Defence company BAE Sys-tems Land Systems South Africa, part of the global BAE Systems group, recently launched a significantly upgraded manned turret for light armoured and mine-protected vehicles.

Designated the overhead manned turret (OMT), it was developed from the company’s previous and manually operated OMT, which was unveiled about two years ago. Both these turrets were developed by the company’s Dynamics division.
The OMT complements the company’s remotely operated turrets, the Self Defence Remotely Operated Weapon (SD-ROW) and the Tactical Remote Turret (TRT).

“There are different opportunities out there for manned and unmanned turrets,” explains BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa business development and communications director Natasha Pheiffer. “There are technical advantages to both types. Some customers prefer manned turrets. They provide different tactical options to unmanned turrets.” Roles for which the new turret is suited include border patrol, internal security and VIP protection. It could also be fitted to special forces vehicles and 6 × 6 armoured personnel carriers.

“We’ve fitted a traverse electric drive to the OMT, in addition to the manual drive, to make it easier for the gunner to operate,” she explains. “That’s quite a big enhancement.” It also results in a rapid reaction time. “Control is by means of a dead-man switch and movement controller. The sighting system has also been upgraded and now incorporates a high-performance day and infrared video sight. This means that it can permit target identification during day and night operations at ranges of more than a kilometre. “The company saw the opportunity and enhanced the product to make it easier and safer to use.”
The turret can provide all-round vision, ensuring good situational awareness. It is also fitted with an integrated brake system that allows it to operate when the vehicle is parked on a 15˚ slope. The OMT can accommodate one person and can be fitted with 7.62 mm light or 12.7 mm heavy machine guns or 40 mm automatic grenade launchers. Four smoke grenade launchers are a standard fit. In comparison, the SD-ROW can accommodate 5.56 mm or 7.62 mm light machine guns and the TRT can be armed with 20 mm, 25 mm or 30 mm cannons. The OMT provides up to B7 ballistic protection, which provides protection against armour-piercing 7.62 × 51 mm hard steel core ammunition. When fitted to the B7 standard, the turret has a total weight of 550 kg, excluding ammunition. The turret has a low profile, with a maximum height of 590 mm above the vehicle deck.

It is designed in a modular manner, allowing it to be configured in terms of weapons, weapon interfaces, sighting systems, position control systems and protection levels, to meet customer desires. It is also designed to be fitted to different types and makes of vehicles.
“It is not exclusive to BAE Sys-tems vehicles,” stresses Pheiffer. “It was actually launched on a Nimr 4 × 4 light armoured vehicle.” The Nimr (which also comes in a 6 × 6 version) is produced by Nimr Automotive, of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company is 60%-owned by UAE state company Tawazun Holdings, 5% by the Bin Jabr group and 35% by Centurion Investments. The Nimr is in production in the UAE.

“We launched the OMT at [the International Defence Exhibition, in Abu Dhabi, in late February] and quite a few companies showed interest – for turrets, we mainly work through original-equipment manufacturers. But we also talked to some end-users,” she reports.