JOHNSON CITY, N.Y., 22 Feb. 2008. BAE Systems has installed a remotely operated defensive weapon system aboard a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey in preparation for ground-fire and flight testing.

The hardware installation and fit-check, completed in January, follow the company's selection to develop an interim all-quadrant defensive weapon system for the Osprey.

The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), which awarded the contract to integrate and test the weapon mission kit on the CV-22, is performing ground testing, with flight testing to follow. SOCOM oversaw the installation of the system hardware aboard the aircraft in January at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Using a GAU-2B mini-gun mounted to the belly of the aircraft, the weapon is designed to provide 360 degrees of accurate, sustained suppressive fire throughout the CV-22's flight envelope. The weapon is based on BAE Systems' Remote Guardian System. BAE Systems designed the hardware and precision control systems without access to aircraft drawings or solid models, relying in part on its knowledge of the CV-22 as provider of the platform's flight control system.