Posted: December 4, 2015 12:05 PM
Army, Navy Link Up to Install New Weapon System on MK VI Patrol Boats
TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. — Cutting-edge weapon systems are being installed on the Navy’s latest-generation patrol boats and Tobyhanna Army Depot is providing the expertise. The joint effort between the depot and the U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare Command (NWSC) led to the Mk50 Gun Weapon System (GWS) installation aboard the Navy’s new MK VI patrol boat, according to a Dec. 4 release from Tobyhanna.
In what looks more like a video game than a weapon, the Mk 50 is a shipboard version of the combat proven M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) from Kongsberg Protech Systems of Norway. Versatile and modular, it includes a daylight video camera with digital video processing capabilities, a thermal imager for night operations, and a laser rangefinder all tied to a remote operator’s station below deck.
The MK VI is an 85-foot combatant craft optimized for performance, fuel economy and firepower providing increased self-defense to counter asymmetric threats, at sea or in harbor — all while the boat’s crew remains safe and protected from hostile fire. They are expected to start regular deployments early next year.
The collaborative effort, spearheaded by the NSWC, Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) and Picatinny Arsenal’s product manager for crew-served weapons, enlisted the depot team to integrate the Mk50 GWS on the patrol boats at the SAFE Boats International manufacturing facility in Tacoma, Wash.
Tobyhanna's extensive experience with sustaining the Mk 153 CROWS was a key factor for the ARDEC decision. Navy LT John Taylor, Mk 50 program manager, said, “Tobyhanna’s workforce and electronics expertise with the 153 made the choice easy.”
Since 2006, the depot has maintained or serviced more than 11,000 MK 153 CROWS systems.
“The integration was pretty straight forward,” said Vincent Zuranski of Tobyhanna’s Readiness Training Division. “Logistics for parts, determining the right tool set and mounting a switch in the close-quartered engine space were the only challenges. SAFE Boat personnel were invaluable in this process,”
The effort is the latest iteration of the depot’s joint command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance reach across all branches amid growing commitment from Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. The depot has positioned itself as the joint provider of choice, today and for the future, through upgrades in infrastructure, technology, capacity and training.
http://www.seapowermagazine.org/stories/20151204-mkvi.html
