Thales, KNDS expand protection system RAPIDFire for bases on land
On the stand during the Paris Air Show, a KNDS staffer explained that this round explodes before it hits anything, releasing dozens of tungsten sub-projectiles over a wide area,
A land variant of the KNDS/Thales RapidFIRE remote weapon system. (Thales)
PARIS AIR SHOW — Thales and KNDS France unveiled a new remotely operated land based defense system, RAPIDFire Land, at the Paris Air Show which they developed in coordination with the French Air and Space Force to protect airbases both in mainland France and on overseas deployments, especially to secure high-value assets.
The system uses the 40mm Cased Telescoped Canon developed by CTA International, the international subsidiary of KNDS Systems and BAE Systems, that was originally developed for the Jaguar armored vehicle more than a decade ago.
The companies say the 40mm canon is compatible with all telescoped ammunition types and can undertake dozens of intercepts without reloading as it can stock up to 140 ready-to-fire rounds including, eventually, the A3B (anti-aerial airburst) round, a key element in anti-air defense.
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The A3B round is currently under development and will enable the full anti-air capabilities of the RAPIDFire system by 2027, according to a joint Thales and KNDS statement released on June 16. A contract modification was awarded at the end of 2024 to fund the development, industrialization, qualification, and delivery of 500 initial batches of A3B ammunition with the RAPIDFire system.
On the stand during last week’s show, a KNDS staffer explained that this round explodes before it hits anything, releasing dozens of tungsten sub-projectiles over a wide area, taking out any mini- and micro-drones, helicopters, light aircraft, even fighter jets, subsonic missiles and RAM (rocket, artillery, mortar) threats. The further away from the target the round explodes, the wider the area the tungsten sub-projectiles will cover, the staffer said.
The four other types of ammunition the system is equipped with (and on display at the KNDS stand) were the CT Point Detonating – Tracer round (GPR-PD-T) with a 1kg projectile that can penetrate 210mm of reinforced concrete at a range of 1,000m; the CT Armour-Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot – Tracer round (APFSDS-T) which can fully perforate 140mm-thick rolled homogenous armor (RHA) at a range of 1,500m; the AirBurst – Tracer round (GPR-AB-T) has a 2.2lb (or 1kg) high-explosive projectile, and finally the TP-T which is for target practice.
RAPIDFire’s fire control system recalculates the target’s position after each shot based on target movement. It has a range of up to 4 km and needs only two operators as it requires human intervention only for weapon engagement and firing order.
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Thales and KNDS France are developing RAPIDFire Land in two configurations: semi-mobile and mobile. The former is a 20-foot platform deployed on the ground for site defense, transportable and rapidly deployable, while the latter is the same 20-foot module but mounted on a vehicle to protect high-value assets in theater.
The companies said the French procurement agency DGA has already signed a firm order for 14 units of the RAPIDFire system, with an option for a further 34, all of which are for the French Navy. KNDS and Thales said two have already been integrated aboard the Fleet Replenishment Ship (BRF) Jaques Chevallier, which has completed two deployments as part of the Carrier Strike Group marked by numerous live-fire campaigns.
Two more have just been added to the BRF Jaques Stosskopf, which will be deployed imminently, and a fifth system will soon be installed on the Trolley de Prévaux, the first of the Navy’s 10 new offshore patrol vessels to be delivered between the end of 2026 and 2033.
