Thread by @harry_lye

The CTA International CT40 Cannon: proven system or cause of delays? Be it on AJAX, WCSP, or Jaguar conflicting opinions have emerged in recent weeks - full story linked below 👇

Gonna tread some old ground, and some new.
army-technology.com/features/ct40-…

First the cannon: CT40 is mandated by MOD in the U.K. and DGA in France. CTA or cased telescoped armament system is made by CTA International - a consortium of BAE Systems and Nexter, with its HQ in France.

In recent evidence, given to the Defence Select Committee, General Dynamics Land Systems – UK and Lockheed Martin UK both laid some blame for delays to their programmes at the door of the CT40 cannon.

However, in evidence to the same enquiry KNDS – a consortium of Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) – advertised the cannon as a solution for a turreted Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV).
(Image: @nicholadrummond)

Despite both using the CT40 Cannon, Nexter and Lockheed Martin both chose to take different approaches when it came to adoption of the system. Lockheed to develop its own ammunition handling system under a contract with Meggitt, whilst Nexter used the entire cannon system.

Between 2006 and 2008, the UK and France conducted two demonstrator programmes of the cannon, the crewed ‘Manned Turret Integration Programme’ (MTIP) and uncrewed turret (TOUTATIS). Nexter said it is because of these trials that the company chose to adopt the entire CTAS.

Lockheed Martin told Army Technology that it chose to develop its own ammunition handling system in order to fully separate ammunition storage from the crew compartment of the vehicle. Something the company said maximises crew safety and space inside the vehicle.

For CT40, MOOG is the supplier of the gun-laying system, and worked on the earlier CT40 qualifications in 2006 and 2008 for the MTIP and TOUTATIS demonstrators. On the integration front, Nexter is understood for Jaguar to have done this all in-house.

Recently @FTusa284 told MPs: “The problems we have had, in the UK, with the 40 millimetre cased telescoped ammo have not been replicated in France, where they have taken the system, all of it, as designed. It is now in full-scale production.”

Both General Dynamics Land Systems UK and Lockheed Martin UK, laid blame at the door of the cannon for delays, writing to MPs that qualifications and changes to the cannon meant their respective programmes had faced delays.

In evidence the two companies wrote:

The claims however were refuted by the MOD that told me that the CT40 design was fixed for cannon production in March 2015 and was ‘sufficiently characterised’ for integration in the same year.

The MOD mandated the cannon as AJAX and Warrior CSP’s main armament but did not mandate the weapons subsystems, hence Lockheed’s ability to develop its own.

Development of Warrior CSP was also delayed, as a result of the government supplying Lockheed Martin with Warrior hulls for the demonstration programme that were not up to standard.

The demonstration contract for AJAX was originally issued in 2010, with a production contract issued in 2014, the same year Nexter was contracted by France to build the Jaguar. At this stage, the British Army has yet to take delivery of a turreted AJAX variant.

Nexter for its part is offering the MOD a Boxer MIV module fitted with the turret used on its Jaguar vehicle. The system dubbed Boxer T40 would fill a requirement for direct fire capability for the British Army’s planned STRIKE Brigades.

Both UK vehicles have now largely ironed out development issues and are making good progress. LMUK expects a production contract to be signed for Warrior CSP next year, GDLS-UK has finished production of 60 AJAX vehicles. Im France, Jaguar is slated for deliveries late this year

A question mark has been placed over the Warrior CSP programme, with one source telling Army Technology that the vehicle is in the most doubt as the UK looks to reassess its forces in an upcoming integrated review of defence security and foreign policy.

A production contract for Warrior CSP, based on the upgrade of 275 vehicles, would be worth around £1bn to the UK economy. The figure comes from a KPMG report commissioned by Lockheed ahead of an expected production contract next year.

https://twitter.com/DefencePhoto/status/1261234677429534725

.@JonHawkes275 has also done a cracking thread on this is absolutely worth reading 👇

Some great insights in this from MOOG, and CTA International itself.

https://twitter.com/jonhawkes275/status/1316289932986638337