Feature: Changing warfare renews focus on unmanned turrets
A Kongsberg RS4 ROWS on a Patria 6×6 CAVS. (Patria)
The Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's conflicts with Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran have provided a fresh avenue to discuss the need for lighter, more advanced turrets and remotely operated weapon systems (ROWSs) equipped with enhanced sensors and armament for evolving threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
On 15 November 2024 the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme, based on Finnish defence company Patria's 6×6 vehicle, received EUR60 million (USD65 million) from the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) funding instrument. Under this programme, on 20 March Kongsberg signed a contract with Patria to deliver Protector RS4 weapon stations to mount on more than 300 CAVSs for Sweden and Finland. The deliveries will begin from 2025 and last through to the 2030s.
The European Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems 2 (FAMOUS2) project is an extension of the FAMOUS project launched in 2020 as a part of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP). The project seeks to maximise synergies, standardisation, and interoperability on armoured vehicles. The FAMOUS is an approach taken by a consortium of European countries including Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, and Spain to develop a next-generation armoured vehicle situational awareness system to enhance ground combat capabilities. Vehicles in this programme will be armed with unmanned light turrets.
Unmanned logic
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