WASHINGTON -- This week KONGSBERG was awarded a contract valued at $50 million by the Swiss Army for the delivery of PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Stations (RWS).

The contract will include logistics for RWS integration on the GMTF protected personal transport vehicle and the ABC reconnaissance vehicle program, which is used in the detection of radioactive, biological or chemical substances. Deliveries of the weapon stations are scheduled to start in late 2009.

The PROTECTOR RWS will provide the Swiss Army with efficiency gains for the protection of military personnel. Currently supporting the U.S. Army’s Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS II) program, PROTECTOR RWS enhances troop protection and lethality by providing Soldiers with the ability to acquire and engage targets while inside the safety of a vehicle. Designed to mount on a variety of vehicle platforms and support numerous weapon systems, the PROTECTOR RWS is among the most versatile and cutting-edge products in the Army inventory.

“The Remote Weapon Station market is rapidly expanding worldwide,” said Knut Saeter, VP of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace in Alexandria, VA. “This order is a great example of how strong the Protector RWS is in the international market as saving Soldiers’ lives and increasing battlefield effectiveness is of the upmost importance.”

With headquarters in Norway and production facilities in Johnstown, PA, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is the leading supplier of remote weapons stations worldwide, providing 16 countries with the PROTECTOR family of RWSs. Kongsberg supplies high-technology systems to customers engaged in offshore oil and gas production, the merchant marine, and the defense and aerospace industries.

Kongsberg
21.12.2008