Rotorhub
New guns for French Cougars and Caracals
French Minister for Defence, Herve Morin has announced an order for new door guns to equip the French Air Force and Army fleets of Cougar and Caracal helicopters.
The programme, part of the French government's economic revival plan, will see the installation of 20mm cannons, called the 20M621, for the transport and armed assault helicopters. The same weapon already other French Army (ALAT) helicopters including the Gazelle, Puma and Fennec.
The order from Nexter and Eurocopter, worth €22 million includes 25 guns, 15 carriage systems and the cost of the integration programme. Rotorhub.com reported early work on this programme in June at the Paris Air Show after Air Force Caracal crews based at Cazaux had expressed their concern at a lack of defensive firepower available to them during operations in Afghanistan. (See original story)
The French procurement agency, the DGA say that once installed, the weapons, which have a range of 2,000 metres will provide the Caracal and Cougar fleets with the ability to respond to hostile small arms fire, beyond their lethal range.
The new guns can be fitted inside the cabin, and are fully retractable, but easily deployed through the main side doors if the crew need to respond to a threat.
Caracals have been operating in Afghanistan for nearly three years as part of the French operations in RCC Capital (Kabul). Three aircraft are currently deployed, two from the Air Force and a single example from the Army.
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