Thales RapidFire
| Thales RapidFire | |
|---|---|
 RapidFire Naval[1] | |
| Type | Anti-air cannon (very short-range air defence / C-UAS) |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Thales Group KNDS France[1] |
| Designed | 2019 - 2027 |
| Manufacturer | Thales Group KNDS France[1] |
| Produced | From 2022 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.5 t (7,700 lb) (turret with ammunition)[2] |
| Shell | See Ammunitions (programmable airburst ammunition) |
| Caliber | 40×255 mm (KE-AB P33, KE-AB P66) 70 ready-to-fire in the turret, capacity to be increased to 140 |
| Carriage | See Land variant |
| Elevation | 85° (overall elevation arc, the client can choose the depression required for the mission)[2] |
| Traverse | 360° [2] |
| Rate of fire | 80 rds/min (recommanded) 200 rds/min (maximum rate)[2] |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s) (with KE-AB rounds) |
| Maximum firing range | 4.0 km (2.5 mi) (effective range)[2] |
Main armament | 40CT cannon |
Guidance system | electro-optical sensor package, and a 3D radar (surveillance) |
The RapidFire, also known as the 40mm RapidFire, is a versatile, multi-platform weapon system that entered service in the 2020s. It is based on a remotely operated 40CT cannon. This is the same cannon used on the Jaguar armored reconnaissance vehicle, whose ammunition the RapidFire also uses. It consists of a turret equipped with an optronic fire control system.
Origin
The RapidFire system uses the Jaguar's gun and adapts it for very short-range anti-aircraft warfare and the destruction of ground targets, or fast boats for asymmetric defense in the case of a navalized system. The program is designed to be multi-platform; in other words, the gun system must be able to be mounted on land vehicles as well as surface vessels.
This project plays a role in short-range air defense. It enables cost-effective interceptions; the cost of a shell to shoot down a target is significantly lower than other systems employed, such as the Aster missiles.[3] This point is particularly important given the increasingly frequent and widespread use of radio-guided munitions or inexpensive drones in current conflicts.[4] Missiles with higher performance can therefore be dedicated to intercepting more stealthy or faster targets such as cruise missiles or enemy aircraft. This also allows for a larger stockpile of munitions to counter so-called saturation attacks.
Ammunitions
The rounds are 255 mm long and 65 mm in diameter at the base of the cartridge. The total mass of a round is 2 kg, of which 550 to 980 g is the projectile. The overall size is slightly larger than that of a 25 mm round. The small size of the CT allows for a greater number of shells to be carried for the same volume, compared to other 40 mm projectiles.[5]
- KEAB (Kinetic Air Burst), also known as A3B (Anti Aerial AirBurst): it is a smart, primarily anti-aircraft projectile (expected by 2028) which, upon detonation, expels 200 tungsten pellets like shrapnel, but can direct the spray. This capability would also allow the KEAB munition to blind armored vehicles by destroying the sensors with which they are increasingly equipped.[6][7]
Variants
The naval variant is mounted on ships, as main armament on second-rate ships or as secondary armament on first-rate ships. With an integrated gun fire control unit, the operator can open fire on aerial targets at ranges of 50 to 4,000 m and at rates of up to 200 rounds/min (with 140 rounds in the turret).
RapidFire Land
Mobile RapidFire Land
A variant based on a truck, making it a self-propelled anti-air gun exists, and is proposed by Thales and KNDS France.[8][9]
Semi-mobile RapidFire Land
The system is mounted on a 20-foot platform, it operates when installed on the ground. The platform is easily transportable through a hydraulic hooklift hoist system, by a 8×8 truck.[8][9]
Operators
Current operators
France- 48 systems have been ordered for the French Armed Forces, among which:
- French Navy:
- 8 for the Bâtiment ravitailleur de forces (2 × RapidFire for each of the 4 ships)[10]
- French Navy:
Future operators
- France
- The French Armed Forces is planning to use the RapidFire in the following variants:
- French Navy:
- 10 for the Patrouilleur hauturier (1 × RapidFire for each of the 10 ships)[11]
- French Air and Space Force:
- 7 RapidFire in their land variant will be ordered for the protection of air fields.[12]
- French Navy:
Potential operators
- France
- The French Armed Forces is planning to use the RapidFire in the following variants:
- French Navy:
- The European Patrol Corvette could be equipped with one RapidFire each
- France Libre Aircraft Carrier
- French Air Force
- Additional systems could be ordered for the protection of air fields.[7]
- French Army
- Systems for the protection of air fields, land bases and the infantry could be purchased.
- French Navy:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Thales and KNDS France unveil RAPIDFire Land, a land-based variant of the 40 mm RAPIDFire Naval defence system".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "RAPIDFire: a strong defence punch against aerial targets and not only". 18 October 2022.
- ↑ les missiles Aster ont un coût unitaire de 1,4 million d’euros.
- ↑ Notamment lors du confit russo-ukrainien où les drones sont majoritairement utilisés pour surcharger les systèmes de défense antiaérienne
- ↑ Ferrard 2013 : p. 93-94
- ↑ Gain, Nathan (2019-10-17). "CTA International prend pied en Corée du Sud". FOB - Forces Operations Blog (in français). Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gain, Nathan (2025-11-13). "Les aviateurs précisent leurs intentions sur le RAPIDFire terrestre". FOB - Forces Operations Blog (in français). Retrieved 2025-11-18.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Thales and KNDS France unveil RAPIDFire Land, a land-based variant of the 40 mm RAPIDFire Naval defence system". 16 June 2025.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "PAS 2025 – KNDS France and Thales present the land-based variant of the 40 mm RAPIDFire". 21 June 2025.
- ↑ Lagneau, Laurent (2026-01-16). "Le BRF Jacques Stosskopf met le cap sur le Grand Nord et le Pacifique pour son déploiement de longue durée". Zone Militaire (in français). Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "Le canon naval Rapid Fire bientôt sur patrouilleur hauturier". Le marin (in français). 2025-05-17. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Lagneau, Laurent (2026-04-14). "L'armée de l'Air & de l'Espace confirme l'achat prochain de seulement sept canons antiaériens RapidFire de 40 mm". Zone Militaire (in français). Retrieved 2026-04-14.
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