FRANCE: Future short-range defence system

At the end of October, the Directorate-General for Armaments (DGA) in Paris took the decision on the future short-range defence system of the French Navy. Selected was RapidFirethe 40-millimetre TCA 40 compact gun developed by Nexter and Thales with a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute and an effective range of 4000 metres. Compared to the Phalanx (20 mm) and Goalkeeper (30 mm) systems, which operate according to the Gatling principle, the TCA 40 has a lower rate of fire but is more versatile in terms of range and ammunition variety thanks to the 40-millimetre ammunition: the system selects the optimum ammunition from five different types to suit the threat. Both centralised control via a command and weapon deployment system and autonomous operation are possible via optronics and laser measurement. Development has been completed, production will start and the first delivery will take place as early as 2022. It can be assumed that the task force supplier due to be delivered in 2022 will be the first candidate to be equipped, after which the ten OPVs due to be delivered from 2025 will be equipped with RapidFire be equipped.