Article Posted on : - Dec 31, 2009

Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS). A File Photo. Image Credit: Kongsberg Gruppen Corporation.

WASHINGTON (BNS): US Army has awarded Kongsberg Gruppen of Norway a military contract add-on worth up to $820 million to increase the maximum quantity of common remotely operated weapon stations (CROWS) from 6,500 to 10,349 systems.

According to a news release by Kongsberg Gruppen, this contract is the modification of an existing CROWS II frame contract signed in August 2007.

The company has also received a purchase order for systems valued at 163.67 million dollars as part of the extended frame agreement.

CROWS is a joint acquisition programme for weapon stations for the army's vehicle programmes.

The Protector Weapon Control System, in the CROWS II configuration, protects military troops by allowing the vehicle's weapons to be operated from a protected position inside the vehicle, as reported in the release.

Kongsberg Gruppen Corporation supplies high-technology systems and solutions to customers engaged in the oil and gas industry, the merchant marine, and the defence and aerospace industries.