Following the Australian Ministry of Defence’s $66.8m contract award to EOS for 251 new remote weapon stations, for the protected mobility vehicles (PMV);

Stelios Kanavakis, Defense Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the contract:

“This contract is an important step towards increasing the protection that the PMV fleet can provide during operations, while having standardized equipment, and supporting an Australian defense company and its supply chain.

“Thanks to the mobility and increased level of protection, the PMV fleet will be a serious upgrade for the Australian forces, especially the light deployable forces, which will benefit from the fact that it can be carried by CH-47 helicopters.

“Australia is implementing an ambitious vehicles modernization program, which includes a mix of heavy and lighter forces, including main battle tanks (MBTs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) with high levels of protection and firepower, as well as light multirole vehicles (LMV) and Boxer combat reconnaissance platforms. All these vehicles, with the exception of the LMVs, do not possess significant firepower capabilities. Considering their weight, they would be among the first to be deployed overseas in a contingency, waiting for heavier platforms to arrive at a later stage. Therefore, it is important for these vehicles to feature firepower capabilities and provide protection to themselves or the dismounted troops.

“Remote weapon stations are ideal for that task as they can combine protection for the operator, firepower and accuracy thanks to their stabilization, along with long-range reconnaissance through their sensors. Moreover, their integration to vehicle platforms requires minimal engineering intervention, while the acquisition cost is relatively low, allowing them to be procured even by clients with limited financial resources. This has resulted in many manufacturers offering their solutions, making the RWS market one of the most highly competitive ones.”