IDEF 2019: FNSS RCWS brings ballistic protection to Remote-Controlled Weapon Systems.

FNSS is displaying for the first time at IDEF’19 its new Remote-Controlled Weapon System (RCWS), which stands out in its class with distinctive technical specifications and ballistic protection. The qualification phase of the RCWS was completed in December 2018, and serial production was launched soon afterwards. The first customer of the system will be a foreign user.

FNSS RCWS (Picture source: FNSS)

Remote-controlled weapon systems are widely used by the armed forces around the world, as they ensure personnel security thanks to their unmanned operation, and increase the hit performance considerably with their fire control system. Operations in urban areas, in particular, necessitate that these systems are equipped with ballistic protection, so as to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of the mission. In fact, these systems risk becoming the target of not only enemy fire, but also of wreckage and debris fragments that scatter around during the conflict, which can cause damage and render them nonoperational. The RCWS of FNSS, on the other hand, is capable of carrying out its mission with high reliability under these conditions, thanks to its NATO STANAG 4569 Level 2 ballistic protection.

The RCWS can be equipped with M2 12.7 mm/.50 calibre machine gun, Mk19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, M240 7.62 machine gun and FN MAG58 7.62 mm machine gun. The system can be loaded with 300 rounds when fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun, 750 rounds when fitted with a 7.62 mm machine gun, and 64 rounds when fitted with a 40 mm grenade launcher. It can also be integrated on different types of vehicles ranging from 4x4 vehicles to main battle tanks.

Highlighting that the RCWS once again proves the innovativeness of FNSS, Nail Kurt, General Manager and CEO of FNSS, said: “We are entering the remote-controlled weapon station market – where there are plenty of alternatives – with such an innovative solution as the RCWS. We listened to our users before developing the RCWS, analysing beforehand the extent to which the existing solutions in the market can meet the requirements, and we came up with a system that features superior characteristics compared with our competitors. The development of RCWS allowed us to complete the lower segment of our turret systems family. We strongly believe that our RCWS solution will soon become a highly sought after product, and that it will enter the inventory of many users within a short period”.

Technical Characteristics of RCWS
- Traverse: 360° rotation
- Elevation: -20° / +60°
- Max. speed (traverse and elevation): > 1 rad/s
- Max. acceleration (traverse and elevation): > 1.5 rad/s2
- Uncooled thermal camera resolution: 640x512
- Day camera resolution: 1280x720
- Laser range finder range: Max. 10 km
- Weight without ammunition and ballistic protection: < 200 kg
- NATO STANAG 4569 Level 2 ballistic protection
- Automatic target tracking
- Electronic image stabilisation
- Moving target acquisition
- Picture in Picture (8x electronically zoomed image in another window)
- Compatibility with MIL-STD-461E and MIL-STD-810G
- Manual operation in case of emergency

RCWS, side-view (Picture source: FNSS)