During a demonstration for the Army last week, Kongsberg used four different configurations of its remote weapon stations across various unmanned platforms to engage several targets simultaneously for the first time, the company said on July 15.
The two-day live fire exercise at Fort Benning in Georgia involved utilizing Kongsberg’s CROWS-Javelin and Protector RS6 remote weapon stations on two light combat vehicles and two unmanned ground vehicles, including firing from the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light (RCV-L) prototype.
“Our continued investments in the architecture and platforms overall maximize the U.S. military’s current inventory, training and provisioning while providing groundbreaking advancements in capability. We wanted to demonstrate new capabilities – rather than competencies we’ve long ago qualified for the Department of Defense – and we are pleased the engagements were flawless,” Scott Burk, the company’s vice president of business development, said in a statement.
Along with the RCV-L, the demonstration involved linking the remote weapon stations across a Flyer Defense Ground Mobility Vehicle, a Humvee and a Titan unmanned ground vehicle.
The latest demo follows a showcase in May where Kongsberg conducted several successful Javelin missile shots with multiple CROWS configurations, to include the first time firing from an RCV-L (Defense Daily, June 25).
The RCV-L prototype, built by QinetiQ North America, utilized the new latest CROWS-Tech Refresh system, which the company said demonstrated “Tech Refresh’s backwards compatibility with legacy CROWS systems.”
Kongsberg, which is based in Norway, noted the Protector RS6 used to fire from the Ground Mobility Vehicle in both tests is the same system selected by the Marine Corps for its Marine Air Defense Integrated System program, which aims to field a a counter-drone system to be integrated on its Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.