US and French Defense Companies Unveil RAPIDFire Gun Turret to Fight Against Aerial Threats

US and French defense companies showcased at Euronaval 2022 the latest version of the RAPIDFire autonomous gun turret.

(Photo : David Mark/Pixabay)
US Navy Battle Ship

RAPIDFire Gun Turret

According to Interesting Engineering, a gun turret is a self-contained, rotating structure in which weaponry is mounted, commonly found on tanks and warships.

RAPIDFire is one of the few air defense systems that can independently and automatically acquire, identify, and eliminate a threat by utilizing target designation data provided by a battle management system. It is designed to protect platforms from low-level air threats, including drones.

The system's ready rack of 140 rounds of ammo, or around 30 interceptions, provides powerful firepower against drones and drone swarms. In the case of a saturation attack, it prevents surface-to-air missile attrition.

Nexter and Thales Joint Venture

The gun turret is said to be able to fend off rising low-level, close-range surface and aerial threats.
Based in Roanne, Loire, Nexter Systems is a French government-owned manufacturer of firearms, while the Thales Group subsidiary, Thales Defense & Security, Inc., is a top producer of tactical communications technology. The US Army and NATO troops throughout the world are now fielding the AN/PRC-148 MBITR and JEM.

According to Defense News, the French Navy's new tanker vessels, known in French as batiments ravitailleurs de force, or BRF, will be outfitted with two RapidFire systems each as part of the original program of record, which calls for the delivery of four RAPIDFire. The first system will be delivered in late 2022 or early 2023. Tests and assessments are being conducted on the first two systems.

Advanced RAPIDFire Turret

With the use of Anti Aerial Airburst (A3B) bombs and the coupling between the fire control system and the turret, RAPIDFire is incredibly accurate and can eliminate threats without the possibility of collateral damage.

The technological powerhouse maintains a non-penetrating turret design while utilizing Compact and a sighting system to automatically ensure excellent interception accuracy. A contemporary structure called the Compact can hold the ammunition for 40 mm CTA guns.

The Anti Aerial Airburst (A3B) round against airborne targets is compatible with its 40 mm CTA cannon and the entire CTAI 40 mm telescoped munition.

With a multispectral sight installed atop the turret and a high-rate laser rangefinder, Thales' high-precision optronic fire control system has the potential to engage multiple targets quickly and automatically select different types of ammunition.

The CAESAR MkII truck chassis is a good example of a land-based platform that the RAPIDFire multi-domain technology is easily adaptable to. According to the company, this system's straightforward user interface and on-the-fly firing capability make it simple to integrate into current systems.

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Armed Forces Implementation

The 40 mm CTA gun system and ammunition are the foundation of RAPIDFire, which has already been adopted by the military forces of France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
In 2015, Nexter and Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW), the systems integrator and designer of the Leclerc and Leopard MBT, established KNDS as a joint venture.

Through this merger, the talents and knowledge of the two groups are integrated in order to better manage export markets in the face of more intense competition and meet the needs of the French and German militaries.

A continual arms race between offensive and defensive technologies has characterized military technology for a long time. Every new method of assault inspires the creation of a new method of defense. Especially since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, European countries have rapidly increased their defense spending.