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From this week's army times.
April 04, 2005
System offers gunners protection & precision
CROWS helps troops avoid ambushes, hit targets on the move
By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer
By this summer, 35 turret gunners in Iraq will be able to shoot with near-perfect accuracy from inside the safety of their up-armored Humvees.
That's when the Army will field 35 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Stations â †designed to take soldiers out of the vulnerable turret position and seat them in front of a computer screen with a joystick control.
They are the first wave of about 250 CROWS systems destined for Iraq that were approved last August by Lt. Gen. James Lovelace.
CROWS was originally developed for military police, but the Army wants the system to take other gunners out of the kill zone.
Up-armored Humvees protect the soldiers inside, but gunners are still exposed to sniper fire and debris from improvised explosive devices because they stick out of the top of the vehicles.
Soldiers have gotten better at finding IEDs before they detonate in Iraq â †Army officials say detonations have decreased 40 percent â †but there is only so much that can be done against sniper fire.
â Å“The greatest number of wounded is from small arms,â ? said Maj. Frank Lozano, fielding officer for CROWS in Iraq. â Å“You get a soldier in the turret of a Humvee, it just takes one bullet to kill him.â ?
CROWS is about more than just protection, though. It's a stabilized platform designed to enable soldiers to hit targets with precision, on the move, at ranges out to approximately 1,800 meters.
â Å“It gives a stabilized, shoot-on-the-move, day-night capability that you don't have in anything now except heavy armored vehicles,â ? said Maj. Glenn Dean of the Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga.
CROWS also allows soldiers to scan an area from great distances and search for potential ambushers, said Lt. Col. Kevin Stoddard, who oversees CROWS as the head of Product Manager Crew Served Weapons.
â Å“The best way to survive an ambush is to avoid an ambush,â ? Stoddard said.
Units can set up CROWS with the M249 squad automatic weapon, M240B machine gun, M2 .50-caliber machine gun or the MK19 automatic grenade launcher. CROWS also can be used on vehicles such as the M93 Fox Nuclear, Biological-Chemical Reconnaissance System.
The ammo can also is larger than normal, holding 500 rounds of .50-caliber ammo, 96 rounds of 40mm or 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm for the 249 and 240. That way, soldiers won't expose themselves as often to reload.
If the system fails, soldiers can go up into the turret and fire the weapon manually.
A technological leap
Since setting up the fielding site at Logistical Support Area Anaconda near Balad, Iraq â †known as the CROWS nest â †in late January, Lozano and his team have started equipping units. That means putting the vehicle commander, driver and gunner through a week-long training course.
â Å“They pick it up pretty fast,â ? Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Cottrell said in an interview from Iraq. Cottrell is a combat developer who represents the MP School, proponent for the system.
â Å“Most of the soldiers are young; they have been in the Nintendo generation, so they don't have a problem with this.â ?
Soldiers are amazed at how fast the system's computer can lock onto a target and make the first burst a direct hit, Lozano said.
â Å“It's huge. This is such a technological leap from what we had ... a soldier in the turret, eyeballing it and shooting and adjusting off where his rounds land.â ?
CROWS has been in the works since the MP School first asked for the system in 1999, but it didn't pick up speed until four went to Iraq in December 2003 for a trial run.
â Å“It's been a long process to get here, but I'm just glad it's here,â ? said Cottrell, who has been involved with the program since 2002.
Ten CROWS are in use around Baghdad with MP and infantry units and five more are ready to go, Lozano said.
â Å“Our goal is to have all systems operational in theater by summer of 2006,â ? he said. â Å“I fully expect to see a drop in insurgent activity because these things are rolling around hunting at night.â ?
April 04, 2005
System offers gunners protection & precision
CROWS helps troops avoid ambushes, hit targets on the move
By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer
By this summer, 35 turret gunners in Iraq will be able to shoot with near-perfect accuracy from inside the safety of their up-armored Humvees.
That's when the Army will field 35 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Stations â †designed to take soldiers out of the vulnerable turret position and seat them in front of a computer screen with a joystick control.
They are the first wave of about 250 CROWS systems destined for Iraq that were approved last August by Lt. Gen. James Lovelace.
CROWS was originally developed for military police, but the Army wants the system to take other gunners out of the kill zone.
Up-armored Humvees protect the soldiers inside, but gunners are still exposed to sniper fire and debris from improvised explosive devices because they stick out of the top of the vehicles.
Soldiers have gotten better at finding IEDs before they detonate in Iraq â †Army officials say detonations have decreased 40 percent â †but there is only so much that can be done against sniper fire.
â Å“The greatest number of wounded is from small arms,â ? said Maj. Frank Lozano, fielding officer for CROWS in Iraq. â Å“You get a soldier in the turret of a Humvee, it just takes one bullet to kill him.â ?
CROWS is about more than just protection, though. It's a stabilized platform designed to enable soldiers to hit targets with precision, on the move, at ranges out to approximately 1,800 meters.
â Å“It gives a stabilized, shoot-on-the-move, day-night capability that you don't have in anything now except heavy armored vehicles,â ? said Maj. Glenn Dean of the Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga.
CROWS also allows soldiers to scan an area from great distances and search for potential ambushers, said Lt. Col. Kevin Stoddard, who oversees CROWS as the head of Product Manager Crew Served Weapons.
â Å“The best way to survive an ambush is to avoid an ambush,â ? Stoddard said.
Units can set up CROWS with the M249 squad automatic weapon, M240B machine gun, M2 .50-caliber machine gun or the MK19 automatic grenade launcher. CROWS also can be used on vehicles such as the M93 Fox Nuclear, Biological-Chemical Reconnaissance System.
The ammo can also is larger than normal, holding 500 rounds of .50-caliber ammo, 96 rounds of 40mm or 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm for the 249 and 240. That way, soldiers won't expose themselves as often to reload.
If the system fails, soldiers can go up into the turret and fire the weapon manually.
A technological leap
Since setting up the fielding site at Logistical Support Area Anaconda near Balad, Iraq â †known as the CROWS nest â †in late January, Lozano and his team have started equipping units. That means putting the vehicle commander, driver and gunner through a week-long training course.
â Å“They pick it up pretty fast,â ? Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Cottrell said in an interview from Iraq. Cottrell is a combat developer who represents the MP School, proponent for the system.
â Å“Most of the soldiers are young; they have been in the Nintendo generation, so they don't have a problem with this.â ?
Soldiers are amazed at how fast the system's computer can lock onto a target and make the first burst a direct hit, Lozano said.
â Å“It's huge. This is such a technological leap from what we had ... a soldier in the turret, eyeballing it and shooting and adjusting off where his rounds land.â ?
CROWS has been in the works since the MP School first asked for the system in 1999, but it didn't pick up speed until four went to Iraq in December 2003 for a trial run.
â Å“It's been a long process to get here, but I'm just glad it's here,â ? said Cottrell, who has been involved with the program since 2002.
Ten CROWS are in use around Baghdad with MP and infantry units and five more are ready to go, Lozano said.
â Å“Our goal is to have all systems operational in theater by summer of 2006,â ? he said. â Å“I fully expect to see a drop in insurgent activity because these things are rolling around hunting at night.â ?
