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Norway Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Protector RWS (RS4)
The world's most widely fielded remote weapon station (over 20,000 delivered), supporting 5.56mm to 12.7mm weapons and 40mm grenade launchers with stabilized fire on the move.
28 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Norway export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 28 operators
Status: active · ~24,000 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Competitive field
41 comparable systems from 25 other manufacturers
Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: systems in its class built by another manufacturer. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Protector RWS (RS4) can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 0.96 m |
|---|---|
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 0.89 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 0.83 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 135 kg |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | High-resolution day camera, Thermal imager, Laser rangefinder |
|---|---|
| Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations. | Yes |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 24,000 |
|---|---|
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 28 |
Specifications compiled from public Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-04.
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How much does the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Protector RWS (RS4) weigh? +
The Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Protector RWS (RS4) has a combat weight of 135 kg.
How many countries operate the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Protector RWS (RS4)? +
The Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Protector RWS (RS4) is operated by 28 countries.
