger and Warriors.

Mk52 7.62mm ChainGun

The weapons in Teber can function through an elevation range of -10 to +50 degrees.

The key to effective use of these weapons is the ability to rapidly acquire and accurately engage targets. This is provided by the advanced fire control system, independent stabilized sight systems for the gunner and commander and the electric gun turret drive system. The gun and turret drive systems are controlled using gyro stabilization for accurate fire on the move. The turret drives in the manned configuration are provided with manual drives that are located in the gunner's compartment.

The independent sight systems provide the ability to fight in daylight and darkness, in all weather, and in smoke and dust with high image quality due to its independent stabilization and in Hunter-Killer mode increasing effectiveness. The embedded fire control system with automatic target tracking (ATT) provides automatic ballistic offsets in lead and super elevation for selected ammunition ballistics, target range, cross wind, temperature, and cant.

The commander's sight has 360 degree panoramic motion capability and armor protection. Both the gunner's and commander's sights are equipped with thermal cameras, day cameras and laser range finders.

The manned variant also houses a direct optic back-up sight system with armored housing that enables another reversionary mode for the crew.

TEBER-30 manned version is a Two-Man turret with commander and gunner located in the turret basket. Commander is seated on the right hand side of the turret with the gunner to his left. Both gunner and commander has full control of the turret with the commander having override capability.

Turret offers different modes of operation for the commander and gunner providing flexibility in tactical situations. Both the commander and gunner can take control of the any sighting system in the turret and also the command of the weapons.

Teber Two-Man configuration offers a very large ready round capability with 300 30mm ready rounds in two compartments. The gunner identifies the type of ammunition in each compartment to the fire control system and the system applies the correct ballistic parameters.

For the 7.62mm machine gun there is 1.200 ready rounds inside.

The turret structure is a ballistically protected enclosed structure that houses the crew compartment, main and secondary weapons, ammunition stowage for the main and secondary guns, radios and intercom, gun turret drive system, fire control system, gunner and commander sights and sensors and command interfaces for the commander and gunner.

The turret offers STANAG 4569 Level IV ballistic protection all-around thru the use of ceramic composite and RHA steel armor. The turret can also be offered with a frontal protection level of STANAG 4569 Level V.

The interior of the turret is designed for growth potential and maximum crew comfort.

TEBER Remote Turret

In IDEF 2017, FNSS also exhibits the unmanned configuration of the Teber turret on the Kaplan-30 IFV.

Teber Turret in Unmanned Configuration

Teber Remote Turret is also armed with 30/40mm Mk44 autocannon and 7.62mm Mk52 machine gun.

The whole turret is above the hull with no penetration to the vehicle offering more room inside the vehicle for dismounts. The gunner and commander are located inside the vehicle and command the turret thru their command consoles.

Teber 30/40 Remote Turret

The turret similar to the manned version is equipped with two stabilized sight systems for the gunner and commander, with the commander sight having 360 degrees panoramic motion capability.

The ballistic protection offered for the remote version is configurable to provide an optimized weight solution.

The fire control and other capabilities of the remote version is the same as the manned version providing maximum commonality between the configurations.

This also offers a common turret family that can be used in manned and unmanned configurations in fleet of armored vehicles with different missions.

My take on Remote vs Manned Turrets..

These days the remote turrets have become a viable alternative to manned systems. However I do not believe that the remote systems will totally replace the manned systems very soon.

Remote turrets have some drawbacks based on the crew having been located inside the hull with total dependency on the sensors/electro-optics. 

Whereas in a two-man turret, the commander's having all around surveillance vision from the highest point of the vehicle or even looking thru the periscopes provide an important advantage in terms of situational awareness which is somehow a lacking capability in remote turrets. In addition, the sighting systems in the remote turrets, cannot include direct view optics, which is also an important requirement in some armies today. Although there are options such as fiber optic sights, the limitations on the number of fibers that can be bundled, degrades the image quality.

Another issue for the remote turrets is the difficulty of the gunner keeping his awareness of the barrel orientation with respect to the vehicle. The gunner is located inside the hull and his sensory feedback only feels the vehicle accelerations; thus after a short while it is not uncommon for the gunner to start having difficulties on where the turret is oriented with respect to the vehicle, especially when the stabilization is turned on. 

This can be overcome to some extent by utilizing easy to understand indications on the gunner's display.

I also want to stress another issue that I frequently hear that says the remote turrets offer an important advantage in weight compared with manned turrets. This is not entirely a correct statement. First of all the main difference structurally between a manned and unmanned turret is the elimination of basket structure, crew seating, crew hatches and periscopes in the remote turret concept. On the other hand, you still have to put two seats inside the vehicle for the commander and gunner. Also the displays, handles, structural elements for these still have to be located inside the vehicle. So these are weight-wise not totally eliminated albeit some reduction in the volume invaded compared with the basket swept volume for a manned turret.

However, the ammunition boxes for the main and secondary armament that are generally in the basket for the two-man turret have to be relocated to the turret hull. The hull of the manned turret does not include these, so it usually means you have to increase the turret hull dimensions to accommodate the ammo boxes. As increased dimensions translate to more surface area and more surface area translates to increase in weight, you don’t get to save that much weight by converting to a remote turret.

The trick here is the reduction of protection levels for a remote turret that enables reduction in weight. When you have the crew inside the hull and can accept a reduction in the protection level of the turret, you can save considerable weight by using a remote turret instead of a manned one.

So, in my opinion, the remote turrets although offer some advantages are not the perfect solution to replace all the other turrets.

The correct answer lies in the configuration and mission of the vehicle, such as:

• If the vehicle is a pure IFV that is going to go head to head with the enemy vehicles, two men turrets offering more situational awareness and control over the battlefield would have a definite advantage.
• Again if the vehicle is configured as a personnel carrier - APC, you would need as much room inside as possible, making the remote turret the preferred choice. The US Stryker lethality program is a good example of this approach. US Army naturally does not want to reduce the number of dismounts in the vehicle and thus opted for a remote turret.
• If the vehicle is a reconnaissance vehicle that is to be used for recon-with-fire principle, again the two-man turrets offer more advantages for situational awareness. 
• For a reconnaissance platform relying more on electro-optics and sensors following the principle of reconnaissance by stealth, you will need more room inside the vehicle for operators, more displays, consoles, etc. Remote turrets should be preferred. 
• For a command platform, again you need more room inside for command consoles, communication equipment, etc. Remote turrets would be a better solution.

Paper: Automatic Cannons and Ammunition in Infantry Fighting Vehicles

Author wants express his thanks to MSI Magazine for their support in the preparation and publication of this paper. 

http://www.milscint.com/en/

Bushmaster User Conference 2017

Bushmaster User Conference Firing Demonstrations

Orbital ATK's Bushmaster User Conference held on end of January in Arizona.

Warfare Technology was there to record the event for you... :)

It was a very good event with all the OATK weapon systems fired during the live fire day in Big Sandy Range and product briefings in between.

Many OATK users and integrators were there and witnessed the new developments.

Bushmaster III 35mm Chaingun

The OATK weapons in the event were:

• 7.62mm Mk52 Chaingun
• 30mm M230LF
• 25mm M242
• 30/40mm Mk44
• 30/40mm XM813
• 35mm Bushmaster III 

Along with the guns, there were turret and weapon systems  on wheeled platforms that are armed with OATK guns.

• Kongsberg Protector MCT30 30mm Remote Turret on General Dynamics Stryker 8x8 - Stryker Dragoon. 
• Oshkosh JLTV's with Kongsberg and EOS 30mm Remote Weapon Stations (RWS)
• Toyota truck with 30mm RWS
• Nobles Viper gun system with M230LF 30mm
• Mk38 naval gun mount with M242 25mm
• Mk52 gun mount with 7.62mm Mk52 Chaingun

Bushmaster User Conference Firing Demonstrations

Kongsberg Protector MCT30 30mm Remote Turret

One of the remarkable events was the field conversion of an 30mm cannon to 40mm caliber and firing 40mm ammunition. OATK defines this as the 30/40mm concept. Mk44 and XM813 cannons can be converted to fire 40x180mm ammunition (SuperShot 40).

One of the stars of the event was the M230LF 30x113mm autocannon. M230LF is the link fed and modified version of the AH-64 Apache helicopter's M230 chaingun.

30mm M230LF

Both 30 and 40mm programmable airbust ammunition were also fired against a target area setup with simulating infantry in the open.

Kongsberg RWS with 30mm M230LF

EOS 30mm RWS

M230LF Alternative for .50cal & 40mm AGL??

ATK 30mm M230LF ChainGun

An Alternative for Weapon Systems

to Replace

.50cal and 40mm AGL?

The story of the M230 30mm autocannon begins with Hughes Helicopter in early 1970's thru the effort to develop AH-64 Apache Helicopter. 

M230 ChainGun is now part of ATK's ChainGun family.

AH-64 Apache M230 30mm ChainGun

M230 forms an integral part of the Apache helicopter with its 1200 round magazine. It enables he Apache crew to engage fortifications, light armor and personnel in the open.

M230 30mm ChainGun

Ammunition

M230 fires 30x113mm ammunition. The ammunition was first developed for British ADEN and French DEFA 550 revolver cannons in 1950s. These guns were developed for aircraft usage.

30x113 Ammunition

One common mistake about M230 gun and its ammunition is to think that it is better than the 25mm (25x137mm) and/or equal to the larger 30mm-30x173mm that is fired from Mk44/MK30 cannons.

In fact, 30x113mm ammunition can be best described as 'Light 30'. The following image shows the size comparison of 30x113mm and its big brother 30x173mm rounds.

You can see from the above image that, 30x173mm round fired from Mk44 cannon has a lot bigger punch than the M230's 30x113mm.

Three types of ammunition were developed for M230. These are:

• M788 TP Target Practice
• M789 HEDP High Explosive Dual Purpose
• M799 HEI High Explosive Incendiary

Lethality

For AH-64 and MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator helicopters, the preferred and widely used combat round is M789 HEDP. Some of its characteristics:

• Weight: 350grams
• Muzzle velocity: 805 m/s
• Anti-personel effect: 4m lethality radius
• Penetration: 25mm thick RHA Rolled Homogenous Armor at 50degree obliquity at a range of 500m

As comparison for lethality, 25mm APFSDS round that can be fired from a M242 Bushmaster cannon penetrates around 45mm RHA at 500m range.

The penetration for 30x173mm APFSDS round that is fired from Mk44 can easily penetrate about 55mm RHA at the same range.

So these numbers say that M230 is not a direct replacement for 25mm M242 Bushmaster, let alone Mk44 Bushmaster II 30mm.

Development of M230LF

ATK started the development of a new variant of M230 chaingun aimed at ground and naval platforms. It is called M230LF with LF stands for LinkFed.

The development effort concentrated on the following changes & improvements:

• Link-feed ammunition to enable conventional belted ammunition usage and simple ammo cans
• Increased barrel length to enable higher muzzle velocity
• 24V DC electrical operation required for ground platforms
• Hang-Fire protection to improve manned turret safety
• Rate of fire better suited to land and naval applications

So how best M230/LF can be best employed?

Although 30x113mm ammunition is a member of the Medium Caliber Family, it is located at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of lethality.

However, M230 is a  compact, lightweight and low recoil cannon.

As you can see from the image, M230LF has a total length of around 2.2m. 

• 25mm M242 has a total length of 2.6m
• 30mm Mk44 has a total length of 3.4m

In terms of weight:

• M230LF total weight: 72.6kg
• 25mm M242 total weight: 119kg
• 30mm Mk44 total weight: 156kg

Recoil force:

• M230LF Recoil:  7.34kN (Naval)/ 28kN (Ground)
• 25mm M242 Recoil: 40kN
• 30mm Mk44 Recoil: 35.6kN

Looking at the values above, it seems M230LF can be a good alternative for light turrets and Remote Weapon Stations that are armed with:

• 12.7mm/.50 cal M2 Heavy Machine Gun
• 40mm Mk19/GMG Automatic Grenade Launcher

In that case, the main reasons/advantages will be:

• M230LF's high lethality and longer range compared with M2/Mk19
• M230LF's straight trajectory compared with Mk19's high trajectory
• M230LF being an electric driven gun that does not need any fancy mechanisms such as trigger solenoid and cocking actuator
• Frontal case ejection that makes it easier to integrate in a turret
• Lower weight, smaller dimensions and lower recoil enables light turrets to be developed. This also provides light platforms packed with higher fire power.

However, M230LF also has some drawbacks when compared with M2 & Mk19

• Apparently higher initial cost
• Comparably higher weight that limits man portability
• Lack of tripod operation in case of removal from the turret or platform.

The images below shows some applications of M230LF:

Mk51 Weapon System onboard LCS

M230LF would be a very good capability to upgrade the firepower of some platforms such as:

- US Marine Corps AAV7 Amphibious Assault Vehicle

- M1117 4x4 Armored Security Vehicle

- M113 to enable more firepower than the current .50cal cupolas

- M-ATV

- M1126 Stryker 8x8

in 1-Man and remote turret designs.

Textron's 1 Man Turret Concept with M230 ChainGun

CMI's CPWS with M230 ChainGun

Bradley Demonstrated with 30mm Unmanned Turret

Are the Bradleys in for Upgunning?

Bradley with Kongsberg Remote Turret demonstrated in Fort Benning

A Bradley Fighting Vehicle mounted with an XM813 30-mm weapon system fires rounds and hits a downed helicopter from more than 1,000 meters away during a demonstration for the XM813 Sept. 10 at Fort Benning's Digital Multi-Purpose Range Complex. (Photo Credit: Markeith Horace)tion

US Army RDECOM (Army Research Institute) has been working on an initiative for researching advanced lethality and accuracy for medium caliber weapon systems. 

The subject of the initiative concentrates on the XM813 30mm cannon. XM813 is a derivative of the Mk44 chaingun from  ATK. XM813 can be described as the Stretch Mk44 with dual recoil mechanisms, closed bolt operation for first round select, linkless feed, integral mount and air burst munition capability.

Add caption

XM813 30mm ChainGun with Dual Buffers and Integral Mount

On September 10th, Capabilities and Development Integration Directorate organized an activity to demonstrate XM813's capabilities, integrated on the Kongsberg  MCT-30  Remote Turret.

The same turret has been demonstrated on Stryker 8x8 sometime ago as described in this  blog.

For the demonstration, the XM813 mounted Bradley Fighting Vehicle fired a series of three engagements at approximately 1,400 to 1,500 meters from the target.

Looking at the ARDEC effort and this demonstration, some remarks I want emphasize:

• Is the US Army seriously evaluating upgunning Bradley?
• The caliber seems to be the 30mm, not larger.
• Looking at Kongsberg's marketing in US and the demonstrations, is the unmanned turret a serious candidate instead of the conventional 2-Men turret?

Lockheed's Brand New 30mm Two-Men and Hellfire Turrets for Qatar

Lockheed's Brand New

30mm 2-Men IFV
&
Dedicated Hellfire (LRSAV) Turrets
Aimed for Qatar

I've got some more information the turret's potential customer. It is most probably for Qatar Armed Forces. The turret has been specifically designed for Qatar for a possible number of 200+ turrets.

Also Lockheed has been working on a dedicated Hellfire and DAGR missile turret which is probably also aimed for Qatar for Artillery Corps.

The video below shows a test fire of the Hellfire ATGM from the ATGM turret defining a system called Long Range Surveillance & Attack Vehicle dubbed LRSAV.

Rumor's have been circulating around for sometime that Lockheed Martin UK has been working on a new Two-Men IFV turret with ATK 30mm Bushmaster gun as the main armament.

This video released on July 10th from Lockheed Martin explains:

"On March 31, the Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill team successfully fired a Javelin missile from a turret at Cranfield Ordnance Test & Evaluation Center (COTEC) firing range on Salisbury Plain near Wiltshire, England. The missile hit the target successfully."

The most interesting thing in the video beside the turret is the vehicle being a Boxer 8x8.

We have accustomed to seeing Boxer armed with either Rheinmetall's Lance Two-Men Turret or even Spz Puma's remote turret.

However, there are also rumors circulating that this Lockheed turret is specifically developed to be offered to a undisclosed Middle East customer on Boxer 8x8.

We know that Boxer has participated UAE's yearly Summer trials before and offered to UAE for their 4-5 year long 8x8 acquisition programme.

However another country that comes to mind is Qatar which also is evaluating 8x8 vehicles for their 8x8 acquisition programme. 

I would bet on Qatar for the possible customer this brand new turret from Lockheed on Boxer.

Time will tell....

Rheinmetall Wotan 30mm

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

WOTAN 30mm

AUTOMATIC CANNON from RHEINMETALL

There is a new player in the game, Rheinmetall's new externally driven medium caliber cannon: Wotan 30.

Wotan is similar with the ATK Bushmaster series in the way that it is also electric driven. Rheinmetall's previous 30mm cannon MK30-2 / ABM gun that is arming Germany's newest IFV, Spz Puma is a gas operated gun. However the brand new Wotan is electrically driven following the success of the Bushmaster series with some new features.

Wotan 30mm Auto-Cannon

 The gun is capable of engaging targets up to 3.000m. It has built-in Air Burst Munitions (ABM) capability thanks to its muzzle programmer which is a derivative of the successful AHEAD system.

Wotan has a fire rate of 200 shots per minute. The gun's advanced features employed with the proven lethality and versatility of the 30x173mm ammunition offers a good alternative to Bushmaster series.