It's Alive! (CROWS - common remotely operated weapon stations)

strategypage.com ^ | December 11, 2008 | NA

[neverdem]

The remote control turret changed the battlefield more than you might think.  It all began three years ago, when the U.S. Army realized that new remote control gun turret designs actually worked, and suddenly they could not get enough of them. The army ordered over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but for a while could only get 15 a month. By the end of 2006, there were about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year.

The main issue was that the enemy was no longer able to knock out the turret gunner, early in a firefight, and take away a lot of the vehicles firepower. Because of that, once the enemy opens fire, they are in trouble. The remote turret tends to begin delivering accurate fire right away, and is much more immune to enemy fire than a human gunner. If the vehicle is a Stryker, the enemy will soon find themselves dealing with half a dozen or so heavily armed infantry, who get out of the vehicle and come at the ambushers. Iraqis don't like that. They also don't like how some of the CROWS turret equipped vehicles will come after them. All those accurately aimed bullets coming their way, and no enemy soldiers in sight, is demoralizing.

The idea for CROWS has been around for nearly half a century. Years of tinkering, and better technology, eventually made the remote control gun turret effective and dependable. CROWS is a real lifesaver, not to mention anxiety reducer, for troops who drive through bandit country a lot, and have a turret mounted gun (usually in a hummer). The guy manning the turret mounted machine-gun is a target up there, and too often, the bad guys get you. Not with CROWS. The gunner is inside...

[Travis McGee]

Is the CROWS a jamamatic? And who goes out to clear jams? I'd take the 40/50 mount on the ASV, you can reload from behind armor without "going outside" when the sierra is flying both ways.

A 50 caliber Ma Deuce next to an M19 40mm belt fed automatic grenade launcher, YEAH!

63MPH, drives away from 12 pound mines under the wheels, and survives RPGs. Plus, a 249 SAWs on a pintle mount for "backstratching" other ASVs, and taking care of pests.

Along with the Stryker it is the vehicle everybody wants in the sandbox, being about ten times more survivable than an uparmored hummer.

A CROWs mount is nice, when it works, as long as nobody is shooting when you have to reload it! And mounted on a hummer, you're still in a hummer!

[Travis McGee]

What happens to a Ma Deuce if you try to shoot 450 rounds in a minute?

Better put on your asbestos suit!

[EternalVigilance]

If all it takes is one bullet in the right place to disable it, how is that any different than killing the gunner?

Well, I'm sure it's a whole lot different for the gunner...

[Travis McGee]

41, for your consideration.

[Squantos]

Man I have some baaaad memmories in a older V100 caddy gage that looks just like that........you say that will stand up to a PG7 ??

[Travis McGee]

So far they have. Check out this IED on an ASV video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTXrN5hfrdo

Other cool ASV videos. The troops love em, that’s what counts. The Army ordered like 100, saw how great they were for modern low intensity/counterinsurgency, and put in a rush order for like 800 more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-shd3kn_8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvLFwwjTa9w

[Matthew James]

Many Tanks!

[Tailback]

Well, I'm sure it's a whole lot different for the gunner...

Very true, but either way you have a main weapons system that's combat ineffective.

[Travis McGee]

And if a CROWs is mounted on top of a hummer, you’re still only in a hummer, not the most survivable gun platform, that’s for sure.

[Centurion2000]

Only thing that even looks vulnerable on that weapon system is the optics panel just underneath the barrel.

[Squantos]

Did some reading , it did stand up against a PG7 series RPG.......thanks for the videos !

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/asv.htm

[freema]

No. I was on the committee that developed that unit and helped train the EO on the effective us of linguistics in creating a git 'er done mentality. But here's a pic of me in camo.

[PAR35]

If all it takes is one bullet in the right place to disable it, how is that any different than killing the gunner?

You equate scrap metal to a dead soldier?

[Tailback]

And if a CROWs is mounted on top of a hummer, you’re still only in a hummer, not the most survivable gun platform, that’s for sure.

Exactly. Hummers still being used as combat vehicles is a tragedy. The Strykers, other than being overbudget, overweight, overpriced, and without a stabilized gun system, are better but not perfect. The MRAP's are OK also but still don't have a stabilized gun system. The ASV's are awesome but don't carry an infantry squad. It's too bad the procurement system is so dysfunctional.

[omega4179]

What about the box of ammo. Then again the ambushers probably don’t have a heavy MG to do serious damage to crow.

[ma bell]

Smile!

[Tailback]

Good grief, of course I don’t equate that to a dead soldier. Only officers in the Pentagon do stuff like that.

Regardless if whether the bullet takes out a live gunner, or a CROW system, the weapon system is combat ineffective.

How much money does it take to buy an up-armor Humvee, buy a CROW system, and then retrofit the Humvee? If one round from a Dragunov into that shiny optic on the CROW takes it out, what good is it?

Compare that cost to a brand new ASV with an actual armored turret that is a much more flexible vehicle for this type of conflict.

I want not only the soldiers to stay alive, but for the US military to remain the best equipped in the world.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Umm...I must have missed this version. LOL!

[PAR35]

Just because you have lost your video doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) mean that you can’t either lay down suppressing fire, or get guidance from someone acting as a spotter. Effectiveness may suffer, but it’s still an asset.

[TXnMA]

I really like your tagline! :-)