Company insight
Precision and power: Redefining medium- calibre warfare
In an era of evolving battlefield challenges, CTA International (CTAI) has positioned itself as a pioneering force in medium-calibre armament. Formed as a joint venture between KNDS France and BAE Systems, the company developed the 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (40CTAS), a revolutionary weapon system. Heather Beeby, appointed managing director in October 2023 after 23 years at BAE Systems, shares insights into the company’s vision, the unique capabilities of the 40CTAS and its impact on the modern battlefield.
Can you tell us more about the vision behind the creation of CTA International (CTAI)? Heather Beeby: CTAI was founded with the ambition to develop an innovative, compact and highly lethal medium-calibre weapon solution for modern battlefields. One of CTAI’s guiding principles has been adaptability to evolving threats, recognising that traditional weapon systems may not be suited for the increasingly complex and multi-domain combat environments of the future. Today, this vision continues to drive CTAI’s development, ensuring that the next- generation platforms using the 40CTAS remain at the forefront of battlefield superiority, capable of addressing both traditional armoured threats and new challenges, such as drones and asymmetric warfare scenarios.
Could you introduce the 40CTAS? The 40CTAS is an ITAR-free cutting-edge medium-calibre weapon system that uses 40mm cased ammunition. CTAI is the design authority of this system and ammunition. At its core is the 40CT cannon, designed to maximise firepower through innovative and compact ammunition architecture.
The ammunition-handling system (AHS), a linkless carousel magazine, enables fully automated rapid ammunition selection, ensuring adaptability in fast-changing combat scenarios. The gun control equipment (GCE) guarantees precision aiming and stabilisation, while the gun mount allows for seamless platform adaptation. Finally, the CTAS-controller (CTAS-C) manages operations, maintaining high reliability and safety standards.
How does the 40CTAS perform across both modern and future battlefields? The 40CTAS is designed for multi- domain operations and provides enhanced and precise firepower. With its advanced fire control system, the 40CTAS ensures rapid, first-round engagement, reducing reaction time and enabling operators to swiftly neutralise threats, whether ground-based or aerial. The AHS allows instant adaptation to mission requirements. Operators can switch between high-explosive, armour-piercing and time-programmable airburst rounds, maximising efficiency against a wide range of targets, including enemy infantry, vehicles and UAVs in a versatile environment. Moreover, the GCE allows highly accurate firepower even in move-to- move situations and in very-long- range engagements.
The 40CTAS is the solution that transforms capability into battlefield advantage. 8
How does the 40CTAS system’s technology address evolving battlefield threats, including aerial threats like drones? The 40CTAS offers a crucial advantage through super elevation firing, achieving an 85° arc of aiming that optimises engagement against elevated targets up to 4km. Unlike conventional systems constrained by turret limitations, the CT ammunition technology ensures a reduced footprint of the system, making it effective in urban as well as long- range engagements.
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
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