Celebrating the opening ceremony in both Australia and the US, EOS Defense Systems USA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EOS Australia held a special gala event to celebrate the unveiling of the very first complete R400 remote weapon station (RWS) produced at its Huntsville, Alabama high-tech facility.
“I’m here with this company because of what they do and what they make. This is a game changer for our warfighters; our people need this,” Phil Coker President for EOS Defense Systems, USA said.
“The R400 is a technological wonder. It compensates for barometric pressure, wind, temperature. It senses the orientation of the platform it’s been installed on and knows the cant of that machine. It anticipates how the platform reacts to the forces of firing and recoil. It knows the characteristics of the ammunition and the weapons that are mounted on it down to the millisecond of performance and compensates for all of those factors.
“It senses the direction and rate of movement of the target and its range and it then develops an absolutely optimal firing solution, resulting in an astounding level of precision. It makes weapons and ammunition shoot better than what they are designed for. It’s an amazing thing and it does all this whether the platform is stationary or moving.
“When firing a 30mm round, we commonly see a first round hit beyond two kilometres,” Coker explained. “This is a level of accuracy that no one in our industry even comes close to.”
The event was broadcast live this morning Australian time and attended by a mix of in person and virtual Australian and US distinguished guests. The gala kicked off with a message of unity from Washington-based, Australian Ambassador, Arthur Sinodinus.
Well wishes continued from US dignitaries including Governor Kay Ivey, Governor of the State of Alabama; Secretary Greg Canfield, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Alabama; Mayor Tommy Battle, Dale Strong, Chairman Madison County Commission and LTG (ret) Kevin Byrnes, Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce. Each offering their staunch support since the facility’s inauguration in 2018.
“Huntsville continues to demonstrate that Alabama is at the forefront of the US’ aerospace and defense contracting industries,” Governor Ivey said. “The unveiling of EOS Defense Systems’ R400 Remote Weapons System is symbolic of the commitment they made in calling Alabama their home just two years ago, and I am eager to see what the future holds for this world-class contracting firm in our great state.”
“World-class standards and already proven process have been replicated through many hours of collaboration between US and Australian teams, even throughout the most difficult COVID-19 times which has been commendable,” Joining the celebrations from Australia, founder and Group CEO for Electro Optic Systems Pty Limited, Dr Ben Greene said. “Huntsville is more than just defence facility producing remote weapon stations. It is a hub to support space and communications activities, for the manufacturing of satcom-on-the move and for the development of space systems technology for the US Department and Government Agencies.”
EOS secured the 80,000 square feet facility in Huntsville in 2018 for the US expansion of its space, missile defence, and weapon system businesses. Starting initially with just six employees, the company has grown to 60 staff and the facility has scale to grow to at least 250 employees. The plant capacity will initially be 50 units/month with substantial scope for expansion once the supply chain is fully established.
With speeches concluded the facility’s very first RWS ‘number one’ was unveiled; a R400S-Mk2-D-HD mounted on the Polaris Dagor.
The first RWS to roll off the production line will be delivered under purchase order and awarded through the Tailored Logistics Support Program – Special Operational Equipment (TLSP-SOE) to the US Army to support the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Armaments Center (CCDC-AC) Joint Center of Excellence for Lethality at Picatinny Arsenal. The purchase order was received on April 30, 2020 from Darley Defense (W.S. Darley & Co., Itasca, IL) and is in support of CCDC-AC.