CTA International showcases state-of-the-art 40mm weapon system for land vehicles and naval platforms at Eurosatory 2022.

At Eurosatory 2022, CTA International displayed three variants of its combination of Nexter’s 40mm automatic gun and its own revolutionary 40 mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (40 CTAS) that provides a paradigm shift in terms of performance, versatility, and logistic burden. The 40 CTAS is easily integrated into armored vehicles for either new build or system upgrades. French Army’s new Jaguar is armed with this gun.
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CTA's new unmanned turret developed with Escribano and unveiled at Eurosatory 2022 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The 40 CTAS is a comprehensive modular weapon package that includes :
• The 40 CT cannon
• The Ammunition Handling System, is a carousel-type linkless magazine that can be customized in terms of shape and capacity to any turret layout. With no limit on the number of ammunition natures loaded, the AHS is capable of rapidly switching between natures to suit the threat.
• The Gun Control Equipment, is a state-of-the-art servo-motor power drive and stabilization system serving both elevation and traverse axes.
• The Gun mount is the bespoke cradle providing a plug-and-play mechanical interface between your turret and the cannon.
• The CTAS controller is an electronic full system control unit incorporating cannon and AHS management according to the highest levels of safety and reliability. Also includes an integrated Fire Control System (FCS).

APFSDS-T: Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot-Tracer. The tungsten projectile of the APFSDS-T can penetrate more than 140 mm of RHA (Rolled Homogenous Armour) at 1,500 m (Picture source: CTA International)

Innovation

The key feature that characterizes the Cased Telescoped technology and differentiates it from conventional medium caliber cannon is that the projectile is telescoped inside the cartridge case and surrounded by propellant. Compared to a conventional cartridge the overall round volume is reduced, especially the length.

The reduced length of the round allows rounds to be fed into the chamber along a line perpendicular to the barrel axis; the chamber is subsequently rotated through 90°, the round is fired, the chamber rotates a further 90° and the next round is introduced, displacing and ejecting the spent case of the last round.

This ‘push-through’ operation results in a very compact weapon design with low turret intrusion. The principal advantage, however, is that the axis of the introduction of the rounds is coincident with the elevation axis of the weapon, therefore, allowing ammunition to be fed into the chamber along the same feed line regardless of the elevation angle of the gun. This results in the feed mechanism being completely static (with respect to the turret structure) and allows for more simple fire-on-the-move operations.

The feed mechanism is comprised of a carousel-style Ammunition Handling System which provides quick and easy access to specific ammunition when required.

Performance

With its compact, versatile Cased Telescoped design, the 40 CTAS enables the agility and mobility needed for critical missions, without compromising on firepower. Thanks to its compact size, the system is easily adaptable to any type of turret, either land or naval, manned or unmanned. It is compatible with small race-ring diameters. The low turret intrusion enabled by the ‘push-through’ architecture allows extremely high elevation angles up to 75°.

The 40 CTAS achieves a 4km+ operational range while delivering unmatched armor penetration for a medium-caliber weapon. The terminal effect of the 40mm HE round is 4 times greater than that of a 30 mm conventional High Explosive round. The 40 CTAS ammunition can address land, naval and aerial targets including emerging drone threats.

The 40 CTAS has a rate of fire up to 200 rounds per minute and includes a high accuracy mode compatible with a coincidence firing system.

Rapid Fire

The RapidFire is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system developed and designed by the French companies Thales, Nexter and the Anglo-French joint venture company CTA. The RapidFire 40 mm mobile, the multi-role weapon system is designed to respond to the new threats being encountered by armed forces today and in particular the low-cost targets which can attack in swarms and can saturate conventional missile defenses.

The Rapid Fire is available in a naval version to protect ships against aerial threats, including UAVs, a role where its outstanding high elevation angle enables remarkable defense. CTA also showcased a model of French VBCI fitted with a T40 unmanned turret armed with the CT40 gun, similar to the British Ajax, as well as French and Belgian Jaguar (CaMo) programs. CTA International also unveiled a new unmanned turret designed with Spanish company Escribano.