Narwhal 20mm turret (right) with Akeron missile pods visible to the left. (Photo: Nexter)
Nexter used the opening day of Euronaval 2022 on 18 October to unveil the final design of the RapidFire multirole naval turret to meet French close-in weapon system requirements for a new generation of offshore patrol vessels and fleet replenishment ships.
Jointly developed by Nexter and Thales, RapidFire comprises a remote-controlled turret armed with the stabilised 40mm Case Telescoped Armament System.
RapidFire is designed to defend against low-altitude aircraft attacks, especially from UAVs, at up to 4,000m range.
Also on display from Nexter at Euronaval was a Narwhal 20mm turret equipped with the Akeron missile launch pod from MBDA.
‘The integration of this innovative solution demonstrates the modularity of our systems,’ Nexter noted in a company statement, adding that it ‘now offers naval versions of its remotely operated land turrets, including the ARX 25 [remote weapon station]’.
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The US Coast Guard is expected to acquire new aircraft, helicopters, vessels and ISR sensors this fiscal year using resources from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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