Enhancing Lethality for Remote Weapons Stations

By Chad Lemond, Director of Business Development for Defense, EOSDSUSA, Inc.

From Armor & Mobility, June 2020

EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc., Huntsville, AL, is a world leader in Remote Weapons Station (RWS) design, development and production, incorporating advanced electro-optic applications based on core technologies in software, electronics, optronics, gimbals, and precision mechanisms. The company recently introduced the R800S RWS. The heavy gimbal R800S was developed to provide medium-weight vehicles with more lethal weapons by mounting the Mk44S 30mm x 173mm cannon. The R800S is also dual weapon capable (optional sub-caliber coax) and can deploy an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) or air defense missile as a 3rd effector. The R800S, with weapons and ammo, weighs less than 1800 pounds above the roofline and has a height of 40 inches. This system can carry additional ballistic protection up to STANAG Level II.

Versatile, Agile Firepower

The R400S is a medium weight, medium caliber, RWS capable of deploying machine guns from 5.56mm to .50 caliber and other weapons like the 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher, the M134 7.62mm Gatling Gun and the M230LF / XM914 30mm x 113mm cannon. In the dual configuration, the R400S can mount a 5.56 or 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, adding extra lethality. This past February, EOS successfully fired two Javelin ATGMs in between 30mm cannon engagements, demonstrating the interoperability of the two weapons from our RWS. BG (Ret) Phil Coker, CEO for EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc. commented, “The ability to effectively counter any maneuver threat on the modern battlefield is a significant advantage to an Army that has to deploy to any fight. At the same time, the capacity that the R400 offers to clearly identify friend-from-foe at the Javelin’s max range is an advantage that few other systems offer.â€

EOS has developed the capability to mount other 3rd effectors, such as surface-to-air missiles or counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) launchers. It is important to note that whatever the mix of weapons, the R400S delivers precise, medium-caliber firepower from an RWS that weighs less than 1000 pounds above the roofline (including weapons and ammo) at a height of only 35 inches. The R400S has been mounted, and fired, from a range of platforms like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Polaris DAGOR, to heavy robotic platforms, Strykers, and Abrams Tanks.

The R150 is the world’s lightest RWS capable of mounting and firing the M2HB .50 caliber heavy machine gun with precision, on the move, and over long range. The reduced mass of the R150 enables it to be installed on a wider range of light tactical and logistics vehicles where the roof structure may not support the full weight of a larger RWS. The R150S provides excellent self-defense capabilities for any platforms when mounting a light, medium or heavy machine gun ranging from 5.56mm to .50 cal. The R150S weighs 187 pounds before adding weapons and ammunition.

Precision and Vision

The precision which makes the EOS family of remote weapon stations unique is rooted in a gimbal that incorporates proprietary algorithms which compensate for atmospheric conditions, gun and platform attributes as well as ammunition characteristics. The system delivers less than 1 milliradian dispersion at extended ranges. This level of performance is enabled by our best-in-class Sensor Unit (SU), which is an advanced, compact, day/night, targeting and aiming system based on cooled thermal imager technology. For over 20 years, EOS has been producing sensors that are hermetically sealed in a single, submersible unit which ensures boresight retention to 0.1 milliradian for all sensors for the product lifetime. The SU incorporates both a color day electronic imaging system and a second-generation Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera which provide target detection beyond 12 km, recognition greater than 5 km, and identification beyond 4km. This level of precision is especially useful when targeting small, highly-maneuverable targets like Class I UAS. In a recent demonstration of our system capabilities, the R400 repeatedly shot down maneuvering UAS at ranges beyond 350 meters.

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