Curtiss-Wright wins gold for vetronics upgrade to fit legacy tanks with electro-mechanical turrets

The award to the Curtiss-Wright M60 tank upgrade kit is part of the middle of three tiers of this year's Technology Innovation Awards. The top award level is platinum, the middle tier is gold, and the third tier is silver.

Military & Aerospace Electronics and Intelligent Aerospace made awards to company entries that offer solutions to difficult aerospace and defense electronics design challenges. The awards were presented on 14 Nov. 2016.

The M60 tank upgrade kit from the Curtiss-Wright provides an affordable way to upgrade legacy M60 Patton main battle tanks with modern electro-mechanical turret drive systems. It uses electro-mechanical technologies to enhance the performance of legacy hydraulic and hybrid turret-drive-based battle tanks.

The all-in-one electromechanical drive tank upgrade kit can replace older, slower, and less accurate hydraulic and hybrid-based turret stabilization systems. Its modular design can enhance precision, acceleration, and speed when upgrading the 1960s-vintage M60 tank.

The tank upgrade kit includes single- and dual-axis gyroscopes, rotary gear drive, one- and two-hand controllers, linear gear drive, and digital motor controllers.