The Desert Spider is a new remotely controlled short-range air defense system designed and developed by the Slovenian company Valhalla in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates defense industry, Golden Group. Valhalla is well known for its developments in the field of remote-controlled weapons systems and has already managed to offer the option module with 57-mm cannon. The 57mm RCWS (Remote Controlled Weapon Station) Spider can be mounted on combat vehicles or used as ground weapon station fitted on a container that can be easily and quickly deployed on the battlefield. The turret can be protected up to Level 3 STANAG 4569 against the firing of small arms 7.62mm or 155mm artillery shell splinters.
The turret has a weight of 5,000 kg, a traverse of 360° and elevation from -20° to +70°. As “the main caliber” of the selected module 57-mm automatic gun AZP-57 from the composition of the anti-aircraft s-60 Soviet development. This gun retains all the core units, uses standard ammunition and shows the same characteristics. At the same time, we changed the ammunition. Instead aloimonos system uses a continuous chain feed. Inside the battle module was able to place the boxes to 92 shells. The gun can use a unitary shots 57Ñ…348 mm R two types: fragmentation-tracer OR-281 and armor-piercing tracer BR-281. Due to the new system of ammunition a combat rate of fire increased to 120 rounds per minute.
The second armament of the Spider RCWS includes one 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament. It can be used to engage light armored vehicles, fire weapons and manpower located behind light shelters, as well as low-flying air targets. On each side of the turret is mounted one 70mm rocket launcher pod able to launch unguided and guided rockets. The rockets are used to perform various roles, including anti-material, anti-personnel, air-to-ground suppression and illumination. It is assumed that missile weapons can be used against different targets in the air and on the ground.
