Moog RIwP Specialist C-UAS Turret Brings Decisive Counter-Drone Firepower For Future UK Operations.

During DSEI UK 2025 Moog showcased its Reconfigurable Integrated Weapons Platform (RIwP) in a dedicated Land Zone stand, presenting a Specialist Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) configuration that brings a larger 30×173 mm XM813 dual-feed cannon alongside a 7.62 mm M240 self-defence weapon and integrated sensors. The company’s product at the show underline a deliberate push to offer a modular, field-reconfigurable turret able to meet evolving British Army requirements for short-range air defence and counter-drone operations, and to present a single, common hub that can be adapted for other roles.
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The RIwP Specialist C-UAS variant presented at DSEI 2025 crystallises a specific response to contemporary threats: a modular, medium-calibre turret combining an XM813 dual-feed cannon, a 7.62 mm self-defence gun, EO/IR sighting, and radar-based fire control that can be reconfigured to other roles as operational needs evolve (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

Moog’s RIwP Specialist C-UAS configuration is built around the company’s Reconfigurable Integrated Weapons Platform core and configured specifically to counter the proliferation of small and medium unmanned aerial systems. The package displayed includes the 30×173 mm XM813 dual-feed cannon capable of firing airburst and programmable munitions, a coaxial 7.62 mm M240 for self-defence, a gunner electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) sight for target acquisition and tracking, and a fire-control radar to cue and support engagements. The turret retains under-armour reloading capability via a right-hand cannon chute, and Moog has emphasised the RIwP’s ability to accept alternative effectors, including short-range missiles, and programmable-fuse ammunition control systems should the user require them.

The RIwP concept is the product of iterative development driven by multiple fielded programmes and exhibition demonstrations since the early 2020s. Moog first highlighted the modular RIwP family at major trade shows and secured production work for US M-SHORAD programmes, which helped mature interfaces, stabilization, and fire-control integration. For the UK market the RIwP has been adapted to meet the Specialist C-UAS requirement, with the XM813 variant making its UK public debut earlier in 2025 and further refined for DSEI. Integration work with platform partners, including a demonstrator mounted on a Foxhound chassis at DSEI, reflects a development pathway that combines off-the-shelf effectors, modular sensor packages and systems integration derived from prior export and domestic workstreams.

Operationally, the turret is intended to perform persistent local air-defence and counter-drone missions in support of manoeuvre forces and static points of interest. The selection of the XM813 dual-feed cannon addresses the need for both high-rate direct-fire against small aerial targets and the capacity to employ programmable airburst munitions to defeat swarms and near-missile threats. The retained 7.62 mm M240 provides short-range overlap and a conventional coaxial capability for soft targets. The EO/IR sight and integrated radar permit layered detection and engagement through both optical and active sensors, while programmable-fuse support expands the tactical engagement options available to crews. These characteristics align the turret with current British requirements that prioritise modularity, rapid reconfiguration and the option to scale lethality depending on mission sets.

Compared with other elements of the UK’s short-range air-defence and C-UAS portfolio, Moog’s RIwP emphasises a modular weapons hub rather than a single-role fixed installation. Where some UK solutions prioritise missile interceptors or hard-wired sensor suites, the RIwP’s strength is configurability: it can host medium-calibre autocannons such as the XM813 or XM914, be fitted with missile pods or closely integrate with external radars and C2 nodes. This gives it a competitive position between light machine-gun remote weapon stations and larger, dedicated SHORAD vehicles that field heavier missile sets. The possibility to mount programmable-fuse 30 mm rounds provides an engagement mechanism complementary to missile interceptors by offering lower cost per shot against small-UAS threats. However, the RIwP’s effectiveness will depend on integration with the broader British air-picture, availability of appropriate ammunition stocks and the operational doctrine that allocates C-UAS responsibilities across units.

Strategically, fielding a reconfigurable turret such as RIwP has implications for force posture and industrial sovereignty. A modular hub that can be re-tasked for C-UAS, SHORAD, or multi-mission roles reduces platform type proliferation and can accelerate capability refresh cycles by allowing weapon and sensor swaps rather than whole-vehicle replacements. Geopolitically, the UK’s interest in medium-calibre programmable-munition solutions reflects a wider trend among NATO partners to build layered, cost-effective defences against massed and low-signature aerial threats. For planners, the RIwP offers doctrinal flexibility: it can be an enabler of distributed air-defence architectures around brigade and battalion groups, or it can be concentrated in task forces that require higher localised firepower. Industrially, Moog’s UK integrations and partnerships with domestic system integrators signal a practical path to in-service support and sovereign sustainment that defence procurement authorities increasingly demand.

The RIwP Specialist C-UAS variant presented at DSEI 2025 crystallises a specific response to contemporary threats: a modular, medium-calibre turret combining an XM813 dual-feed cannon, a 7.62 mm self-defence gun, EO/IR sighting and radar-based fire control that can be reconfigured to other roles as operational needs evolve. For operators the attraction lies in a single, commonised hub capable of accepting evolving effectors and munitions types; for strategists it offers options to compose layered, cost-aware defences without multiplying distinct platform families. Whether the concept will be adopted at scale will hinge on live firings with representative munitions, integration with British Army command systems and the procurement choices that follow evaluation.

A clear message emerges from Moog’s DSEI display: the battlefield utility of modularity. The RIwP Specialist C-UAS demonstrates that meeting the twin demands of counter-drone effectiveness and force economy can be achieved through configurable weapon hubs that keep upgrade pathways open, reduce logistical complexity and allow commanders to tailor firepower to mission risk. If these promises are realised in service trials and acquisition programmes, the RIwP could become a pragmatic building block of the UK’s near-term air-defence posture.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.