CTA International has completed trials of its 40mm cannon and two of new ammunitions types 3107132

Trials on the cannon and armor-piercing and target-practice rounds are complete and the findings are in “the process of review” David Coughtrie, CTAI’s business director, told reporters during a briefing last Thursday.

The certification effort comes nearly 20 years after BAE Systems and Nexter launched the effort to develop a cased telescoped gun and ammunition system.

The gun, with its unique rotating breech, takes up considerably less room than conventional medium-caliber rivals and uses an ammunition design in which the projectile is telescoped in a cartridge can and surrounded by propellant giving lethality, length and volume-reduction benefits.

The British Army has ordered the weapon as part of an upgrade of its Warrior infantry fighting vehicle being undertaken by Lockheed Martin UK and a Scout vehicle being developed by General Dynamics. Meanwhile, its French partner has effectively mandated the gun for its EBRC armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle requirement, set to be competed for by Nexter and others in the coming months.

Coughtrie said the original hope had been to have the weapon formally qualified in time for the upcoming DSEi exhibition in London in September, but workload pressures mean the approval process will not be complete until later.

The qualification and demonstration phases of the program have seen the delivery of 14,000 rounds of ammunition, 16 cannon systems and 32 barrels.

The CTAI executive said the company is awaiting an order from the British for 50,000 rounds of ammunition, three cannons and 48 barrels to support the integration programs on Warrior and Scout vehicles.

Nexter, which recently showed the CTAI-equipped turret with which it plans to compete for the EBRC program, plans to undertake its first manned firing trials in the first quarter of next year as it quickly ramps up its effort to secure the deal for the French Army requirement.