LONDON, June 28 (UPI) -- The turret for General Dynamic's FRES Scout armored vehicle is to be unveiled Tuesday at the Defense Vehicle Dynamics exhibition in England.
The company said Monday the turret is designed around the CT40 Cased Telescoped Cannon System, has a larger diameter than is normal for armored vehicles and increases space for crew and electronic systems by placing the main ammunition feed under armor outside the turret crew compartment.
General Dynamics UK won the contract for the Future Rapid Effects System Scout earlier this year over BAE Systems.
The Scout is based on the Spanish-Austrian ASCOD 2, which is in service with the armed forces of both countries. In the Spanish army it's known as the Pizarro, while the Austrians call it the Ulan.
The ASCOD 2, which comes in a variety of variants, carries a crew of 11 and is fitted with an automated cannon, machine gun and smoke/fragmentation grenade launchers.
Production of the British Scout version is part of the U.K. Defense Ministry's first phase of a land force modernization program.
