Ft. Bliss, TX. - It’s safer than rolling across the battlefield in a steel tank and allows Soldiers to fire a remote weapon system from inside the tank without the gunner hatch open.

Members of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment recently became the first U.S.-based unit to have the Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station, and the only unit in the world to have it mounted on Abrams tanks.

“The CROWS mount on the tank gives an urban advantage so the tank commander doesn’t have to stick out of the hatch,” said 2nd Lt. Sean Henley, a platoon leader with Co. D, 2-12 Cavalry.

Improved safety is a major feature of the new weapon mounting system. It allows the tank commander to remain inside the tank, permitting him to see more of what’s going on inside the turret, said Staff Sgt. Zachary Balancier, a tank commander with 2-12 Cav.

By being inside the tank, a tank commander can watch their gunner and loader and communicate with them directly versus relying solely on the intercom system, he added.

Accuracy is another benefit of the CROWS system.

“You can put the first four or five rounds on target, versus the old system where you had to walk your rounds into the target,” Balancier said.

To keep the weapon steady and assist with accuracy, the system has two axis-stabilized mounts. It also has a sensor suite and fire-control software to allow on-the-move target acquisition and first-burst target engagement. The sensor suite permits target engagements under day and night conditions and includes a daytime video camera, a thermal weapon sight and laser range finder.

“The laser range finder sends a signal out and back to the CROWS, which allows a good ballistic solution and range to target,” said Henley. “It uses a joystick to maneuver left and right. You can also zoom in and out to see the targets.”

Ceramic plating is used to protect the CROWS from 7.62 mm rounds and blasts from improvised explosive devices, Henley said.

In addition to being accurate and durable, Henley said the new system can hold five times as many 50-caliber machine gun rounds as the old system.

CROWS can also support the MK19 grenade launcher, M249 semi-automatic weapon and the M240B machine gun.

“There are units in Iraq that have the CROWS mounted on HMMWVs, but our unit is the only one to field it on the Abrams tanks,” said Balancier. “The designers are taking a lot of feedback from us in this gunnery. They are going to use us to set the standards for the other tanks that get the CROWS system.”