BAE Systems Australia has test fired the Vantage automated turret system (ATS) designed for its 8×8 Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV) vehicle.
The testing process was executed in phases, with the ATS showcasing high firing precision, achieving “tight groupings” and effectively hitting targets at distances up to 750m.
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The live fire exercises received support from the Slovenian Military.
BAE said the integration of Vantage ATS onto a Slovenian Army Patria AMV during test firing highlighted its operational readiness and platform-agnostic capabilities, confirming its compatibility with both crewed and uncrewed vehicles.
Throughout the factory acceptance testing period, the performance of various sub-systems within Vantage was thoroughly validated.
BAE Systems Australia integrated defence and autonomy systems director Kisa Christensen noted that the Slovenia-based tests exceeded expectations and paved the way for additional trials post-integration with ATLAS.
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By GlobalDataChristensen said: “We’ve come away from this test firing knowing that the Vantage ATS fires accurately and performs exceedingly well, demonstrating excellent performance, offering our customers the ability to integrate Vantage with a range of crewed and uncrewed platforms, and offering a lower acquisition cost through the adaptive reuse of legacy cannons already in service.”
“Also, we’ve seen the performance of Vantage successfully verified during the conduct of the factory acceptance testing period,” she added.
BAE Systems Australia developed the Vantage ATS in collaboration with Valhalla Turrets of Slovenia. The system features a low-profile medium-calibre turret that operates via a wireless link and is equipped with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun.
This design allows for the reuse of existing cannons from ALSAV and Bradley IFV fleets, offering cost savings on acquisition while leveraging current ammunition and spare parts supply chains to minimise training requirements, BAE explained.
The ATS incorporates BAE Systems Australia’s passive multi-spectral automatic target detection, tracking and classification system, enhancing automation to reduce operator workload, facilitate control over multiple units, lower detection risks, and shorten engagement times.
The turret, optimised for use on autonomous vehicles like the ATLAS CCV, aligns with advanced platform autonomy levels.
Following its stint in Slovenia, the turret will be shipped back to Australia for reintegration with ATLAS CCV. This will allow further dynamic vehicle testing and sub-system integration aimed at boosting automated functionality.
ATLAS CCV is being positioned in military markets as a solution capable of executing hazardous tasks traditionally assigned to crewed armoured vehicles—ranging from direct fire support to combat reconnaissance and short-range air defence duties.
