Slovenia will field Kongsberg’s Protector RWS on its 8×8 AMVs
Kongsberg Defense from Norway will supply Slovenia with M151 Protector Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) to equip 135 AMV 8×8 armored vehicles to produced by the Finnish company Patria. Originally, Slovenia selected an early version of an Israeli remotely operated weapon station, developed by IMI and Elbit Systems. However, RCWS developments at both companies went in different directions. As a result, Patria’s intermediary in Slovenia Rotis, the prime contractor for the program, and the customer decided to source the systems at the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense.
Rotis will also cover the integration costs involved with the new system. The Slovenian ministry of defense referred to certain shortcomings, primarily related to operations at very low temperatures. Defense Update has learned that although the RWS itself will be provided by the Norwegian company, certain electro-optical and electronic systems associated with the system will still be supplied by the Israeli company. In the recent months Kongsberg demonstrated significant growth of its RWS business, winning the large multi-year CROWS-2 program in the USA and France, and supplying significant orders to the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Australia.
