American defense startup Allen Control Systems has won a contract from U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to supply Bullfrog turrets intended for mounting on boats and a variety of other vehicles.
The contract value and the number of systems to be delivered to the Marines have not been disclosed; the prime contractor for the agreement is ManTech.
Read more: UAV Warfare Pushes U.S. to Spend Billions on Air-Defense Protection
As Defense One notes, the Bullfrog turret essentially turns a conventional machine gun into an effective autonomous counter-drone system capable of engaging UAS from Group I to Group III, which in NATO classification covers everything from microdrones up to large UAVs weighing more than 600 kg.
In the official promotional video for the Bullfrog combat module you can see the turrets engaging drones that visually resemble ranian long-range strike UAS such as the Shahed-type or the russian Geran family
Primary weapons for the Bullfrog can include various machine guns M240, M2, M230 and M134 and, at a customer's request, the system can also be fitted with laser weapons.
Bullfrog features advanced software with integrated artificial intelligence effectively a high degree of autonomy in which the operator's role is reduced to issuing the fire command. The turret is equipped with passive target detection and can be integrated on different platforms to meet user needs. The stated cost per kill is only 10 US dollars.
In the M240-armed variant the systems effective engagement range is 800 meters, the cyclic rate is 850 rounds per minute, and the turret mass (without ammunition) is roughly 75 kg.
Earlier Defense Express reported that the U.S. Air Force has named a new primary weapon for fighters against drones and it is no longer expensive air-to-air missiles.
Read more: Ukrainian Operatives Wiped Out Four UAV Operators Inside russian Military Van (Video)
