The Defence Secretary has announced that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a £150 million contract to supply a new cannon capability for the UK Armed Forces.

The Cased Telescope (CT) cannon will be fitted to the Scout SV, the Army’s first fully digitised armoured fighting vehicle, and the in-service Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. The 40mm cannon will be able to use a variety of ammunition to defend the vehicles and destroy a range of battlefield targets.

The CT cannon takes up less space than a conventionally configured 40mm cannon without any loss of firepower and because the ammunition is more compact than conventional rounds, more can be accommodated in the turret.

The production contract was signed by the MoD and CTA International (CTAI), a joint venture between the UK’s BAES and French company Nexter. The contract will supply 515 CT Cannons for fitting to the Scout SV and Warrior platforms. It will also supply initial spares, special tools, test equipment and some early training equipment.

Speaking at the RUSI Land Warfare Conference, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "Today I can announce we have signed a £150 million contract to fit the Scout with a new Cased Telescope cannon providing it with unrivalled firepower and a new “airburst ammunition” capability. Scout is a vehicle not only fit for our fleet but fit for our future force."

The UK and France have worked together on the CT Cannon and Ammunition project under a Memorandum of Understanding and Technical Arrangement first signed on 10 Sep 2009, sharing equally the costs of the work to qualify the CT Cannon and ammunition.

MOD Chief of Materiel, (Land), Lieutenant General Sir Chris Deverell, said: "Signing the CT Cannon production contract is a major milestone for the UK’s Armed Forces. It provides unrivalled firepower, a significantly reduced logistic burden and a new airburst ammunition capability".

UK MOD
29.07.2015