Indo Defence 2022: Indonesian firm bags contract to supply RCWS on Anoa armoured vehicles

A model of the Respati RCWS that has been installed on several Indonesian Army Anoa armoured personnel carriers. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Indonesian firm PT Respati Solusi Rekatama (Respati) has secured a contract to supply the Indonesian Army with its locally developed remote controlled weapon station (RCWS).

The system, which is said to have been designed and built fully in-country, would be installed on the Indonesian Army's Anoa armoured personnel carriers. The contract was signed in late 2021, and it covers the delivery of 11 RCWS units.

Speaking to Janes at the Indo Defence 2022 exhibition in Jakarta, a representative from the company said its weapon system, which has been dubbed as the Respati RCWS, promises ease of maintenance and low running costs when compared with similar offerings from other companies.

“In addition to that, issues pertaining to equipment malfunction and spare parts can be solved significantly faster, given that most of our suppliers are local,” said the representative, adding that the Respati RCWS was selected by the army after a six-month evaluation period.

During the evaluation, which was conducted on two selected Anoas, the Respati RCWS underwent several tests and firing modes. The RCWS can be mounted with either a 12.7 mm or a 7.62 mm machine gun, and its sensor suite consists of an optical camera with 30× zoom, a thermal camera, and a laser-based rangefinder.

In situations that require closed-hatch operations, the system is controlled via a two-joystick operator console. The weapon can also be operated manually, should the vehicle experience an electrical failure.

Respati is optimistic that the Indonesian Army will acquire further units of its RCWS in the near future, given feedback from operators.