To arm innovative tracked and wheeled armour platforms,
Burevestnik has protected 6S21-01 module at Level 2 STANAG 4569 (all-round protection against 7.62mm steel-core armour-piercing bullets at 30 m distance).
Kurganets-25-based and Bumerang-based armoured personnel carriers (APC)
have received new up-armoured 6S21 unmanned stations.
Russia`s JSC Arms Workshops (Oruzheinie Masterskie)
has started the low-rate initial production of its Arbalet-DM RCWS. The station was unveiled at the RAE-2015 defense show. I
t is armed with single 6P49 Kord machinegun with an ammunition load of 450 cartridges. Arbalet-DM has a combat weight of 250 kg,
an elevation angle between -20° and +70° and a traverse of 360°. The unmanned module has received
an advanced sensor suite that comprises TV-cameras and a thermal imager with a detection range of about 1,500 m. The integrated laser rangefinder has a maximum range of 3,000 m. Arbalet-DM is integrated with
VPK-233114 Tigr-M light multirole utility vehicle (MUV). The Tigr-M MUVs armed with Arbalet-DM stations took part in 2016 Victory Day parade in Moscow. At the same time, there are no known plans to install the unmanned combat station on Russian MBTs.
The defense industries of Eastern European countries have developed their own approach to the increasing of the tanks` anti-personnel capabilities. For instance, Slovenian Valhalla company offers the integration of an automatic gun-armed RCWS with ageing
T-72 tanks. The station can be equipped with 20 mm Rh-202, 30 mm 2A42 or 23 mm 2A14 automatic guns with an ammunition load of 400 to 500 rounds (depends on the type of the chosen gun). Slovakian defense industry has developed T-72M2 Moderna MBT armed with 125 mm 2A46M main gun and two KAA-200 gun pods with 20 mm chain guns.
Russia`s defense companies were developing the Object 195 MBT armed with single 2A42 gun as the secondary weapon. However, the related efforts turned out to be fruitless.
T-14 Armata was originally reported to have received two externally mounted 2A42/2A72 guns. Nevertheless, the demonstrated T-14 tank received an RCWS armed with machinegun.