A new remotely controlled weapon system has recently emerged from Syria. The Sham R3 is the third variation of the original Sham series of remotely controlled weapons stations that use a 12.7x108mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun to engage targets from a stationary position.

One of our very own guest writers for TFB, Marawan M. has gone through many hours of careful transcription and work to translate the spoken narration and interview from Arabic into English, thus giving TFB readers a very critical insight into the Sham R3. Marawan is a firearms and ammunition designer himself, so his transcription is much better than if a member of the mainstream media were to translate the same video. Sham is the English transliteration of the Arabic “بلاد الشام” which denotes a geographic area known today roughly as Syria, Israel, and some of Iraq. Marawan should soon be submitting an in-depth analysis of the system for TFB, which our readers will be getting to read soon enough.

Unlike other remote systems we’ve seen in Syria, the Sham R3 is much more than a DShK bolted to a mechanism that can be remotely fired. It can elevate to a height of what appears to be two feet and can traverse 180 degrees. It has a reverse recoil dampener that sends a weight forward of the receiver to counteract the bolt moving to the rear along with the recoil.

It can be operated and put in position by a four-man team, providing that they used a vehicle to get to the final firing position.

Firing is conducted via a Play Station controller and a TV screen, that appears to use a radio frequency to connect to the gun mount.