Posted on 12/13/2008 2:58:30 PM PST by 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
I am quite sure that if they had to, they could also send up a live human gunner up to use the equipment manually if the CROWS system fails.
See post 81.
Godo medicine for non-raghead terrorists too, like the Muslim terrorists from Chechnya, Paki-land, Europe etc.
geeeezee... all that’s missing is a lav to well... you know and a Mircrowave to pop popcorn.
the guns and viewing devices on tanks are protected by an armored turret.
I don’t know why the Crow’s armament and video camera is left vulnerable.
I had to chuckle at that. My Nutcracker watching is next weekend. Two daughters still perform in it. One is a dance teacher, so she is in on the choreography also. At least the theater has low lights so napping is unnoticed. This year will be the 21st year in a row I have had a daughter in it. I know the musical score better than the dancers.
I don’t know why the Crow’s armament and video camera is left vulnerable.
The greater the armor, then the lesser is the field of view.
marker
Supposedly, the level of armoring and survivability are much greater around the crew compartment. I know that vid showed an EFP hit on the back, but I’ve read elsewhere about them surviving RPGs, just haven’t seen a video.
BTW, didn’t we used to call EFPs “platter charges,” or am I confusing them? In training, we fired platter charges made of about 1/2” steel by 6” diameter at various targets. I remember a truck engine block being pierced from side to side by the molten slug. It made a hole all the way through the vehicle and engine block about 2 or 3” diameter. Very impressive.
Yeah, but it looks like this outfit would be relatively easy to knowck out by a good sniper, once they figure it out (like by reading FR).
Some ceramic armor to defeat rifle rounds and a smaller lens in a slit with a zoom and fish eye would work.
How about reading strategypage.com? If it is on FR, then it likely is an open source.
It is a shame this new system could not been put in service in large quantities back in 2003. But better late then never. The Taliban and AQA/AQP are going to have a nasty surprise to contend with over the next few years.
Thanks for the ping!
Wonderful miracle and story! Thank you for the ping.
A GENERAL ELECTRIC product ????
SkyNet has awakened.
Whachoo wanna bet that that nice shiny obvious lens is a decoy?? And that the real optics are disguised as a rivet somewhere??? And probably multiply redundant, to boot.
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