The Ministry of Defence is preparing a new support contract for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station, with Defence Equipment and Support publishing an advance pipeline notice outlining a four-year requirement running from October 2026.
According to the notice, the opportunity covers Post Design Services technical support for the Protector system, which is widely used across British and allied armoured vehicle fleets. The contract is expected to run from 1 October 2026 until 30 September 2030, with an estimated value of £1.5 million excluding VAT.
In the published description, the authority states that the requirement is for “Post Design Services Technical Support for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS)”. The system is described as “an autonomous vehicle mounted weapon for remote operation” capable of mounting a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun, a 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun, or a 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, depending on vehicle and role.
The notice confirms that the Protector RWS is “designed and manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway (OEM)” and can be integrated onto “a variety of armoured vehicles”. No further details have yet been released on the scope of support activity beyond post-design technical services.
The publication of the notice under the Procurement Act 2023 provides early visibility to industry ahead of a formal competition or award process, which is expected to begin closer to 2026.
Seems to me that all of these need to become counter drone weapons stations now. Not sure how easy or practical that is, but it would give the majority of armoured vehicles a drone defence system if it could be done. I imagine though the issue isn’t really going to be the weapon station, it will be the detection and targeting systems to go with it
As part of the DE&S Land GBAD program, Project 6 of the program delivered the SMASH weapon sight, that can be fitted to an individual weapon, but also GPMG. Project 6 which is delivering a counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) capability for the dismounted and mounted soldier and will deliver further capabilities in the future. What has been heard on the rumour mill, is that remote weapon systems (RWS) are being looked at as means to kinetically defend vehicles from small to medium UAVs. It may be a development of the SMASH system that uses moving target recognition derived from pixel movement within a camera, but also linked with a passive infrared sensor. It will also need some form of computer to work out the interception point from the tracking data, then aim and fire the weapon. If GMG 40mm shells could be fitted with an electronically programable timer that is fused for airburst. It would be a lot more suitable for use against UAVs. As the fragmentary effect is better than using 10/100s of solid rounds.
The problem with that is you can’t use it eith dismounts present.
Good suggestion. Even put something on top of the new CR3s turrets which don’t seem to have any kinetic C-UAS besides the GPMG pintel mount.
Popping a 40mm GMG on top of a boxer will turn it into quite an effective direct fire support vehicle.. it’s not quite a replacement for the cannot of an IFV..but it will mean the section boxer of the heavy mech can provide pretty effective direct fire.
better than GPMG, unless you come up against some thing heavy then its either get distroyed, pray and hide or run away. Any idea when these Boxer APC’s will be ready? We will have under gunner wheeled APC’s the rest will have tracked IFV’s. We must know some thing they don’t? or we are skint and are hiding the fact behind smoke and mirrors.
There’s about 50 in use, based upon the most recent reports on Jane’s etc
50 more than i had thought then. Its no better than a 60 year old 432, its an expensive APC on wheels,I do feel an tracked IFV will be ordered but no idea when or which one.
Luke Pollard – parliamentary reply 19Nov this year. “As at 1 June 2025, there are 359 Warrior vehicles in service. The Out of Service date for Warrior is 2027, with all vehicles withdrawn from service by the end of the decade.”
ok what replaced the 350 that have been withdrawn? over 700 where in service i do not think there are 350 Boxer variants out there?
No idea, just quoting the minister. I assume there is some strategy that says we only need 359 usable Warriors until 2027. I would guess that Boxer numbers could well reach 350 ish by late 2027. They wouldn’t be direct replacements for a tracked IFV, though they can mount Javelin on the RS4; I believe the Army have done test firings. Barring some surprise announcement in the DIP it looks like Ajax will be the only tracked armoured vehicle of any sort we will have which mounts a cannon.
It does sadly look that way which will come back and bite the Army one day. As for what replaced the about 350 retired Warriors i do not know. Knowing our MOD as possivble they were not replaced yet, any thing to save a few £.
I expect to see the C3 numbers cut just going of off hand comments and remarks, we will be fine as long as no starts a war till at least 2033.
Not sure I agree about cut to CR3. I suspect they are just making sure of the number and condition of CR2 hulls. Could equally mean they would like to convert more than the original plan for 148, but I agree they are probably just double checking feasibility and cost. There may also be an industrial long game at play with Rheinmetal and manufacturing of next generation tank.
Some thing is afoot but no idea which way it may go, hope its not a cut but they do like the word CUT in the MOD, its any thing to save money that then makes MOD have to spend more later, state normal.
Be interesting to see the DIP not sure it will be as good as most hope, the excuses are already poping up and being worked out.
Not sure if it’s just our designation for it, but seeing as Kongsberg do both this could be their RWS-4. I read that they can also mount the 30 mm chain gun that the Apache uses. That’d bring it a lot closer to an IFV, even if it’s not a full-fat 30 mm autocannon.
GMG is nothing like a cannon in terms of effect though. Essentially it lobs small grenades over distance and they explode on contact (or even bounce then explode). On HERRICK we actually had a lot of problems with them exploding on tree branches and the like (ie things that should be cover from view, but not cover from fire.) So, you might notice in pictures of WMIK and Jackal mounted Fire Support Groups, there is a 50:50 split between HMG (.50) and GMG – the HMG allowed penetration of soft cover, GMG allowed you to fire over cover.
Also, GMG belts don’t do well when mounted for a long time – you tend to get loads of stoppages. So we used to load 5 rounds and then put a full belt on after the initial return of fire. Unless they’ve sorted that issue, I suspect there would be loads of problems on a remote weapon station with GMG.
That’s a long winded way of saying – sorry, not really. To get true fire support in an armoured battle, you really need 30mm + cannon.
Are they not manufactured in Scotland by Thales under license?
So we’re going to get a gun in four years time. Wow, that’s amazing>