The Hitrole is a remote weapons station manufactured by Italian arms company Oto Melara (merged into Leonardo S.p.A., previously Finmeccanica since 2016).[1] The "role" portion of the name is short for "Remotely Operated, Light Electrical".
The turret can mount a variety of lighter automatic weapons, including 5.56 mm (0.219 in), 7.62 mm (0.300 in), and 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns, and 40 mm (1.6 in) automatic grenade launchers.[1][2]
Leonardo recently presented the new line of Lionfish remote-controlled small-caliber systems, which consists of four models: the Ultralight, the Inner Reloading and the Top with a 12.7 mm caliber, and the 20 model with a 20 mm caliber.[3]
The weapon is gyroscopically stabilized.[4] The turret weighs 210–260 kilograms (460–570 lb), depending on the weapon fitted. The gunner's remote optics add an infrared camera and laser range finder to a regular visible light camera.
The gunner is assisted with a fire control computer.[4][5] The fire control computer can help the gunner track moving targets.
In 2009 the Italian Army ordered 81 turrets to equip its Iveco Lince vehicles in Afghanistan.[5]
According to Jane's Navy International the Singapore Navy ordered Hitrole turrets in August 2013.[6] A total of 16 turrets were ordered for Singapore's eight Littoral Mission Vessels.
Platforms using the Oto-Melara Hitrole include: