General Robotics launches naval RCWS

General Robotics launches Shark, a lightweight RCWS suited for small vessels. (General Robotics )

Israel-based General Robotics has launched a naval version of its Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS).

Known as Shark, the RCWS is designed for small manned and unmanned naval vessels, the company said on 18 October.

Specifically designed for naval forces, coastguards, naval special warfare (NSW), and raiding crafts, it can integrate all machine guns up to .50 calibre, the company added.

Shark is based on the company's Pitbull RCWS, designed for armoured vehicles and unmanned platforms, and can be controlled from within the vehicle or from a remote location. Pitbull utilises artificial intelligence (AI), enabling it to autonomously detect, track, and estimate the predicted positions of threats using its Target Prediction Algorithm (TPA). The system can also determine the optimum time to engage a target, increasing efficiency and accuracy, the company said.

Weighing 85 kg (without weapons or ammunition), Shark is lighter and smaller than other naval weapon stations. As a result, the system consumes less power than other systems, averaging just 50 Watt-hours, a General Robotics spokesperson told Janes.

With the addition of an M240 machine gun and its associated ammunition, the system weighs approximately 110 kg. When configured with an M2 .50 calibre machine gun with 200 rounds of ammunition, the system weighs 150 kg, the spokesperson added.

Shark can be controlled remotely, is capable of hitting targets up to a sea state of 3 (wave height 0.5 to 1.25 m), and can be configured as a standalone system or integrated with other sensors onboard, the company added.

The spokesperson added that the system ‘‘is being used by commando units in both manned and unmanned boat configurations''.