Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) has received an order from the US Army to deliver an additional 409 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) remote weapon stations, spares and support. The order has a value of USD 94 million or approximately NOK 1 billion. The order is part of the IDIQ frame contract awarded in October 2022, the fourth consecutive five-year contract awarded KONGSBERG for the delivery and support of the US Army Commonly Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS). The deliveries will be manufactured and assembled at the KONGSBERG facility in Johnstown PA.
“We are very pleased for the opportunity to deliver additional CROWS systems to the US Army and with the confidence our customers place in our products and our organization,” says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. The US military has fielded both the M101 CROWS and M153 CROWS II systems. The CROWS system provides an operator with the ability to acquire and engage targets while inside a vehicle, protected by its armor. It is designed to mount on a variety of vehicle platforms and supports the Mk 19 grenade launcher, 12.7 mm M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun, 7.62 mm M240B Machine Gun, and 5.56 mm M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.
The sight package includes a daylight video camera, a thermal camera and an eye-safe laser rangefinder. The weight of the weapon station varies accordingly due to different armament modules: 74 kg (163 lb) light, 135 kg (298 lb) standard (including the naval version), and 172 kg (379 lb) for CROWS II. The control group mounts inside the vehicle. It includes a display, switches and joystick to provide full remote control of the weapon system. This enables the fighting crew to operate from inside armored combat vehicles, while still maintaining the ability to acquire and engage targets
