Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
FN Herstal sells fire control units to European SOF
FN FCU Mk3 Fire Control Unit for 40mm LV/MV grenade launchers. (Photo: FN Herstal)
An unnamed European SOF unit has ordered FN FCU Mk3 fire control systems to enhance accuracy with multi-shot grenade launchers.
FN Herstal on 16 February announced that an unnamed European SOF unit has ordered FN FCU Mk3 fire control units to enhance accuracy when using 40mm low-velocity (LV) and medium-velocity (MV) multi-shot grenade launchers.
Under extreme stress or severe combat conditions, the first-round hit probability with a 40mm LV/MV is low ‘even for an experienced shooter’, FN Herstal acknowledged.
To improve the probability of hitting the target first time, the FN FCU Mk3 uses new technologies and advanced electronics to calculate the trajectory of grenades and give an adjusted point of aim. For example, a ballistic computer instantly calculates firing solutions and stores them for up to 50 different types of weapon.
The compact and lightweight FN FCU Mk3 is accurate out to 1,000m. It can be fitted on any rifles featuring a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail-mounted grenade launcher, on stand-alone grenade launchers or on multi-shot grenade launchers ‘regardless of the manufacturer’, FN Herstal claimed.
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