Russians start arming ships with machine gun remote weapon stations

The Russian Black Sea Fleet has received the first batch of Narval remote controlled weapon stations for heavy machine guns.

This was reported by the press service of the Russian Rostec state corporation.

The Russian NPO Electromashina, part of the Uralvagonzavod corporation, has handed over the first serial batch of Narval combat modules for installation on Black Sea Fleet boats stationed in Sevastopol.

Introduced to the public back in 2023, this module has only recently completed state trials on one of the vessels.

“The weapon was manufactured in a very short time. The promising module differs from the basic model in a wide range of functions and improved characteristics,” manufacturers said.

As a result of the upgrade, the adopted version is reported to have a new thermal imaging sight with a higher resolution and an improved control unit and computing module. In addition, the hull of the system has become more secure.

The Narval is designed to be installed on light boats with a displacement of up to 20 tonnes as the main or auxiliary weapon system. The module provides search and engagement of lightly armored, surface and low-flying air targets.

In the photos, it is equipped with a KORD 12.7×108 mm machine gun. Despite being mounted on a rig, it retains the ability to be manually operated and the necessary controls.

To ensure accurate fire on a vessel, the module is equipped with a laser rangefinder, an optical system with a thermal imaging channel, and a gyroscopic stabilization system that compensates for the platform’s wobble on the water.

The manufacturers noted that they were actively working on re-equipping other vessels in the Black Sea Fleet. Obviously, the main incentive for this process is the threat of Ukrainian naval drones, which forced most of the Russian fleet to leave the occupied Crimean peninsula.

As of today, most of the Russian fleet’s vessels, especially large ships, do not have adequate artillery to defend against drones. Russian sailors tried to compensate for this by having crews on duty with light small arms, which, however, did not save the Caesar Kunikov landing ship.

Last month, the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla took commission of a new Project 22800 corvette, the Amur.