To the untrained eye these turrets look almost identical, and presumably perform the same as well. Beneath the skin however, the turrets have different capabilities and characteristics. The T2000 is not simply ‘an MT30 with an EOS sticker’ as some have suggested. Team Redback, led by Hanwha Defense Australia plan to demonstrate two turrets during the Land 400 Phase 3 RMA – the Elbit Land Systems MT30 and the EOS Defence Systems T2000. The T2000 establishes a new technology standard for medium calibre turrets, with advanced features never previously offered in a fully integrated solution.
Launched in February 2019, the T2000 is a co-development with Israel-based defense company Elbit Systems that combines the structure and electric drive hardware of the Elbit MT30 MK2 30 mm unmanned weapon station with the fire control system (FCS), sensors, and user interface from the EOS Remote Weapon Station (RWS) range. The T2000 turret fitted to the Hanwha Redback Infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) have been tendered under the Land 300 Phase 3 program. EOS joined Hanwha’s Team Redback in 2019 to pursue the LAND 400 Phase 3 IFV program in Australia.
Baseline T2000 lethality options include a 25 mm to 50 mm main gun (Bushmaster M242 25 mm, Bushmaster Mk44 30/40 mm, Rheinmetall Mk-30/2 ABM 30 mm, Bushmaster Mk3 35/50 mm); up to two 7.62 mm co-axial machine guns (MAG 58 7.62 mm or Bushmaster Mk 52 7.62 mm Chain Gun); an integrated, shock-isolated pop-up launcher to accommodate either two Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Spike LR2 or two Raytheon Missile Systems FGM-148 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs); and an EOS R400S Mk2 HD RWS with armament options including a 7.62 mm MG, a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher or M230LF 30 mm lightweight cannon. EOS is also proposing its R150 (5.56–12.7 mm MG) as an alternative RWS option.
The EOS common user interface ensures that any operator already trained on an EOS Remote Weapon System can directly transition to the T2000 at much lower training burden. For organisations with military vehicle fleets comprising multiple platforms and weapon configurations this provides significant cost savings in training, as well as easing the on-going training and annual qualification burdens for all turret or weapon system operators. Commonality of sensors, human machine interfaces (HMI) and software across the EOS family offers significant logistic and maintenance savings where multiple EOS RWS and turrets are in-service.
