Nobles Worldwide Inc. yesterday said it has entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for the development of a mechanically stabilized crew-served gun mount with the Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) to integrate Nobles’ Viper Lite™ universal crew served weapons mount with existing Objective Gunner Protection Kit (OGPK) armor packages.
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| Viper Lite Photo: Nobles Worldwide |
The work aims to provide the U.S. and allied forces with increased gun mounting options for the battlefield.
Nobles’ Viper Lite is compatible with all crew served machine guns currently in use in the U.S. arsenal, and is a technologically advanced alternative to the legacy MK93 mount.
The CRADA will ensure the Viper Lite™ system is compatible with various OGPK configurations.
“It was important for us to undertake this effort so we can provide a superior capability to the Warfighter without creating a logistical burden which often plagues universal mounts ” said John Morgan CEO of Nobles Worldwide. “Through working with ARDEC, we are able to ensure we can provide the Warfighter with the fully integrated, plug and play, solution he deserves.”
The CRADA was executed on Sept. 17 and is scheduled to be complete by early summer 2014.
The Viper Lite™ was developed after the company worked closely with U.S. Special Operations Forces and identified the need of the vehicle mounted machine gunner to quickly stabilize the firing platform while engaging the enemy, with the ability to just as quickly release and slew to the next engagement, once again stabilizing for maximum effects on target.
Thus, Nobles developed the patented Gun Mount Braking System™ (GMBS™) for the Viper gun mounts, bringing total control of the weapon literally to the gunner’s finger tips. Currently deployed with U.S. Special Forces around the globe, the Viper Lite™ provides the latest technology in mechanical mounts and offers life cycle cost savings, increased safety and capability.