At the beginning of 2016 CMI Defence was selected by, and in cooperation with, the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) for a Research and Development program focused on Medium Caliber Armament Systems. CMI Defence, a turret-maker based in Belgium, and Raytheon Co., the missile-maker based in Waltham, Massachusetts, announced they received cooperative research and development agreements from the service’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center to evaluate the technology. Specifically, the arrangements call for evaluating CMI’s new Cockerill 3030 turret with interchangeable guns and Raytheon’s sensor called the Commander Independent Viewer, or CIV.
The Cockerill 3030 Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) weapon system is designed within the framework of a CRADA with US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). The roughly five-ton turret can be manned or unmanned and is capable of accepting any number of guns, including a 30mm or 105mm cannon or a missile launcher. This turret is intended to become the Next Generation Medium Caliber Armament System (MCAS) of the US Army. The turret system provides a cutting-edge situational-based fire control system, as well as the XM813, the US Army’s linkless 30mm medium-calibre weapon system, currently to be fielded as part of the STRYKER ONS. This system has the capability, once tested, to be used in multiple future US Army programmes.
Based on an unprecedented modular concept, the Cockerill® 3000 Series is a single platform enabling a turret to accommodate guns of different calibres and the corresponding technological modules: automatic 25 mm, 30 mm, 30/40 mm, 35 mm and 50 mm calibre guns, along with direct fire guns of 90 and 105 mm calibre. These systems can also fire missiles. Thanks to their unique operational capabilities, to the rapid inter-changeability both of their crews and their arms, and to their high degree of common design, these modular turrets of the Cockerill® 3000 Series can cover all types of missions and objectives on the battle field (combat tank, bunker and helicopter engagement, urban combat, intervention in combats known as asymmetric…).
