Traditionally, gunners have sat up in the vehicle’s turret during convoys, exposing themselves to gunfire and explosions, which makes them the most vulnerable crew members in the event of a vehicle rollover. But now the United States Military is receiving a weapon technology known as the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or Remote Weapon Station Gun allowing the gunner to sit safely in the protected position.
“I love the fact that you have now removed one of our fellow Soldiers out of harm’s way. They’re inside the protection of the vehicle, and they can still get 360° view by traversing the turret …. They’re not up there in the turret with their heads sticking out … where the enemy sniper can engage them easier,” said Sergeant Michael Whitaker, US Army Reserve Soldier with the 346th Military Police Company, Fort Riley, Kansas.
It’s a big hunk of steel mounted to the top of a vehicle, equipped with a daylight video camera, a thermal imager for night operations, and a laser rangefinder, able to rotate 360°, see up to 1,500 m away. It is furnished with a fully integrated fire control system that provides ballistic correction.
CROWS is somewhat expensive, costing $190k per system. However, it is a crucial investment in protecting our most valuable assets: our soldiers. CROWS is instrumental in bringing our brothers and sisters home safely at the end of their deployment.
The CROWS system has a video game-like feel to it, as it eliminates the rattling recoil that gunners experience, although it can still be heard and felt from above the vehicle. Gunners operate the CROWS with a joystick and monitor its activity on a small screen surrounded by buttons and switches.
One soldier remarked, “What you see on the screen is just like the real thing. It’s really neat how smooth and simple it is to operate.” The CROWS system displays a digital crosshair for aiming, and once calibrated, it boasts a remarkable 95 percent accuracy rate. Additionally, it absorbs about 80 percent of the recoil, allowing the weapon to return to its target faster after each burst of fire. While gunners can manually aim and control the CROWS, it also has tracking capabilities that allow it to follow a target moving at up to 25 miles per hour, even if it moves behind objects.
“It’s awesome. It’s very, very accurate. On point,” said Spc. ETHAN Moe, US Army Reserve military police Soldier with the 800th Military Police Company, of Little Rock, Arkansas. “Just about every time you pull the trigger, it goes (back to) the same place. The stabilization, (allows you to) shoot on the move. Thermal imaging, see at night, temperatures, easily pick out targets, tracking, leading, all that.”
Also, even if the gunner vehicle moves across rough terrain, the CROWS Weapons remains completely stable and on target.
“Before, when you were in the gunner’s hatch, (if) the truck’s bouncing, you’re bouncing. You’re all over the place. It was harder to maintain a good target”.
This means the CROWS not only makes war fighting safer for American Soldiers but more lethal against their enemies.
The first Soldiers to receive the CROWS in the Army were Infantry and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams. The system is so versatile that it can be mounted on nearly any vehicles with a turret: Humvees, large trucks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Stryker armored combat vehicle, MRAP blast-resistant vehicles, Abrams main battle tanks, military ships and more.
It’s also compatible with the M2.50-cal machine gun, Mark-19 automatic grenade launcher, M240 rifle, and M249 squad automatic weapon. It comes with a large ammo box able to feed a massive amount of firepower into the weapon: 96 rounds for the Mark-19, 400 rounds for the M2, 1,000 rounds for the M240B, and 1,600 rounds for the M249.
“That’s a lot of rounds you can put down range”.
Arquelio Gillespie, the fielding manager for the Materiel Fielding & Training Team for the Tank Automotive Command, expressed his opinion, saying, “It’s going to improve the accuracy of how we fight. It’s going to reduce the number of casualties that the Army takes. It’s going to improve on our accuracy of finding the enemy.”
Furthermore, the CROWS system allows for safer travel by enabling the gunner to sit inside the vehicle, which eliminates the risk of potential casualties in vehicle rollovers.
“Fact is, we won’t have as many people killed in rollover,” said US Army Capt. Timothy Ashcraft, a Corpus Christi, Texas, native and the chief of training with the Combined Joint Task Force-82.
“I had a buddy die when he was thrown from the turret when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device,” recalls the Baltimore, native Martuszewski. “Now if the vehicle rolls over, he (the gunner) won’t get crushed or thrown from the vehicle, of course by wearing a seat belt.
With the gunner protected from vehicle rollovers the gunner can concentrate his focus on eliminating enemy targets.
M101 CROWS Remote Weapon
Recon Optical was the first supplier for the CROWS program with their Raven. The Recon Optical Raven R-400 CROWS were fielded in 2004 in Iraq as part of the first CROWS contract. These systems were employed by special forces, military police, infantry, and transport units.
M153 CROWS II Remote Weapon
After an open solicitation Kongsberg Protech Systems won the CROWS II contract with a variant of their M151 PROTECTOR. Kongsberg received a framework contract of more than US $1B for the delivery of up to 6,500 CROWS systems to the U.S. Army, and a first purchase order exceeding US$300M.
KONGSBERG has delivered over 18,000 systems to the U.S. Armed Services between the M151 and M153 variants. These systems are currently in use in every branch of the U.S. military, as well as many U.S. agencies. It is employed in various versions of the Humvee, Buffalo armored military vehicle, RG-31 Nyalas, RG-33s MRAP, the Army’s M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle, the Oshkosh M-ATV, Joint Engineering Rapid Response Vehicle, Caiman Medium Tactical Vehicles, and MaxxPro and more.
CROWS Javelin
The CROWS-J is an M153 CROWS II system manufactured by Kongsberg that has been modified through the addition and fire control integration of the FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile.
The CROWS II is an electrically operated, stabilized system that incorporates a Detached Line-of-Sight feature, enabling the gunner to maintain a stable sight picture regardless of weapon or ammunition selection. On the other hand, the CROWS-J replaces the outdated Remote Weapon Station mounted on the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle, allowing infantry and scout soldiers to engage targets with the Javelin missile while under armor. This system enhances the range and expands the target array of enemy vehicles that the Stryker Brigade Combat Team can defeat, including armored vehicles.
“The Javelins are a very capable missile,” said Captain Jacob Poag, operations officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “We are taking the opportunity to fire 12 FGM-148 Javelins today, which will get six crews across the brigade to fire.”
Before installing the CROWS-J onto Strykers, the Javelin was designed to be shoulder-fired by a dismounted Soldier.
We have the capability to fire about 100 dismounted Javelins during any training mission or deployment. The addition of the CROWS-J system doubles that amount, making us incredibly lethal in the anti-tank realm, Poag said.
“We are now the most lethal force there is,” said Specialist Jerett Vermeis with 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. “We are ready for whatever the nation needs us for.”
Sea PROTECTOR Mark-50
The United States Navy has developed a nautical version of the CROWS 2 weapons system for its patrol boats, allowing them to engage speedboats piloted by suicide bombers at longer ranges. The system, referred to as the “Mark-50 Gun Weapon System” in Navy service, is equipped with Sea PROTECTOR, which increases naval dominance over opposing forces.
The Sea PROTECTOR serves as the main armament on interceptors and small patrol boats, and provides self-defense and increased capability to counter asymmetric threats while at sea or in harbors on ships. The gyrostabilization feature is particularly crucial for a weapon carried by a small vessel being buffeted by waves when traveling at high speed.
According to Rune Johannessen, Vice President of Business Development, the marinized version of the PROTECTOR M153 CROWS platform incorporates lessons learned from years of combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan with land forces, and brings them to the United States Navy. The system increases engagement effectiveness and offers unmatched deployment flexibility across platforms and in any environment.