Stryker Upgunning Decided: Kongsberg is the winner!

Kongsberg MCT30 Remote Turret selected for

Stryker Upgunning

Stryker being tested with Kongsberg MCT30 30mm Remote Turret

A press release dated Dec. 21, 2015, Kongsberg announced that:

"General Dynamics Land Systems has notified KONGSBERG that the ’PROTECTOR’ Medium Caliber Remote Weapon Station (MCRWS) has been selected as the 30-millimeter weapon system solution for the Stryker vehicles.

“We are very pleased that our PROTECTOR MCRWS has been selected as the solution for this Stryker brigade. The system is the result of several years of determined effort to develop a system with capabilities and performance required for these types of vehicles,” says Espen Henriksen, President of Kongsberg Protech Systems.

“This is a very important milestone for our newest innovation in this field, the Medium Caliber RWS, and we are honored to support US Army and General Dynamics Land Systems in this urgent operational requirement,” says Walter Qvam, President and CEO of KONGSBERG..."

So it seems the short term competition for the Stryker Upgunning has been decided and Kongsberg wins with the MCT30 Remote Turret. As far as I know OTO Melara was also in the competition with their HitFist OWS 30mm Remote Turret and probably CMI with their CPWS Remote Turret.

The Upgrade program aims at upgunning the Strykers of the Germany based 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2ACR) with a more potent/lethal weapon system than the .50cal Remote Weapon Station already integrated on the Strykers. This move leads me to thinking that the Europe based 2nd ACR needs more lethality in preparation to threat scenarios including Russian Forces.

I assume that MCT30 turret is to be armed with the brand new Orbital ATK XM813 30mm with a Linkless Ammunition Feed System from Meggitt with 150 ready rounds in dual ammo boxes on each side of the gun.

XM813 30mm Gun with Linkless Ammo Boxes on Each Side

MCT30 is a Remote or Unmanned Turret with the subsystems and ammunition boxes being under armor protection.

There is access to the turret from inside the vehicle thru a hatch under the turret.

Vehicle Interior with MCT30 Turret Integrated

One thing that I am not so fond of this turret is the way 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is mounted.

7.62mm Machine Gun Installation

Warfare Technology has analyzed the Stryker Upgunning and Remote Turrets recently in these following articles:

• On the Upgunning of Strykers
• On Manned vs Unmanned Turrets

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?

Eurosatory 2014 Post 2

MCT-30 Protector Medium Caliber Turret

Kongsberg's MCT30 remote turret is being exhibited in General Dynamics Booth on a LAV 8x8 vehicle.

The turret is remotely operated under armor. It has got an ATK Mk44 30mm automatic cannon and a co-axial 7.62mm machine gun located to the top and left side of the main gun.

The main gun is fed from a Linkless Feed System from Meggitt. The system comprises of two lammo cans on either side of the main gun with 75 rounds each with a total ready to fire ammo capacity of 150 rounds.

The reloading is performed under armor. 

The turret has a pan-tilt style independent sight from CarlZeiss with thermal imager, day camera and LRF.

Turret moves from -10 deg to +45deg in elevation.

The brochure states that the main gun has First-Round-Select capability which indicates they have the stretched version of the Mk44 with closed bolt firing.

Eurosatory 2014

KONGSBERG's Protector SuperLite Remote Weapon Station

Protector SuperLite is a man portable remote weapon station that can be used either on vehicles or on a tripod such a perimeter defense system.

The system only weighs 30kg without the weapon and ammunition. 7.62mm and 5.56mm machine guns. It has got a compact size and the height is 460mm.

Kongsberg Containerized Weapon System

Kongsberg's Remote Sentry:

CONTAINERIZED WEAPON SYSTEM

 

Following the success of their Protector Remote Weapon Station family, Kongsberg has come up with a weapon system aimed specifically at base defense: Containerized Weapon System or CWS for short.

In a typical forward operating base, there are two by four plywood guard towers manned by soldiers, doing sentry duty under immense danger.

There comes the CWS into play. It takes the sentry from the tower to a secure, environmentally controlled location up to one km away from the remote system.

CWS can be transported on a truck, slung loaded under a Chinook helicopter or towed with its dedicated trailer.

The main components are shown below:

 

CWS is tethered to the command center via secure fiberoptic cable.

In a typical scenario:

-CWS is transported into location,

- It can be powered from

    i. Its dedicated 1.200W solar array

    ii. Built-in backup generator

    iii. Power from nearby vehicles

    iv. Conventional 110V AC circuit

- Top hatches opened

- Mast with RWS raised to position and locked

and the system is ready to operate from the command position. The command position can be up to 1km away from the system.

CWS can get feedback from external sensors via electro-optic recon pods, sniper detection systems and perimeter security sensors and automatically slewed to the detected threat for further evaluation by the operator.

CWS's bite is coming from a CROWS 2 remote weapon station that can be equipped by a .50cal M2 heavy machine gun or 7.62/5.56mm general purpose machine guns.

We will probably be seeing CWS systems deployed to forward bases and facilities in near future.