Singapore's next-generation AFV seen with missile-capable remote weapons station

A possible missile-armed variant of the Singapore Army’s 29-tonne tracked Next-Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV), a troop carrying variant of the service’s Next Generation Armoured Vehicle (NGAV) family of tracked vehicles, has been revealed in an official Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) image that appeared briefly on its website on 1 March.

The image depicts a NGAFV equipped with what appears to be the new Samson 30 heavy remote weapon station (RWS) developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in place of the ST Engineering Land Systems Adder M30 RWS that is typically seen fitted to the vehicle.

The Samson 30 is understood to be a derivative of the Samson Mk II dual-axis gyro-stabilised, dual-sight RWS that incorporates several refinements to the original design, including a low-profile silhouette and recessed 76 mm smoke grenade launchers arranged in a 4×2 configuration on either side of the gun mantlet.

The Samson 30 RWS seen in the image is armed with the Orbital ATK 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II automatic cannon – which can engage medium-weight armoured vehicles at a range of 2,000 m and unarmoured targets to ranges of 4,000 m and also fitted to the army’s tracked Bionix II infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) – as well as a co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun. According to Rafael, the RWS can carry up to 230 rounds of ammunition for the automatic cannon and 500 rounds for the co-axial machine gun.