Paris Air Show 2025: France orders land-based version of 40 mm RAPIDFire system
Thales unveiled the land-based version of its 40 mm RAPIDFire system at the Paris Air Show 2025. (Janes/Tom Barton)
The Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the French defence procurement agency, has ordered 48 land-based versions of the 40 mm RapidFire system, Thales announced in a press release on 16 June. The system was unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025 being held at Le Bourget on 16-22 June.
Under development by Thales and KNDS France and qualified in early 2025, the remotely operated system is armed with the 40CTA (40 mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition) cannon and can combat air and surface threats. It was planned following discussions with France's Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AAE, Air and Space Force) on the service's need to protect high-value assets at its air bases in France and deployed abroad.
Two configurations
Thales and KNDS France are developing two configurations of the land-based version of RapidFire: a semi-mobile 20 ft platform for site protection that can be deployed to other locations, and another 20 ft mobile platform mounted on a vehicle to protect high-value assets in theatre. A KNDS representative told Janes on 17 June, “The turret is more compact than for example the Skyranger 35 mm turret. We originally put this on the CAESAR [self-propelled howitzer], which is a 6x6. The CAESAR gun module weighs seven tonnes, [while RapidFire weighs] just three, so it can go on a VBCI [véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie] 8x8, or Patria's AMV [Armoured Modular Vehicle] 8x8.”
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