Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway has won a $498.3 million production, sustainment and engineering contract for the M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 2022.

The CROWS is a enclosed turret capable of mounting a variety of medium and heavy weapons, such as M240B machine guns, M2 Browning heavy machine guns, Mk-19 automatic grenades launchers, and TOW anti-tank guided missiles.

It features thermal imaging and other optics and is capable of automatically scanning at long ranges. It is mounted on several vehicles such as the U.S. series of MRAPs and the upgraded version of the M1A2 Abrams tank.

It provides a protected position compared to conventional open-air turrets at the cost of close-range situational awareness.

Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Blast at S.African munitions plant kills 8: official
Cape Town (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
Eight people were killed Monday in an explosion at a munitions factory near Cape Town in South Africa, a city official said. Local residents reported that nearby houses shook from the blast, which sent a plume of white smoke into the air above the Rheinmetall-Denel plant in Somerset West when it erupted at 3:45 pm (1345 GMT). "Eight persons were confirmed as fatalities and the fire department is assisting the search and rescue operations," J.P. Smith, Cape Town council's safety chief, told AFP ... read more