"Teaming with and supporting the growth of local companies is an important strategy for our business," said Johan Steyn, managing director, BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa. "SITNO is a valuable partner for us in this region and this partnership will allow us to offer more customisation and affordability for our customers."

The TRT family of turrets is intended for a range of applications for armoured vehicles capable of supporting various weapon configurations. With a low-weight design philosophy in mind, the system provides the required firepower in a defensive and offensive role to high mobility tactical vehicles. In addition, the system's high-firepower capabilities and low weight makes it feasible for amphibious applications.

"This collaboration combines comprehensive knowledge and state of the art technology of our two companies," said Ludovit Cernak, member of the SITNO board in Slovakia. "This project not only delivers a competitive and modern product to our customers, but also demonstrates the shift in the market in modernisation of ex-soviet combat systems."

The TRT base structure and Man Machine Interface is common for all configurations supporting a dedicated weapon cradle for the configuration of choice. The TRT's armament suite consists of a rapid fire cannon, co axial machine gun and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles or combination thereof.

A simple vehicle interface enables integration of the system on existing vehicles for modernisation of older platforms. These will be further explored to expand on existing system benefits such as light weight, increased internal space for crew or load capacity, simple-to-use operator interface and "on-the-move" engagement and firing capability. The unique Rapid Target Designation function significantly reduces time for target lock-on during engagements.