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U.S. Navy Decommissions Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station
The Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station (RWS) is a marinized
version of the M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS)
system used by land armies. The U.S. Navy has used the Mark 50 for its
Mark VI fast Patrol Boats. With the decommissioning of the Mark VIs,
what will happen to the Mark 50 Sea Protector RWSs?
Peter Ong 05 Apr 2023

U.S. Navy Decommissions Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station
The Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station with .50cal M2HB heavy
machine gun and gray ammunition box, right. Photo: Kongsberg
Naval News covered the decommissioning of the Mark VI Patrol Boats here.

Each Mark VI Patrol Boat is armed with one or two Mark 38 25mm
autocannons and a combination of non-stabilized pintle-mounted
crew-served .50cal M2HB heavy machine guns, Mark 19 40mm automatic
grenade launchers, M240 7.62mm medium machine guns, or 7.62mm gatling
guns. Also included in the Mark VI’s armament suite are two Mark 50 Sea
Protectors stabilized Remote Weapons Station (RWS) mounts that can be
found on the roof of the cabin, one facing forward and one facing aft,
as shown in the photo below. The Mark 50 RWS allows the boat gunners to
sit and use a console monitor and joystick to fire from inside the
cabin, hidden, protected, and not exposed to the outside elements and to
any potential enemy fire.

U.S. Navy Decommissions Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station
The Mark VI patrol boats stored at a Fairlead facility in Newport News.
Note the two black tarps on the roofs covering the mounts for the Mark
50 Sea Protector mounts, one facing forward and one facing aft over the
cabin windows. Photo:Chris Cavas taken on 26 Aug 2022
Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapon Station Background
Kongsberg released a statement stating that the U.S. Navy acquired the
Mark 50 Sea Protector in April 2013.

“Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station:

Sea Protector is a lightweight, fully stabilized, remotely-controlled
high-precision weapon station for small caliber weapons and missiles. It
provides surveillance, detection, tracking and prosecution of various
threats. The system will automatically recognize the weapon mounted and
utilize the default ammunition characteristics for that particular weapon.

Specifications (excluding weapons and ammo):
Weight: 135 kg (297 lbs)
Height: 749 mm
Operating temperature: -40 to +65 °C
Storage temperature: -51 to +71 °C

Dynamic performance:
Maximum Azimuth Slew Rate >100°/s
Maximum Elevation Slew Rate >50°/s
Range of Traverse, Azimuth Continuous 360°
Range of Elevation -20° to +60°

Sensor package (standard version):
Color Day Camera (VIM)
Infra-Red Camera (TIM)
Laser Range Finder (LRF)
Clean Sensor System (CSS)

Mountable weapons and calibers:
Browning M2HB 12.7mm / caliber .50 heavy machine gun
FN MAG M240 7.62 mm machine gun
FN M249 5.56 mm light machine gun
Mk-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher AGL
Mk-47 Striker 40mm automatic grenade launcher AGL
Heckler & Koch HK GMG 40mm grenade launcher
FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile”

Source: Seaforces.org

The Fate of the Weapon
U.S. Navy Decommissions Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station
Mark VI Patrol Boats have their Mark 50 Remote Weapon Systems (RWS)
mounts fore and aft on top of the cabin windows. In this case, a .50cal
M2HB is fitted to both RWSs. Photo: DVIDS
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) replied to a Naval
News inquiry on March 17, 2023. Naval News asked about the status of the
Mark 50s due to the decommissioning of the Mark VI Patrol Boats, how
many Mark 50s were acquired, and if the Sea Protector will be
transferred to Ukraine or sold as Foreign Military Sales (FMS), or
placed into warehouse storage for future use, or sent to the scrap heap.
Naval News also asked if the 40-foot Patrol Boat (40PB) will receive the
Mark 50.

“MK50 is no longer in service; it went out of service with the MKVI
Patrol Boat. The Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) determines
the final configuration for the 40-foot patrol boats.”

NAVSEA Spokesperson
Naval News contacted the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Information Department
(CHINFO) on March 29, 2023 to ask if NECC will mount the Mark 50 Sea
Protector on the new 40-foot Patrol Boats. NECC replied on March 30,
2023 with the following statement:

“Navy Expeditionary Combat Command is not using the Mark 50 RWS on the
40-foot patrol boats. The 40-PB platform was designed to support such a
system, but NECC’s final configuration did not incorporate it.”

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Spokesperson
Naval News Comments

NAVSEA did not disclose where the Mark VIs’ removed Mark 50s will end up
and Naval News sent a couple of follow-up emails which NAVSEA did not
reply to. Thus, it remains unclear on if the Mark 50s will ever see use
on other U.S. Navy boats and/or ships but it does still remain in U.S.
Coast Guard usage. “Their lightweight `Protector RS4 Naval’ is the basis
of the Mk50 remote .50 cal. The [U.S.] Coast Guard has four 87-foot
patrol boats used for SSBN force protection that are equipped with these
and we expect to have two on each of the Offshore Patrol Cutters,” wrote
Chuck Hill in his Coast Guard Blog on May 22, 2021. (The Mark 50 is also
used by NATO navies. “Several versions of Protector have been developed
with more than 15,000 units sold around the world in service with more
than a dozen countries,” posted Seaforces.org). Since the U.S. Coast
Guard uses weapons acquired from the U.S. Navy, it is possible that the
Mark VIs’ removed Mark 50s and their associated equipment will be stored
for future use, but one can only speculate.

From a tactical standpoint, not having a remote weapons station that
allows the patrol boat’s gunner(s) to fire from under shelter and cover
seems illogical until one notices that the U.S. Navy is divesting itself
of these small patrol crafts because the Navy doesn’t see them as
beneficial in a peer nation conflict where large warships and long-range
anti-ship missiles come into play. This has been a repeated statement
and opinion with some top U.S. Navy admirals and a U.S. Marine Corp
general for a few years—mentioned during naval conferences, webinars,
and expositions. Respectively, the U.S. Navy’s inventory of small Patrol
Coastals and Mark VI Patrol Boats are aging and are being retired, most
have been in service with the U.S. Navy for around three decades, and
most will be transferred to foreign navies.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Fast Response Cutter (FRC) will assume the
role of the decommissioning U.S. Navy Patrol Coastals and Mark VIs. The
USCG FRCs may not be as fast as the Mark VI’s 40+ knot speeds, but
they’re similarly armed (one 25mm Mark 38 autocannon at the bow and four
non-stabilized pintle-mounted .50cal M2HBs although some in the Persian
Gulf may receive a Mark 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher in place of
one .50cal). Furthermore, the FRCs are considered United States’
warships (USS designation) with assigned crews and are not considered
patrol boats. The FRCs do not have the Mark 50 Sea Protector RWS on them.

U.S. Navy Decommissions Mark 50 Sea Protector Remote Weapons Station
The 50th fast response cutter, William Chadwick, was delivered to the
Coast Guard Aug. 4, 2022, in Key West, Florida, and is homeported in
Boston. It has no Mark 50 RWS onboard. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard
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AUTHORS

Posted by : Peter Ong
Peter Ong is a Freelance Writer with United States and International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) media credentials and lives in
California. Peter has a Bachelor's Degree in Technical Writing/Graphic
Design and a Master's Degree in Business. He writes articles for
defense, maritime and emergency vehicle publications.