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Australian company Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has been chosen as the supplier of remote weapon stations for the Australian Army’s new Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) as part of the $5.5 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 program.
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Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne announced the deal at the EOS stand at Land Forces 2018 in Adelaide, and said the contract would increase Australian industry involvement in the project.
The remote weapon stations (RWS) enable soldiers to fire a range of weapons, while crucially still remaining safe inside their armoured vehicles. EOS offers a family of fully stabilised remotely operated weapon stations that can be integrated on various vehicle platforms and used for different mission profiles.
The company's RWS solutions ensure full weapon readiness while the crew operate the system protected within the vehicle. All are designed with a high level of commonality and modularity to offer clients a flexible firepower solution.
"This is a great outcome for Australia, the Australian Defence Force and Australian industry that reinforces our focus on building an Australian defence industry. An Australian defence industry success story, Electro Optic Systems is poised to become the nation’s largest defence exporter," Minister Pyne exclaimed.
Additionally, Minister Pyne also announced EOS’ newest RWS, the R150. Following a Commonwealth investment of $3.4 million in 2013 to develop the next generation of RWS, EOS has developed the R150, which delivers the same capability in a lighter weight system that can deliver lethal effects and highly capable sensors on a platform with restricted weight requirements.
The ultra-light R150 system is unique to the market. It’s fully stabilised, highly accurate, designed for 5.56mm, 7.62mm and 12.7mm calibre weapons, and is suitable for both wheeled and tracked vehicles.
The reduced mass of the R150 enables it to be installed on a wider range of light tactical and logistics vehicles where the roof structure may not support the full weight of a larger RWS. The system uses the EOS common user interface so an operator trained on the R400 can directly transition to an R150.
Minister Pyne welcomed this next generation capability development, saying, "I congratulate EOS on launching this next generation product and welcome their continued commitment to Australian industry."
EOS is a leading Australian technology company operating in the space and defence markets. Its products incorporate advanced electro-optic applications based on EOS core technologies in software, laser, electronics, optronics, gimbals, telescopes and beam directors, and precision mechanisms.
EOS operates two research centres in Australia and has significant production facilities in both Australia and the US. The company also has a production support depot in Singapore and offices in Alabama, Arizona, Abu Dhabi and Germany.
