Battle for Warrior upgrade

has demonstrated its MTIP2 turret and Cased Telescoped Armament System (CTAS) as part of a wider MoD programme to upgrade the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle.

The company and French partner Nexter developed the CTAS gun, which has already won the MoD contract, as a joint venture. The tender for the turret is in competition with Lockheed Martin and will be decided at the end of next year.

Mike Sweeney, from BAE's Land Systems division, said: 'Both the turret and the gun are at a high level of maturity. They are able to fire extremely accurately from a moving vehicle at moving targets, which the existing RARDEN gun on the Warrior target can't do.'

New software makes the gun system better stabilised than that on the Challenger tank, regarded as the benchmark, and easier to use, which is vital on the battlefield. The gunner and the commander can work readily together — the gunner could engage one target while the commander identifies another.

BAE Systems aims to improve what the MoD dubs 'fightability' — the layout and ease of use of the turret in a battlefield environment. It has been redesigned for female as well as male crews, and makes interaction between the crew and the controls easier.

The company claims its CTAS 40mm gun is the biggest advance since the development of rifling. 'It has the performance of a typical 50mm system, but by using a rotating breech has the turret intrusion of a 25mm system,' said Sweeney. 'Size for size, you've got double the punch.'

It fires two types of ammunition: explosive rounds, which can operate in point detonation or air burst mode; and armour-piercing rounds.