Finland selects Platt MR550 ring mount for RG-32M

Australian weapon mount producer, W&E Platt, has announced that the Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected its Platt MR550 Bi-Metal Ring Mount for manned weapon stations to equip the Finnish Defence Force’s RG-32M mine hardened armoured patrol vehicles. The company announced the contract, valued at $1.7 million, 22 August 2012.

Under the contract W&E Platt will supply a total of 39 Platt MR550 Bi-Metal Ring Mounts, which will be shipped to Finland for installation on the Finnish Army’s RG-32M vehicles. The order follows a contract issued in 2011 for the mount, when ten units were delivered to Finland in a similar configuration.

W&E Platt has tailored the MR550 Bi-Metal Ring Mount for wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles with a gross vehicle mass under 10 tonnes, or larger vehicle designs sensitive to changes in centre-of-gravity.

The company said the Finnish MR550 Bi-Metal Ring Mounts will be fitted with various mission kits such as wire cutters, ammunition stowage racks, M72 light anti-armour weapon holders and brackets for high-powered lights to enable night operations.

In terms of weaponry, the Finnish Army will equip the mounts with legacy Soviet-era weapons such as the NSV/12,7 ITKK 96 12.7mm heavy machine gun and PKM 7.62mm machine gun, as well as the M2HB 12.7mm heavy machine gun and HK 40mm Grenade Machine Gun. The ring mount is manually operated via gearbox and traverses through 360 degrees. Maximum weapon elevation is +65 degrees and depression -35 degrees.

Deliveries to Finland are scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2012.