IDEX 2023: EOS displays mock-up of 14.5 mm chain gun

EOS Advanced Technologies displayed a mock-up of its 14.5 mm MG at IDEX 2023. The system is expected to progress to the prototype stage by the end of 2023. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems (EOS) displayed a mock-up of an electrically operated 14.5 mm machine gun (MG) at IDEX 2023, being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.

Speaking to Janes, Waad Abujarad and Fatmah Alkaabi, mechanical design engineers at EOS Advanced Technologies, said that a prototype of the system is scheduled to begin testing in 2023.

Designed for integration on aerial, land, or maritime platforms, the EOS 14.5 mm MG has a 1.35 m-long barrel and is chambered for the 14.5×114 mm cartridge. This means that it is compatible with the same ammunition as the KPV family of MGs that is operated by a number of militaries across the world.

According to Abujarad and Alkaabi, the EOS 14.5 mm MG offers the advantages of a higher rate of fire, of up to 300 rds/min, a lighter overall weight of 49 kg, and a greater effective range of up to 2 km. Furthermore, the weapon has an integrated recoil absorber, which ensures that the recoil force does not exceed 4 kN. However, unlike the gas-operated KPV, the EOS 14.5 mm MG requires 24 V DC electrical power to operate.

If it enters production, the entirety of the EOS 14.5 mm MG (including its ammunition) will be manufactured in the UAE, and its manufacturing process will make use of 3D-printed components. This will ensure that the system is not affected by the US Department of State International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), although the KPV family is similarly unconstrained by these restrictions.