The CROWS is a enclosed turret capable of mounting a variety of medium and heavy weapons. Photo by Spc. Isaiah Matthews/124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway has won a $498.3 million production, sustainment and engineering contract for the M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 2022.


The CROWS is a enclosed turret capable of mounting a variety of medium and heavy weapons, such as M240B machine guns, M2 Browning heavy machine guns, Mk-19 automatic grenades launchers, and TOW anti-tank guided missiles.

It features thermal imaging and other optics and is capable of automatically scanning at long ranges. It is mounted on several vehicles such as the U.S. series of MRAPs and the upgraded version of the M1A2 Abrams tank.

It provides a protected position compared to conventional open-air turrets at the cost of close-range situational awareness.