CTA International is an equal-shares joint venture company between defence companies Nexter and BAE Systems. CTAI is based in Bourges, France, and has been established to develop and manufacture case telescoped weapons and ammunition. The company name is an acronym for Case Telescoped Ammunition.[1] Its main product is a 40mm cannon for light armoured vehicles.

Timeline

  • 1994 - CTAI was created by (at that time) GIAT and Royal Ordnance, with initial activities around a 45mm solution
  • 1997 - the 40mm calibre solution is selected
  • 1999 - The UK MoD Operational Analysis (OA) study output is shared with US DoD; the solution is integrated into Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the US-UK Tracer prototype vehicle
  • 2002 - Further UK MoD & DGA OA studies; risk reduction contract awarded
  • 2004 - UK MoD & DGA contract to integrate 40CT into the MTIP and unmanned Toutatis turrets
  • March 2008 - UK MoD select CT40 as a mandated item for Warrior IFV and FRES-Scout (now Ajax) programmes[2]
  • April 2017: France orders the first tranche of the EBRC Jaguar
  • 26th November 2021 : British MoD receives the 515 and last 40CT cannon ordered.[3]

CTAS40 cannon

CTAS40
British Ajax fighting vehicle with mounted CTAS40
TypeCase-telescoped autocannon
Place of origin France
 United Kingdom
Service history
In service2018 (testing)
Used byBritish Army
French Armed Forces
Production history
DesignerCTA International
Designed1997
ManufacturerCTA International
Produced1999
Specifications
Mass340 kg
Length3,428 mm (11 ft 3.0 in)
Barrel length2,800 mm (110 in)
Cartridge40×255 mm
Caliber40 mm
ActionRecoil-operated, rotating breech
Rate of fire200 rpm
Effective firing range2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Maximum firing range8,500 m[4]
Feed systemAutomatic Ammunition Handling System (AHS)

The Case Telescoped Armament System (CTAS40) autocannon is designed to fire 40mm telescoped ammunition.[5] This format provides significant benefit within vehicles in the space envelope required for the gun and the ammunition storage.[6] However, the selection of the unfielded new design for major programmes has been controversial.[7][8]

The CT40 40mm cannon has been ordered by the French Army for use on its future armoured reconnaissance vehicle EBRC Jaguar. It has also been mandated for the UK Ajax (formerly FRES SV) and (cancelled) Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP) programmes.

In February 2010 CTAI signed a £11m contract with the French and British defence ministries to qualify the CTWS, including environmental testing and the firing of 15,000 rounds.[9]

The company has confirmed that the ammunition for the British weapons will be assembled at BAE Systems' ROF Glascoed facility.[10]

Nexter/Thales RAPIDfire

This is a naval variant of the CTAS gun also 40mm, it can fire the A3B rounds and will be fitted on the Bâtiment ravitailleur de forces of the French Navy. The first guns of the type were installed on the lead ship of the Bâtiment ravitailleur de forces class, Jacques Chevallier, in February 2023.[11]

Ammunition

The CTAS40's proprietary 40mm telescoped ammunition is manufactured for various applications, including anti-infantry and anti-materiel. The variants differ in weight, effective range, and payload depending on the intended target.

Type Projectile weight (g) Muzzle velocity (m/s) Penetration Effective range (m) Targets Notes
APFSDS-T
Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot - Tracer		 550[4] 1,500[4] 140 mm RHA at 1,500 m[4] 2,500[4] Medium armoured vehicles[4]
GPR-T
General Purpose Round - Tracer		 980 1,000 210 mm concrete or 15mm RHA at 1,000 m <8,500 Infantry, light armoured vehicles, defensive fortifications Available as point detonating (GPE-PD-T) or airburst munition (GPE-AB-T)
A3B-T
Anti Aerial Airburst - Tracer		 1,400 900 - 4,000 Unmanned aerial vehicles, light aircraft, helicopters
TP-T
Target Practice - Tracer		 980 1,000 - 8,500 -
TPRR-T
Target Practice Reduced Range - Tracer		 730 1,000 - 6,500 - Reduced range variant of TP-T

Users

References

  1. ↑ ""CTA International Secures New Contract From UK MOD" - BAE Systems". Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  2. ↑ http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2009gunmissile/7961leslie.pdf Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine CTAI presentation at conference - April 2009
  3. ↑ "MoD receives final 40CT cannon | Shephard".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "40 CTAS Brochure A5 Sept 2018.pdf"
  5. ↑ "NEXTER Group - CTA International achieves Anglo-French qualification for the 40mm Cased Telescoped Cannon and Ammunition". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "CTWS" - Deagel
  7. ↑ "The 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (CTAS)". 8 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "New 40mm cannon system handed over to British Army".
  9. ↑ "WCSP: Britain’s Warriors to Undergo Mid-Life Upgrade" - Defense Industry Daily
  10. ↑ "DefenceNews France, U.K. To Qualify New Cannon". Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (1 March 2023). "Le nouveau canon RAPIDFire Naval embarque sur un premier bâtiment de la Marine nationale". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
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