Delco’s LAV-25 TOW turret is integrated on a wide range of platforms including Warrior
	GDR looks at how the Delco Defense Systems Operations’ turret is helping to ensure that LAVs remain the dominant armoured vehicle on the battlefield today		Turret makers for the world
			Armoured vehicles on every continent of the world are fitted with turrets designed, produced and supported by Delco Defense Systems Operations. The company’s most renowned product is the turret used in US Marine Corps’ version of the light armoured vehicle (LAV) that saw action in the 1991 Gulf War, Somalia and the Balkans. The company has continued to develop a wide range of turret products to meet the needs of the US military and allied armed forces around the world. Delco’s business headquarters and design centre is in California, US, with production facilities at Diesel Division of General Motors (DDGM) in Otario, Canada. The global reach of the company was enhanced when DDGM, acquired MOWAG, the Swiss armoured vehicle manufacturer, in 1999. Product range The LAV-25 lightweight turret is a complete two-man turret system for tracked and wheeled light and medium armoured vehicles. The combat-proven Delco LAV turret system is in production now and in use by the US and its allies around the world. The LAV-25 turret system is easy to operate and highly reliable. The system integrates turret drive and controls, sights and weapons for fire-on-the-move capability. Both commander and gunner have ready access to all turret functions. The basic weapon of the LAV-25 turret is a rapid-firing chain-fed 25mm cannon. The secondary weapon is a 7.62mm machine gun, aimed coaxially with the cannon. Weapon options include external pintle-mounted machine gun and smoke grenade launchers. Available sights include high-quality optical, image-intensified and thermal sights. Sights and guns are linked and gyro-stabilised for fire on the move with high accuracy. Periscopes provide additional situational awareness. An integrated command-and-control system provides digital communications and combat situational awareness to meet battlefield needs. The LAV-25 TOW turret gives missile power to today’s light armoured vehicles making them a match for any vehicle threat on the battlefield. It is currently in production and is based on the combat proven LAV-25 turret. The turret fully integrates the TOW capability, including TOW thermal sight and controls, and is integrated with Piranha, Warrior, M113, Al-Fahd and other chassis for middle east customers. These programmes include full support in the cutomers’ languages. The LAV-30 evolved from the combat proven LAV-25 turret by the installation of a hard-hitting Bushmaster II 30mm cannon. The new turret benefits greatly from sub-system commonality with the LAV-25. The main weapon is a rapid-firing, chain-fed 30mm cannon, and secondary armament a 7.62mm machine gun, aimed coaxially with the cannon. Developed in co-operation with E. Falck Schmidt, the elevated TOW system (ETS) gives TOW missile capability to today’s light armoured vehicles while increasing their survivability on the battlefield. The ETS is a TOW weapon system with a four-tube launcher, and an elevated mast extending up to 6.5 metres above the ground. The TOW missiles can be launched from any position. The system provides maximum crew protection when operated by stealth using terrain and other structures to provide masking and protection. Current generation sighting technology enables the use of the full range of the TOW missile. The ETS can locate and track targets while it is on the move. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the TOW missiles can be launched immediately. The ETS system can be installed in a wide range of wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles. The 120mm armoured mortar system (AMS) integrates a 120mm breech-loading recoiling mortar made by Royal Ordnance and a Delco full solution fire control system. They are packaged in a light armoured turret so the system can be operated entirely under armour. The Royal Ordnance 120mm breech-loading mortar fires all smooth-bore ammunition in production or development. Its semi-automatic breech reduces loader fatigue and its unique recoil mechanism reduces peak loads. This makes the weapon compatible with most light and medium armoured vehicles, both wheeled and tracked. Delco’s full solution fire-control system uses GPS for vehicle location and heading, tilt and cant sensors and a computer to calculate ballistic trajectory. The fire-control system provides high and low angle indirect fire solutions and lays the gun automatically. Solutions can include multiple vehicle positions and targets. The combination of Royal Ordnance’s mortar with Delco’s fire-control system integrated into a light armoured vehicle provides unmatched combat flexibility. Vehicle mobility and the AMS’s automatic operation results in fast engagement and re-engagement. Low angle fire reduces time of flight by up to ten times. The system incorporates high-quality sights for visual aiming and unlike other mortars, the weapon can be lowered and used in direct fire engagements. Through-life product support Delco builds an extensive range of turrets and fully support what it builds, offering several support plans to meet customer needs. In addition, specialised equipment such as the contact test set has been developed to insure the supportability of Delco turrets. © The elevated TOW system (ETS) that provides immediate missile launch capability, fitted with a 6.5m mast that enables targets to be tracked by stealth
	"The LAV-25 lightweight turret is a complete system for light and medium-armoured vehicles"
	Modern digital technology gives a vehicle commander integrated command-and-control capability to enhance his knowledge of a combat situation
	Delco’s turret is most often seen on the US Marine Corps’ version of the LAV