DETROIT – June 3, 2025 – Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace hosted its 15th PROTECTOR Users Working Group (PUWG), bringing together global defense partners, military operators and industry stakeholders for three days of strategic collaboration, knowledge exchange and innovations focused on the world-leading family of PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Stations and Remote Turrets.
The PROTECTOR remote weapon systems family has revolutionized the way the U.S. and its allies fight, giving protection to gunners by allowing them to remotely operate weapon systems from within an armored cab rather than perched outside and exposed, above the roof of the vehicle. In total, more than 29,000 systems have been fielded to 31 nations worldwide.
Behind the walls of the Italian American Cultural Society, military personnel from 15 countries will discuss current and emerging threats on the battlefield – like drones – and how best to defeat them. What is being learned on the battlefields in Ukraine is changing the concept of operations for all militaries and those in attendance are poised to set the stage for superiority and overmatch, equipping allied forces with best-in-class detection and defeat with greater standoff and enhanced soldier safety.
“The battlefield is changing constantly and now more than ever, it is vital that information be shared in real-time forums, like the PROTECTOR Users Working Group, that we have created for our customers and industry partners, and we are proud to have hosted this event for a 15th time” said Jørgen Bull, vice president, Land Systems, Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace. “This event continues to serve as a vital forum for operational users and KONGSBERG’s engineering teams to engage directly, driving user-centric innovation and continuous and more rapid capability development. The feedback and collaboration from our customers are invaluable as we advance PROTECTOR remote weapon stations and remote turrets and ensure they remain the most capable and trusted solutions on the battlefield.”
Held in Detroit, Mich. June 2-4, this year’s PUWG marked a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership between KONGSBERG and the growing community of PROTECTOR users. This unique forum brings together defense acquisition, user and maintenance organizations of PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Systems, to meet and share their practical system knowledge and experience, as well as receive new information regarding the PROTECTOR family of systems.
Among the highlights of the event were demonstrations of the latest iterations of the PROTECTOR family, including advancements in lethality, multi-sensor integration, counter-UAS capability, and the growing role of remote weapon capabilities in combat and robotic vehicle operations. The event also featured hands-on workshops, technology showcases, and in-depth discussions focused on future capabilities, user feedback, and operational integration. The technology showcase included the following systems:
– US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle with Kongsberg 30mm turret (ACV-30)
– AM General Future Driven HUMVEE with Kongsberg’s CROWS Remote Weapon Station-Tech Refresh and Spike Missile
– Robotic Combat Vehicle with Kongsberg RS6
– Tactical Vehicle with Kongsberg CROWS-Tech Refresh and combat management system
For more information about the PROTECTOR RWS and KONGSBERG’s defense solutions, please visit bit.ly/KongsbergRWS.
