DSEI 2025: Belgium's John Cockerill Defense Expands Turret Portfolio With ARQUUS Counter-Drone Warfare Focus.

Belgian company John Cockerill Defense enters DSEI 2025 with one of the most comprehensive offerings in the European defense landscape, following its strategic acquisition of French armored vehicle manufacturer ARQUUS. This consolidation not only expands the company’s industrial footprint across NATO markets, but also reinforces its position as a full-spectrum provider of advanced weapon stations and modular turrets. John Cockerill now controls a turret portfolio that spans from light machine gun mounts and 40mm grenade launchers to advanced systems supporting automatic cannons up to 30mm, as well as high-caliber direct-fire turrets armed with 105mm and 120mm guns.
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John Cockerill’s 25mm light weapon station displayed off-vehicle at DSEI 2025, showing its compact and modular turret design. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

At the center of John Cockerill Defense offering is the Cockerill Light Weapon Station (CLWS), equipped with a 25mm automatic cannon and engineered for both manned and unmanned light platforms. Compact and highly responsive, the CLWS is optimized for tactical vehicles, robotic ground systems, and fixed-site defense configurations. Its remote-controlled architecture allows operators to conduct precision engagements while remaining fully protected, either under armor or in command shelters.

CLWS delivers day and night operational capability through its advanced optronic suite, which includes thermal imaging and high-resolution optics. Its stabilized firing system supports high-accuracy targeting on the move, while its low profile and modular structure make it suitable for both expeditionary forces and heavily networked battle groups. Designed with integration in mind, the CLWS can be seamlessly embedded into digital command and control systems, supporting joint fires coordination, target handoff, and real-time data exchange with drones and reconnaissance elements.

Looking ahead, the CLWS is being developed as the foundational platform for John Cockerill Defense’s upcoming Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) solution. This future-ready evolution will capitalize on the turret’s core agility, sensor integration, and precision to neutralize drone threats in increasingly saturated airspace. Planned CUAS capabilities include 360-degree aerial surveillance, autonomous drone tracking, and layered kinetic or soft-kill intercept tools, making the CLWS adaptable to a wide range of operational contexts including urban warfare, convoy protection, and border defense.

Making its public debut at DSEI is the Hornet Air Guard, a dedicated self-protection configuration of the combat-proven Hornet Remote Weapon Station, currently fielded by the French Army. This new variant is purpose-built to address the rising threat of low-cost drones and loitering munitions targeting armored formations. Built on a modular RWS framework, the Hornet Air Guard introduces a full-spectrum counter-drone capability for any armored vehicle capable of mounting a remote weapon station.

The system incorporates 360-degree detection through radar or acoustic arrays, high-resolution optronic identification, automated tracking, and direct kinetic neutralization using the onboard weapon. In cases where engagement is not feasible, the Hornet Air Guard can automatically deploy intelligent smoke-screening to obscure the vehicle from visual and infrared targeting. This first layer of protection is designed as a drop-in upgrade to existing RWS fleets, enabling rapid deployment across legacy platforms without major vehicle redesigns.

Hornet Air Guard represents a pragmatic and operationally mature response to the drone challenge. By building on existing fielded systems, John Cockerill enables armed forces to quickly reinforce their armored units with credible anti-drone capability. The system’s plug-and-play design also allows for incremental upgrades, including future integration of electronic warfare modules or directed energy options, depending on end-user needs and rules of engagement.

Together, the CLWS and Hornet Air Guard reflect a clear shift in John Cockerill Defense’s product strategy toward survivability, precision, and battlefield autonomy. With its expanded turret family now covering the full spectrum of vehicle-mounted firepower and counter-UAS requirements, the company is responding directly to the needs of NATO and allied forces engaged in multi-domain operations.

The acquisition of ARQUUS also enables John Cockerill to offer integrated solutions combining vehicle platforms, mobility packages, and advanced firepower under a unified design and support framework. This positions the company to deliver not only stand-alone weapon systems, but complete mission-ready vehicle architectures for reconnaissance, infantry combat, fire support, and force protection missions.

At DSEI 2025, John Cockerill is not simply showcasing new systems. It is demonstrating an integrated capability shift, aligning remote lethality, modularity, and drone-era survivability within a cohesive operational doctrine. As drone threats and digital warfare continue to shape ground combat environments, systems like CLWS and Hornet Air Guard represent the technological edge that modern armies now require.