The RBS 70 laser-guided missile launcher has been in service with the Australian Army since 1987, and Saab has redesigned the sight to install new autonomous systems, freeing the operator from the burden of manual tracking, and renamed the system the RBS 70 NG.
Aside from the autonomous tracking, one of the key upgrades to the new system is in size and weight reduction. The missiles and launcher stand remain a similar weight, but the built-in thermal imagery in the new sight means it weighs only 24kg – compared with 36kg for the previous model, not including a clip-on night device weighing 15kg. “That’s more or less 50kg that has to be carried in two pieces,” Emil Holm, Technical Sales Support for RBS 70 NG at Saab said. “This is just one and it’s only 24kg; half the weight and half the burden, which means it’s even more manoeuvrable.”
In terms of extra manoeuvrability, Saab is also looking at the possibility of integrating the RBS 70 NG on a vehicle, such as the HAWKEI PMV. “Currently, this system is under development,” Holm admitted. “By next year we’re going to have the first fireable prototype.”
Dubbed the RBS 70 NG RWS, the concept will integrate the launcher on a Saab-developed TRACKFIRE Remote Weapon Station (RWS), which is a gyro-stabilised platform designed to accommodate heavy or regular machine guns, on the rear of a vehicle. The concept is consistent with the need to design a close-range missile system capable of keeping up with a rapidly manoeuvring force – something the Australian Army is looking into for LAND 19 phase 7 bravo. “We know that the army would like a bit more range, but we also know that a solution that can keep up with the manoeuvre is essential because geography and threats that pop out of tree lines, for example, mean that you can’t just create a broad umbrella of coverage, and you need something organic to manoeuvre,” said Mathew Jones, Director Marketing and Sales Land, at Saabs Market Area Asia Pacific.
