Naval: weapons

The Oto Melara 76/62 Super Rapid is

capable of 120 rds/min sustained fire

The rise of the ship-based anti-aircraft, anti-surface and land-attack missile

followed the initial development of missile technology by Germany during
World War Two. It was said that the birth of the missile heralded the death of
the naval gun. Gone were the days of warships smashing each other to pieces
with their shells; the post-war years developments allowed naval combatants
to prosecute their aircraft, land and enemy shipping targets from stand-off
ranges with high-speed missiles.

Thomas Withington

aval guns remained on ships, but

their calibres steadily reduced
from the Mk VII 16-inch guns
used by the US Navys Iowa class battleships (although these vessels remained
in service until after the end of the Cold
War and did use their guns in anger during the Cold War period). Naval guns still
had a place in post-war naval tactics, but
were primarily intended for shore bombardment, anti-aircraft fire and close-in
defence against aircraft and missiles.
However, eighteen years after the last
gun onboard the USS Missouri fell silent
after bombarding Iraqi coastal positions
in Kuwait during Operation Desert
Storm, the naval gun is enjoying a renaissance.
While no-one would seriously suggest
that the anti-ship missile is about to be
replaced by the heavy gun in this role,
the need to attack coastal targets in support of amphibious operations, to engage
small vessels like pirate boats or drug
smugglers and the requirement to defend
a vessel against ever more sophisticated
missiles, aircraft and waterborne terrorist

threats mean that the naval gun is still

an indispensable weapon on warship
decks. Customers have a range of small(7.62 mm to 40 mm), medium- (40 to
76 mm) and heavy- (above 76 mm) calibre
weapons to choose from to engage small
boats, missiles and low-flying aircraft, in the
case of the small-calibre weapons, plus
land-based hard targets and enemy land
forces with the medium and heavy-calibre
weapons. Moreover, future innovations
could see the development of electro-mag-

netic rail guns which could significantly

improve range and striking power.
BAE Systems provides an impressive
spread of naval barrelled weapons across
a range of calibres, including the Mk 38
Mod 2 Minor Calibre 25 mm. The type
can engage small boats and fast surface
targets and uses the Rafael Mk 25 Typhoon
weapon system (see below) and the
Alliant Techsystems M242 Bushmaster
gun. The Bushmasters rate-of-fire is 180
rounds per minute (rds/min) and it has a
range of 1.3 nautical miles (nm). Also in
the BAE Systems stable are the Bofors
40 Mk 3 and Bofors 57 Mk 3. Reaching
out to seven nm in the case of the Bofors
40 with 40 mm rounds, this weapon has
a rate of fire of 220 rds/min, with the
Bofors 57 57-mm firing 200 rds/min at a
range of eight nm. The Bofors 57 has been
selected for the Bertholf class National
Security Cutters operated by the United
States Coast Guard (USCG).
BAE Systems has
delivered over 90
Mk 38 Mod 2
Stabilized Minor
Calibre Guns
worldwide. Integral
to the weapon is the
Rafael Mk 25
Typhoon weapon
system. The gun can
also be remotely
commanded from a
ships Combat
Information Center.
(BAE Systems)

armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2009

Although in nowhere near the usage of

small- and medium-calibre weapons,
heavy-calibre guns are used by several
navies. BAE Systems Mk 45 Mod 4 127
mm outfits the Flight-8A Arleigh Burke
class destroyers, with the Mod 2 version
being deployed on the Ticonderoga class
guided missile cruisers operated by the US
Navy (although these vessels are being
retrofitted with the Mod 4 version, which
has a longer barrel). BAE Systems also
offers the Advanced Gun System (AGS)
which is scheduled to equip the Zumwalt
class guided missile destroyers to provide
a 155 mm weapon capable of firing ten
rds/min with a range of 64 nm.

Mk 30-1/2, Millenium 35 mm and the 155

mm Monarc concept demonstrator (a
naval adaptation of the PzH 2000 howitzer turret). The companys Mk 20 DM5
Automatic Cannon is the armament for
the S20 Pintle Mount which is ideal for
small vessels given that the weapon has
low recoil. The MLG 25, meanwhile, has a
non-deck penetrating design that frees
up the number of locations where this
weapon can be mounted and is ideal for
all sizes of surface combatant.
Rheinmetalls MLG 27 weapon can
engage shore, land and air targets and be
used as secondary armament on large vessels or as the primary on smaller craft. In
terms of the weapons range, it can hit surface targets at 2.1 nm and aerial targets at
1.3 nm. As regards small calibre weapons,
One of Nexters
most recent naval
weapon systems
is the Narwhal,
which has been
ordered by Kuwait.
The day-and-night
gyro-stabilised
remotely controlled
system is based on
the companys
well-proven 20 mm
gun technology.
(Nexter)

Europe
Britains MSI Defence Systems builds
small-calibre systems such as the DS25/30
30-mm weapon. This is being installed on
the Royal Navys Type-23 Duke class
frigates. The DS25/30 has a reduced radar
and infrared signature and gyro-stabilisa-

Kuwait has also become a customer

for the Rheinmetall 27 mm MLG 27
Mauser Light Gun system, which was
installed as part of the coast guards
purchase of VT Halter Marines Mk V-C
fast interception boats. This represented
Claimed by BAE
Systems to be the
most compact naval
gun of its kind in
the world, the
company has sold
the Mk 45 Mod 4
to the US Navy and
nine other forces.
(BAE Systems)

tion. Nexter Systems builds the Naval

Remote Weapon Highly Accurate Lightweight-20A gun mounting, a.k.a Narwhal20A, which can carry an array of guns.
These include Nexters M621 20 mm, the
DCNS/Nexter M693 20 mm, MS11 25 mm
or the Nexter M781 30 mm weapons. Tests
of the Narwhal have been completed on
the Subahi class patrol vessels operated by
the Kuwaiti Coast Guard.

the first international sale for the weapon

which had, up until then, only been used
by the Deutsche Marine (German Navy).
The MLG 27 Mauser is designed to
bridge the gap between 20 mm and larger 40 mm systems. Like BAE Systems,
Rheinmetall produces a range of naval
barrelled weapons including the S20
Pintle Mount, 20 mm Mk 20 DM5, 25 mm
MLG 25, 30 mm MLG 30, 30 mm
armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2009

the companys MLG 30 uses air-burst

ammunition and can reach similar ranges
to the MLG 27. Finally, with a 1000 rds/min
rate-of-fire, the companys Millennium 35
mm naval gun has a range of up to 2.7 nm.
Single- and twin-mount weapons produced by Rheinmetall include the Mk
30-1, which has a 1.6 nm range while the
twin-barrelled Mk 30-2 has what the company claims is the highest rate of fire for a
30 x 173 mm calibre weapon.
At the heavier end of the spectrum
is Rheinmetalls 155 mm Monarc system,
which was co-developed with KraussMaffei Wegmann, Thales Nederland and
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. The

Like Nexters Narwhal, Rheinmetalls

MLG 27 relies on existing airborne
gun applications, namely the Mauser
27 mm. It fires, inter alia, specifically
developed frangible rounds.
(Rheinmetall)

Naval: weapons

The Advanced Gun

System produced
by BAE Systems is
designed as a next
generation heavycalibre weapon for
US Navy and US
Marine Corps operations in littoral
and coastal
regions. The gun
has an automatic
munitions handling
system.
(BAE Systems)

Naval: weapons

Rheinmetalls
Millennium 35 mm
Naval Gun System
is the only mediumcalibre naval gun
which is capable of
attacking fast
moving air threats
at ranges of up to
2.4 nm, according
to the company.
(Armada/TW)

gun for Germanys F-125 frigates. This

takes the form of the 127-mm 127/64 Light
Weight Naval Gun Mount. The weapon
has a range of up to 54 nm and complements the companys 127/54 Compact Gun
Mount designed for destroyers and
frigates. It is worth noting that the F-125
vessels are also outfitted with Oto
Melaras Hitrole 12.7-mm remote-controlled gun turrets, which have an extended depression capability enabling the guns
to hit targets at very close range.

Self Defence

rationale behind the Monarc was to

develop a system that could use the gun
turret from a PzH2000 self-propelled
howitzer, but which could be mounted on
a ship and would have a range of 21.5 nm.
The weapon was originally to have outfitted the F-125 class frigates, although the
integration of the weapon reportedly
proved difficult and instead the Oto
Melara 127/64 Light Weight Gun Mount
(see below) was selected.

Oto Melara
Along with Rheinmetall, BAE Systems,
Nexter and MSI Defence, Europes other
major naval gun producer is Italys Oto
Melara. The small-calibre weapons include the 12.7 mm Mod 517 gun and the
M584 Modular Gun System which offers
a choice of Oerlikon Contraves or ATK
M242 Bushmaster 1 for the 25 mm fit, or
the Mauser Mk 30-2 or ATK Mk 44 Bushmaster 2 as 30 mm armament. A similar
modular approach has been employed
for the companys Marlin-WS 30 mm
gun, which was selected for the Holland
class support ships of the Koninklijke
Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) with
installation earmarked for completion by
2011. With a 450 rds/min rate-of-fire, Oto
Melaras Single Fast Forty Multi-purpose
Naval Gun Mount is designed to engage
surface vessels and aircraft, while the Single-30 30 mm weapon offers a rate of fire
of 700 rds/min and a choice of a 25 mm
gun if desired by the customer.
At the heavier end, Oto Melaras Twin
40L70 Compact Naval Gun Mount can
dispense up to 600 rds/min, with the
option to increase the rate of fire to 900
rds/min with the installation of a pair of
Single Fast Forty guns. The Twin 40L70 has
proven very popular and has been sold to
20 navies. Also able to hit surface and air
threats is the 76-mm 76/62 Compact Naval
Gun Mount which, the company says, can
be installed on any type of surface vessel
and can fire 100 rds/min. The 76/62 Super
Rapid version has been selected to equip
the Aquitaine class Fremm multi-purpose
frigates of the Marine Nationale (French
Navy). This version will feature a lowobservable gun cupola, the first of which

10

Oto Melaras Marlin-WS has the

option for either 25 or 30 mm
ammunition. The modular construction
gives customers a flexible design and
the weapon can also be linked to a
customer-specified electro-optical
system. (Oto Melara)

will be installed in 2009 with the second

following in 2011, the remainder being
completed at five-month intervals.
As mentioned above, Oto Melara
secured the contract to produce the main

Although producing a small-calibre product, Raytheon has nevertheless carved

out an impressive niche supplying its
famous Phalanx Close-In Weapon System. Since the types debut in 1980, over
850 examples have sold across the world
to 21 countries. The Phalanx can deliver a
devastating 4500 rds/min which can turn
an anti-ship missile sized target into little
more than dead metal. The Block 1B
upgrade for the weapon was initiated in
2005 and adds the ATK 20 mm Mk 244
Enhanced Lethality Cartridge to the gun,
along with a new search-and-track radar,
a flir system and improvements to the
weapons barrel life.
BAE Systems selected Rafael
Advanced Defence Systems Mk 25
Typhoon Naval Stabilised Weapons Station for its Mk 38 Mod 2 gun. The Mk 25
Typhoon is in turn based on the OWS-25
Overhead Weapons Station that Rafael
developed for the Achzarit, Puma and
M113A2 Ultra armoured vehicles used
by the Tzva HaHagana LeYisra'el (Israel
Defense Force). As a naval system, the
Mk 25 Typhoon has been sold to Australia, Greece, India, Singapore and Sri
Lanka. It has also been purchased by the
Heil HaYam HaYisraeli (Israeli Sea
Corps).
Denel produces the 35DPG 35-mm
gun, which has a range of 2.15 nm and 3.2
nm against air and sea threats respectively. The weapon outfits the South African
Navys Valour class frigates. Kongsberg of
Norway also produces a small-calibre
system in the shape of the Sea Protector,
which includes a 12.7-mm Browning M2
One of the most
famous naval
barrelled selfprotection weapons
is the Raytheon
Phalanx. Belching
out over 4000
rds/min, the gun
gives excellent protection against
incoming threats
such as anti-ship
missiles. (Raytheon)

armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2009

Naval: weapons

As well as the
large- and mediumcalibre naval guns,
the US Navy still
uses smaller-calibre
weapons for
general short range
defence. This
includes equipment
like the Gatling
GAU-17A Minigun.
(US Navy)

and M240 7.62-mm machine gun, both of

which are positioned on a stabilised
mount that absorbs the weapons recoil.
Thales Nederland, for its part, produces
the Goalkeeper system, which can fire up
to 4200 rds/min against anti-ship missiles
out to just beyond one nautical mile.
However, with a weight of 9902 kg and
2.5 metres of deck penetration, the Goalkeeper is primarily designed for larger
ships.

The US Navy, meanwhile, is also looking towards acquiring new munition to

equip its guns and BAE Systems has partnered with Lockheed Martin to develop
the 127-mm Long Range Land Attack
Projectile for the Advanced Gun System
(see above). To this end, the efforts of
both companies have thus far yielded a

test flight of the projectile over a 59 nautical mile range. An integrated Global
Positioning System/Inertial Navigation
System ensures the accuracy of the
round, which is reported to have a circular error probable in the region of around
50 metres.
Kongsbergs Sea
Protector system
can host a number
of different guns
and has been
designed as a
remote-controlled
weapon station.
The design is based
on Kongsbergs
M151 Protector
product used on
General Dynamics
Land Systems
M1126 Stryker
vehicles.
(Armada/TW)

12

The US Navy may choose to abandon traditional gun designs altogether in favour of
an electro-magnetic weapon that could
accelerate a shell to speeds of up to Mach
seven. The Electro-Magnetic Rail Gun
(EMRG) initiative calls for the development of a gun that could fire a shell to a
range of around 188 nm using an electrically powered weapon. The destruction of
the target would be realised with the sheer
kinetic energy of the projectile. The gun
will use electro-magnets to give the shell
an extremely high muzzle velocity, supplying the projectile with both its hitting
power and range. Aside from the reach and
strength of the weapon, one of the major
advantages could be the elimination of
chemical propellants and explosives that
need to be stored onboard warships.
However, there is much work to do
before such weapons are ready for installation on tomorrows US Navy surface
combatants. The energy consumption of
the EMRG is still quite large. As a comparison, a test firing of a prototype landThe future face of
destruction: the US
Navys ElectroMagnetic Rail Gun
could deliver highly
destructive effects
over a very long
range. The weapon
would also eliminate
the need to store the
explosive propellants
on a ship, which can
constitute a major
safety hazard.
(US Navy)

Rationalising Rounds
The Royal Navy is currently in the market for a 155 mm heavy weapon and has
commissioned the Centre for Operational Research and Defence Analysis
(Corda) at BAE Systems to study the
options. The centre is examining the feasibility of using the 155 mm shells of the
British Armys AS90 self-propelled howitzer as part of the Future Coastal Suppression Concept Study. The rationale
behind the employment of 155-mm
ammunition is not only to provide the
Royal Navy with more striking power,
but also to slim down the navys logistical
burden by allowing a common munition
to be used by the heavy armament of
both services. The aim is to integrate the
155-mm shell with the Mk 8 Mod 1 gun
mount currently used by the Royal Navy
on its destroyers and frigates. Test-firings
are expected this year.

Electromagnetic Guns

armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2009

based weapon at the US Naval Surface

Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Virginia,
accelerated the projectile to Mach Seven
which enabled the 90 mm shell to embed
itself up to 20 metres into shipping containers filled with sand. The US Navy is
looking for the electromagnetic gun to
have a hitting power of around 64 megajoules of energy, which is roughly the
equivalent to a freight train travelling at
96 km/h. Yet to reach such levels, the gun
would have to develop 120 megajoules,
which would require around 40 gigawatts
of electricity. As a comparison, a heat
wave in Chicago in 1995 required the
generation of 19 gigawatts of electricity
to keep the citys air conditioning systems working. Such levels of power could
task a ships electrical system to the limit.
Moreover, moving shells at such high
speeds through the barrel could trigger
its rapid degradation. These are serious
challenges to overcome and yet the Navy
wants to be in a position to test a 110-nmrange gun in 2016, with a weapon ready
to be fielded by 2025. The Navy envisages that the ERMG could then be retroa
fitted onto older vessels.