By Kevin Doell
Army News Service

WASHINGTON — The Army is marking the manufacture of the 10,000th M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station, known as CROWS.


The CROWS system allows a weapon such as the M2 .50-caliber machine gun to be mounted atop a vehicle, such as the Humvee, and be targeted and fired remotely from inside the vehicle. This allows a Soldier operator to stay safely inside the vehicle.


Army officials from Program Executive Office Soldier, along with Pennsylvania Congressman Mark Critz and Norwegian Defense Attaché Rear Admiral Trond Grytting attended a March 26 event at Kongsberg Protech Systems in Johnstown, Pa.


“The growth of this program can be primarily attributed to one thing — Soldier demand,” said Mary Miller, deputy PEO Soldier. “CROWS continues to prove itself as a significant force multiplier on the battlefield with tremendous opportunities for further development.”


The Army has fielded thousands of CROWS II systems in support of Soldiers since 2007 across the theater of operations on more than a dozen vehicle platforms. The program reached a major milestone in February when the Army classified the CROWS program with ACAT I status, recognizing the CROWS among the elite levels of the DOD‘s major defense acquisition programs.


CROWS is a turret system that provides Soldiers the ability to employ cameras, sensors, and weapons from inside the armored vehicle.

The Army closed its third contract competition March 23 and anticipates awarding a contract in the fall of 2012. The new contract will enable the Army to procure additional CROWS systems, maintain current and new systems and secure engineering services needed for product improvements and field service support. 


The Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, which acts as the proponent for the CROWS program, is currently developing a new requirement that will determine what the future CROWS will provide in terms of capability and characteristics.

(Editor’s Note: Doell is the program manager for Soldier Weapon.)