Eurosatory 2024: KNDS Presents RAPIDFire Defense System.

At the Eurosatory 2024 exhibition, KNDS unveiled the advanced RAPIDFire defense system, developed in partnership with Thales. Designed to address modern and future threats, this system offers a light, compact, multi-role solution adaptable for naval and land applications.
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The RAPIDFire defense system has already been acquired by several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

RAPIDFire is based on the 40mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition (40CTA). This system can operate in both integrated and autonomous modes, providing maximum flexibility for armed forces. With its powerful and precise "all-in-one" gun coupled with optronic fire control, RAPIDFire is optimized to counter various aerial threats such as drones (UAVs), helicopters, ground attack aircraft, cruise missiles, and surface targets.

One of the standout features of RAPIDFire is its anticipation capability, achieved through its autonomous or coordinated operating modes. When paired with a high-performance 3D radar and a versatile command and control (C2) system, RAPIDFire can detect, identify, and engage threats with precision.

The system is currently in service, demonstrating its maturity and effectiveness. Among its technical characteristics, the 40mm (40CTA) gun boasts a firing range of up to 4,000 meters for aerial targets and up to 2,500 meters for surface targets. With a firing rate of up to 200 rounds per minute, the system holds 70 or 140 ready-to-fire rounds in the turret, with additional rounds stored in the turret structure's compartment.

The integrated optronics plays a crucial role in RAPIDFire's ability to visually identify targets before engagement, track targets during an engagement, and assess interceptions in real time. The types of ammunition used include anti-aircraft airburst (A3B) shells, point detonating (PD) shells, airburst (AB) shells, armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) shells, and training practice (TP) rounds for operator training.

The RAPIDFire defense system, developed by the consortium formed by Thales and Nexter, has already been acquired by several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. The presence of RAPIDFire at Eurosatory by KNDS and Thales might herald new contracts, as the companies have two more days at the Eurosatory exhibition to convince potential clients.