Military sources said the army has ordered 150 Mini-Samson RCWSs for
armored personnel carriers and combat vehicles. The sources said the systems
would be mounted on everything from the M113 APC to the Humvee combat
vehicle.
The RCWS enables gunners to detect and target threats while remaining in
the armored vehicle, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said virtually every class of armored
platform would receive the Mini-Samson.
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Manufactured by the state-owned Rafael, Israel Armament Development
Authority, the Mini-Samson RCWS was designed to contain the 12.7 mm M2HB,
GAU-17 six-barrel 7.62 mm machine guns as well as the Mk-19 40 mm grenade
launcher. The system was also able to accommodate the Spike long-range
multi-purpose missile launcher.
Other platforms that would receive the Mini-Samson include the Achzarit
infantry fighting vehicle, Nagmachon IFV and Scorpion bridging vehicle. The
system has also undergone trials on the Stryker IFV and the Nimer APC.
The sources said the army has also ordered Mini-Samson for eight
unmanned ground vehicles. They said RCWS would also be installed at
fiber-optic controlled static weapon stations along Israel's borders.
The army has also ordered 12 Mini-Samsons for fast attack vehicles. The
sources said the vehicle has not yet been determined.
The U.S. military also plans to acquire RCWS. Rafael was said to have
received an order for 100 Mini-Samson systems from the U.S. Naval Special
Warfare Command. Executives said most of the systems have already been
delivered.
