Naval Artillery

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

BAE, Lockheed Martin Take Long Shot At Navy

Posted by Bill Sweetman at 5/4/2010 9:58 AM CDT

BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin unveiled a 5-inch (127 mm) version of the Long Range Land Attack Projectile at the Navy League Sea-Air Space show in Washington DC. Developed using independent research and development funds, the GPS-guided, rocket-assisted shell is set for a firing trial at Yuma, Arizona, late this year.

The earlier 155 mm LRLAP was specifically developed for BAE's Advanced Gun System for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer, but now that the class has been capped at three ships the Navy will have only six guns capable of using it. The 5-inch gun is compatible with the Mk45 gun system on DDG-51-class frigates and - combined with the 62-caliber version of the gun on the latest Burkes - is expected to exceed 40 nm range.



Previous guided-round efforts for the Navy (ERGM and BTERM) have been abortive, but BAE notes that the technology has moved on and issues such as g-resistant guidance systems have been addressed. The new round uses the same motor chemistry and guidance technology as LRLAP.

[Weasel]

... issues such as g-resistant guidance systems have been addressed...



lol...and I didn't even get a kiss. :beaver

cheers

w

[buglerbilly]

Next to Last Firing Trials of the STRALES System On Board Nave Foscari

(Source: OTO Melara; issued July 5, 2010)


The Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapido gun as fitted to the Italian Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel Comandante Foscari, used to trial the Starles system. (Italian Navy photo)

LA SPEZIA, Italy --- During the second week of June, Oto Melara, a Finmeccanica company, together with the Italian Navy, successfully performed very important firing trials with the Strales system on board the [Italian Navy Ship] Foscari (a naval unit belonging to the Comandanti Class); the trials took place in the open sea in front of the Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra (PISQ), an Italian inter-service firing range located in Sardinia.

The Strales, developed under the funding of the Italian Navy, is an anti-air, anti short range missile and anti FIACs system based on the installation on the 76 Super Rapid (SR) gun of a Radio Frequency (RF) guidance beam capable to steer a burst of sub-calibre DART projectiles against subsonic and supersonic targets with excellent manoeuvre capability and high lateral acceleration.

This capacity can be extended to all the 76/62 Super Rapid guns in service through the installation of the proper kit which also includes the possibility of a feeding magazine capable to automatically select different ammunition according to the role that the gun is requested to perform.

On board Nave Foscari the Strales system is integrated with the NA25 Firing Control System produced by Selex Sistemi Integrati.

The trials were carried out against radio-controlled, high velocity aerial targets against which DART projectiles were fired in four different engagements at intercept distances of more than 4 Km.

Thanks to special IR, high resolution video cameras installed on the gun for diagnostic purposes, it has been possible to record the images of the DART burst in the exact instant in which it intercepted the target.

The burst, activated by the proximity fuse of the projectile, took place according to the foreseen modalities and timing, showing the complete success of the launching phase, manoeuvring capabilities and intercept accuracy of the DART.

These firing trials have represented the last verification activity of Oto Melara on the development level reached by the complete system in an environment that reproduced the same characteristics of a typical operative mission at sea.

In October 2010 another firing campaign will be carried out in order to deliberate the configuration of the Dart ammunition and that will therefore represent the beginning of the industrialization phase the first batch of which will be dedicated to the qualification activities.

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[buglerbilly]

BAE Systems Completes Successful Rocket Ballistic Test of 5-inch Long Range Land Attack Projectile

(Source: BAE Systems; issued September 16, 2010)

MINNEAPOLIS --- BAE Systems has conducted a successful rocket ballistic flight test of its 5-inch Long Range Land Attack Projectile at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Employing a tactically configured airframe propelled by a rocket motor, the rocket ballistic test met all predicted performance parameters during its flight. Coupled with previous component and subsystem testing, this successful test sets the stage for planned guided flight demonstrations of the 5-inch LRLAP.

The 5-inch LRLAP is being designed to allow deployed surface ships to strike shore-based targets at ranges that exceed 50 nautical miles.

"Our team continues to progress toward demonstrating the full capability of a highly effective and low-cost 5-inch Long Range Land Attack Projectile," said Gary Slack, president of BAE Systems U.S. Combat Systems. "We stand ready to support the U.S. Navy by providing technology to meet the future needs of the fleet within three years."

The 5-inch LRLAP is a GPS-guided projectile being developed for the MK 45 Mod 2 and 4 naval guns on board Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers within the U.S. Navy fleet, and various MK 45 guns in allied fleets around the world.

This internal research and development project is run jointly by BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Science Applications International Corporation. Additionally, a saboted variant of the munition is being developed to be fired from 155mm artillery howitzers employed by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.

Further tests of the 5-inch LRLAP will follow in the upcoming months.

BAE Systems is a global defense, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).

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[buglerbilly]

Babcock and Oto Melara team up for UK Frigate Gun System

Euronaval | Oto Melara (a subsidiary of the Finmeccanica Group) and Babcock International Group’s Marine Division have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to offer the Oto Melara 127mm 64cal Light Weight (LW) Medium Calibre Gun System to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Type 26 frigate for the Royal Navy.

The 127/64 LW has already been selected by other European navies and has been developed as a complete system, including long range precision guided ammunition.

Under the agreed co-operation between the two companies, Babcock would be the prime contractor to the MoD, leveraging its established position as a Tier 1 contractor. The arrangements would provide significant licensed work for Babcock, with opportunities for a broad UK supply chain, in assembly, test, setting to work and on-going in-service support in the UK.

There is also potential for the system to be offered in UK sales of Type 26 derivatives for the export market.

The Oto Melara 127/64 LW gun is capable of firing up to 35 rounds per minute. The production turret weighs less than 29 tons and the ‘peppered’ muzzle brake with an aluminium shield keeps cost down, improves maintenance and reduces radar cross-section. The gun uses an advanced ammunition handling system, consisting of four revolving drum magazines holding 56 ready-to-fire rounds of more than four different types, allowing flexibility in ammunition selection and a high rate of sustained fire. It is capable of anti-surface and anti-air defence, and area engagement. The new Vulcano ammunition is capable of precision engagement at ranges previously only achievable by missile systems but at a fraction of the cost.

Both Babcock and Finmeccanica view this as an exciting and mutually beneficial relationship.

Babcock Equipment Solutions managing director Roger Gillespie said: “We are delighted to be working in co-operation with Oto Melara to offer this gun system for the Type 26 frigate. Babcock is already known as a leading contractor for weapon support work for the UK MoD and is expert in the manufacture, assembly, test and setting to work of naval weapon systems. We hold a long-term Phalanx Close-in Weapon System support contract, as well as having the contract to modify Mk8 Guns to Mod1 standard, and providing logistics support for the Mod1 Gun.”

Oto Melara senior vice president marketing and sales Ulderigo Rossi said: “The 127/64 LW medium calibre gun system is now in production for the Italian FREMM and the German F125. We are delighted to be working with a UK industrial team to offer this for the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate.”

The two companies are also exploring other products and markets where they feel they may profitably co-operate.

Babcock is at Euronaval on stand D2.6, UK Pavilion. Finmeccanica, including Oto Melara, is on stand B3 Hall 2.

[buglerbilly]

The Ship Comandante Foscari in Sardinia for “Davide” Trials

(Source: Italian Navy; issued Nov. 15, 2010)

(Issued in Italian only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)



Long in the making, DAVIDE consists of a standard gun turret firing a guided – or course-corrected – projectile for anti-surface and air-defence missions. (Italian Navy photo)The test activities of the DAVIDE system have now reached the fifth firing campaign of this revolutionary system which uses the 76/62SR naval gun to fire guided munitions. These trials are held at the joint firing range at Solto di Quirra; where the offshore patrol vessel Comandante Foscari (P493), commanded by Cdr. Vitaliano Carboni, evaluated the system’s functionality.

The DAVIDE system will revolutionize the concept of naval artillery by transforming a standard 76mm gun turret into a weapon system able to shake off previously-accepted ballistic limitations to guide an intelligence projectile to its target.

The major innovation of this fifth test campaign is the sphere activity, necessary to test the guidance capabilities of the DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of Flight) against surface targets.

The data obtained during these firings will allow OTO-Melara to prepare for the tests scheduled for the end of the month, when all eyes will be on the small DAVIDE and its great ambitions.

Only then will the new system demonstrate its ability to fin dits place among the various missile-based Goliaths that provide point-defence.

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[buglerbilly]

Pentagon Contract Announcement

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued March 3, 2011)



BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Inc., Louisville, Ky., is being awarded a $33,920,480 undefinitized firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for MK38 Mod 2 machine gun systems.

The MK 38 Mod 2 machine gun system ordnance alteration (ORDALT) kit consists of two-axis stabilization with remote control capability and an on-mount day/night electro-optical suite along with an eye-safe laser range finder.

This procurement is to acquire a quantity of up to 150 ORDALT kits spanning fiscal 2010 through 2013, with deliveries starting in February 2012.

Additionally, there will be line items established for the procurement of installation and checkout spares; on-board repair parts; ORDALT kits; engineering and field services; training; and provisioning item orders.

Work will be performed in Haifa, Israel (67 percent), and Louisville, Ky. (33 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-11-C-0015).

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[buglerbilly]

Revolutionary Material Dramatically Increases Explosive Force of Weapons

(Source: Naval Air System Command; issued August 11, 2011)

ARLINGTON, Va. --- The Office of Naval Research announced Aug. 10 that it is testing a new material that has the potential to replace steel in warhead casings that will bring added power and accuracy for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

By combining several metals with standard manufacturing techniques, High-Density Reactive Material (HDRM) has the potential to dramatically increase the explosive impact of most weapons with little or no compromise in strength or design.

For more than five years, ONR has been developing and testing high density reactive materials for fragmenting warheads. The results of these investments have the potential to place the Navy on the edge of revolutionary change in ordnance design and effectiveness.

Unlike conventional munitions, the innovative materials approach integrates the casing with approved warhead explosives for increased lethality. In addition, the unique design for fragmenting warheads allows release of chemical energy after impact, increasing the probability of a catastrophic kill.

"Recent testing and demonstrations have consistently shown that the new casings can be integrated into naval missiles and are durable enough to withstand both high acceleration of missile launch and the forces exposed to during the detonation event," said Dr. Clifford Bedford, ONR's energy conversion program officer. "The HDRM fragments can penetrate a target's skin, followed by a rapid and sustained combustion/explosion."

The last test shots were fired at the Army's Blossom Point Field Test Facility in Maryland at the end of June.

HDRM has the strength of common aluminum alloys yet the density of mild steel, making it an ideal replacement for steel components. This is important because, in order for existing weapon systems to maintain probability of a hit, they must have a density similar to that of steel.

ONR is planning additional test shots in mid-August at Blossom Point. A large-scale demonstration against multiple stationary targets is tentatively planned for September.

The reactive materials team at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, a partner with ONR, was recently honored with a Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year award for developing the material.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

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[buglerbilly]

BAE Systems Completes Successful Test of Mk 38 Tactical Laser System Concept

30 Aug 2011 | Ref. 158/2011

ARLINGTON, Virginia – BAE Systems, Boeing, and the U.S. Navy recently conducted a successful test of the Mk 38 MOD 2 Tactical Laser System (TLS) concept at Eglin Air Force Base in Eglin, Fla.

The Mk 38 TLS concept is a proposed high energy laser addition to the Mk 38 naval gun systems that are currently deployed on most surface combatants. The results of the recent field testing demonstrated a capability to identify and classify hostile targets and provide rapid hand-off to the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated Experiments (MATRIX) system for interdiction. The test system configuration fired against air and surface maritime targets, demonstrating a range of target effects.

Additionally, swarm tests were conducted to simulate an attack by a large number of fast, maneuvering small boats, intermingled with neutral boat traffic. These tests demonstrated a consistent ability to detect, track, classify and engage threat vessels at tactically relevant ranges.

"The success of this testing exceeded all expectations and demonstrates that our Mk 38 TLS has the potential to deliver an important ship self defense capability," said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems for BAE Systems. "The optics associated with control of the laser allow significantly greater capability in target identification, the ability to conduct precision tracking and engagement, and provide the option of non-lethal engagements, which are critical features to enhance ship defenses."

A distinguished visitor day was held on June 29 with representatives in attendance from U.S. Fleet Forces, Naval Air Forces, Office of Naval Research, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), Naval Sea Systems Command and other service and joint agencies. In addition to receiving briefs on the Mk 38 TLS concept and the MATRIX system, static and dynamic demonstrations were conducted to give the visitors a first-hand look at the system’s capabilities.

“The Mk 38 Tactical Laser System concept was able to discriminate specific target features while tracking fast moving small boats. It was able to engage precise targets with laser energy at tactically relevant ranges," said Chris Abbott, Science Advisor for Commander, U.S. Second Fleet.

For the test demonstration, BAE Systems partnered with Boeing and used the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) MATRIX laser test bed and Boeing's 10kW International Photonic Group (IPG) fiber laser. The demonstration was sponsored by the Commander of the U.S. Second Fleet. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren was the Test Executive Agent and the USAF 46th Test Squadron coordinated all range and safety support.

For further information, please contact:

Stephanie Bissell Serkhoshian, BAE Systems
Tel: +1 703 894 3522 Mobile: +1 703 785 7891
stephanie.serkhoshian@baesystems.com

[buglerbilly]

Laser–Machine Gun Mashup Tested on ‘Pirate Ships’

By Spencer Ackerman September 1, 2011 | 1:00 pm



Now we know what the Navy plans to do with its experimental hybrid of laser cannon and machine gun: zap pirate ships.

Two defense giants, Boeing and BAE Systems, announced late last month that they would team up on a $2.8 million Navy contract for a prototype version of BAE’s Mk-38 25-mm machine gun with a little upgrade: a death ray. As the companies excitedly explained, the new gun would protect surface ships from pretty much everything, from enemy boats to small drones.

What the companies weren’t letting on was that they had already tested the machine-laser-gun a month before the announcement. And in tests that BAE — hardly an uninterested party — claims were successful, the new Mk-38 took on its most likely adversary: pirate skiffs.

In late June, the waters of the Choctawatchee Bay near Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base stood in for the Gulf of Aden, as ersatz pirate ships “swarmed” amidst dense “civilian” maritime traffic to harass a mock Navy “platform” armed with the laser gun. The enhanced version of the Mk-38 used its lasers to fix the enemy targets for bursts of machine gun fire, before switching up to laser mode to “defeat the targets” with a “high beam-quality 10-kilowatt laser,” BAE spokeswoman Stephanie Bissell Serkhoshian told Danger Room.

That might be the most practical use for the new weapon. Pirate attacks near Yemen and Somalia employ motorboats, often working in “swarm” teams, small enough to be neutralized by 10 kilowatts’ worth of power, which the Navy considers about an order of magnitude below what’s typically militarily useful. They also get close enough to U.S. ships and merchant vessels to let off small-arms fire at the crews, putting them in range of either the machine-gun bursts or the laser target.

Serkhoshian pointed to an April pirate attempt on the USS Ashland as a template for the test. In the Gulf of Aden on April 10, a green pirate skiff sneaked up on the amphibious dock landing ship, getting close enough for its six-man crew to let off small-arms fire at the Ashland. The U.S. sailors retaliated with their laser-free Mk-38, setting the skiff aflame and forcing the pirates to abandon ship.

With a laser attached, the idea is to blast multiple skiffs more efficiently: A laser of similar kilowatt expenditure can burn through an outboard motor in about a minute, as the Office of Naval Research demonstrated with a different laser system in the California seas back in April.

And it’s also useful for locking onto targets for the conventional machine gun to shoot. It’s certainly a departure from BAE’s last anti-piracy contribution: a crystalline neodymium-yttrium-aluminium garnet laser used as a blinding floodlight.

Still, the test had some serious training wheels attached. The laser version of the Mk-38 wasn’t fired from a Navy ship maneuvering against the enemy skiffs. It was actually affixed to a Navy “platform” on dry land, Serkhoshian confirms, while the skiffs were out in the water. It’s much easier to fire from a static position, and Navy ships like the Ashland probably won’t have that luxury.

By contrast, the Office of Naval Research’s laser test in April was a big deal precisely because it represented the first time a Navy laser fired from a ship speeding through choppy waters blasted away a moving target. Additionally, BAE won’t disclose how far away the “pirate skiffs” were when the Mk-38 took them out.

It’ll be years before the Mk-38 gets out of the development stage and aboard a ship. But the eternal struggle between pirates and lasers just intensified.

Illustration: BAE

[buglerbilly]

Navy Successfully Conducts DDG 1000 Round Testing

(Source: US Navy; issued Sept. 22, 2011)

WHITE SANDS, N.M. --- The long range land attack projectile (LRLAP), designed for the DDG 1000 Advanced Gun System, successfully completed two live-fire tests at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Navy announced Sept. 22.

The mission, conducted Aug. 30, was the first live-fire test to successfully demonstrate LRLAP effectiveness against targets.

LRLAP is a 155 millimeter rocket-assisted guided projectile designed to support land-attack and naval surface fire support operations in conjunction with the Advanced Gun System on DDG 1000-class destroyers.

"This test success represents a key milestone in development of the land-attack capability and represents a significant step in the tactical maturation of the LRLAP," said Capt. Tim Batzler, Navy Surface Ship Weapons major program manager for Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems.

Both flight tests flew 45 nautical miles and met key test objectives including successful launch, GPS acquisition, warhead functionality, and terminal accuracy.

Live-fire testing is part of land-based flight qualification during the engineering and manufacturing development phase.

PEO IWS is an affiliated program executive office of the Naval Sea Systems Command, which manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and coordinates Navy open architecture across ship platforms.

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[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Oto Melara Revitalizes Naval Guns with New Multi-mission Ammunition Capabilities

Posted by Noam Eshel at 9/28/2011 9:10 AM CDT

Oto Melara unveiled a new line of extended range and guided munitions it is developing for the 76/62 naval gun system. The new Vulcano 76 round transforms the popular 76/62 naval gun into a multi-mission weapon system, capable of handling surface targets at sea and on land, addressing new operational requirements evolving from modern littoral warfare missions. In addition the system also handles air-defense as well as classic naval gunnery support (NGS). The system aims to revitalize the role of the naval gun, offering new operational capabilities that can not be achieved with contemporary gunnery systems.

As a guided projectile, the fin-stabilized Vulcano 76 will offer autonomous GPS-guided projectiles practically doubling the range of current 76/62 systems. The system maximizes effective range beyond 40 km, when engaging fixed land based targets or surface targets at sea at a high rate of fire. The new capability will enable small littoral combat ships, frigates or gunboats to dominate a wide coastal area from a stand-off distance, out of the range of contemporary medium range anti-ship coastal defense missiles, rockets or artillery.

Vulcano 76 will use a common guided or unguided projectile, fitted with a new multi-modal RF microwave fuse offering altimetric (airburst) proximity (against aerial, naval and surface targets), impact and delayed impact (penetrating) and self-destruct modes. Employing the optimal fusing with a newly designed pre-fragmented warhead made of tungsten-steel compound provides twice the lethality of existing rounds at 80% of the weight.



Vulcano 76 can double the range of current unguided 76 projectiles fired by the 76/62 system, reaching beyond 40 km. The GPS guided version of the Vulcano 76 will be able to hit targets with 'metric accuracy', beyond 40 km. Projectiles equipped with an infrared homing seeker will have slightly shorter range, but will have the capability to hit moving targets at sea with high precision.

Image: Oto Melara

[Milne Bay]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Oto Melara Revitalizes Naval Guns with New Multi-mission Ammunition Capabilities

Posted by Noam Eshel at 9/28/2011 9:10 AM CDT

Oto Melara unveiled a new line of extended range and guided munitions it is developing for the 76/62 naval gun system. The new Vulcano 76 round transforms the popular 76/62 naval gun into a multi-mission weapon system, capable of handling surface targets at sea and on land, addressing new operational requirements evolving from modern littoral warfare missions. In addition the system also handles air-defense as well as classic naval gunnery support (NGS). The system aims to revitalize the role of the naval gun, offering new operational capabilities that can not be achieved with contemporary gunnery systems.

As a guided projectile, the fin-stabilized Vulcano 76 will offer autonomous GPS-guided projectiles practically doubling the range of current 76/62 systems. The system maximizes effective range beyond 40 km, when engaging fixed land based targets or surface targets at sea at a high rate of fire. The new capability will enable small littoral combat ships, frigates or gunboats to dominate a wide coastal area from a stand-off distance, out of the range of contemporary medium range anti-ship coastal defense missiles, rockets or artillery.

Vulcano 76 will use a common guided or unguided projectile, fitted with a new multi-modal RF microwave fuse offering altimetric (airburst) proximity (against aerial, naval and surface targets), impact and delayed impact (penetrating) and self-destruct modes. Employing the optimal fusing with a newly designed pre-fragmented warhead made of tungsten-steel compound provides twice the lethality of existing rounds at 80% of the weight.



Vulcano 76 can double the range of current unguided 76 projectiles fired by the 76/62 system, reaching beyond 40 km. The GPS guided version of the Vulcano 76 will be able to hit targets with 'metric accuracy', beyond 40 km. Projectiles equipped with an infrared homing seeker will have slightly shorter range, but will have the capability to hit moving targets at sea with high precision.

Image: Oto Melara

This improvement in ammunition turns this useful gun into an extremely useful gun. I have often wondered what Australia could do with the six guns from the Adelaides when they all de-commission.
Of course there are two guns sitting around somewhere from Adelaide and Canberra.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?

[Weasel]

This improvement in ammunition turns this useful gun into an extremely useful gun. I have often wondered what Australia could do with the six guns from the Adelaides when they all de-commission.
Of course there are two guns sitting around somewhere from Adelaide and Canberra.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Its not just a refurb. It is an entire system;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnrA4VfjgPI

[Milne Bay]

Its not just a refurb. It is an entire system;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnrA4VfjgPI

Thanks Weasel,
Is it a total system with a new gun, or can the old guns be used as part of the system.
ie if you already have the gun can it fit with the remainder of the system?
I'm into re-cycling

[Weasel]

Thanks Weasel,
Is it a total system with a new gun, or can the old guns be used as part of the system.
ie if you already have the gun can it fit with the remainder of the system?
I'm into re-cycling
Well, actually the DART system (the link i put up) and the Volcano system are compatible with each other. I don't think DART or Volcano use a barrel data download (could be wrong), but are beam rider based.

So short answer. I don't know :)...Long answer, you might be able to re-use. But that might also entail treating the projectiles so as to extend aged barrel life. You know, like they did with the 16/50's on the Iowa class. They added Titanium Dioxide to the charge cases (bags of propellant) and extended barrel life substantially.

[ADMk2]

This improvement in ammunition turns this useful gun into an extremely useful gun. I have often wondered what Australia could do with the six guns from the Adelaides when they all de-commission.
Of course there are two guns sitting around somewhere from Adelaide and Canberra.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Probaby cheaper just to add the 127mm version of Vulcano to our existing and perhaps future 127mm guns...

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_5-64_LW.htm

[buglerbilly]

AUSA 2011: Raytheon examines larger calibre LPWS

October 11, 2011



I'm puzzled by the comments at the end of this article as Oerlikon together with US Partners and the USN tested a 25mm (KBB?) round replacement Gatling plus new ammo cannister to suit that round. It worked extremely well, only direction of funds elsewhere stopped it from being adopted albeit the USN bought cannon in 25mm just not Gatlings. This happened a long time ago, possibly late 80's or early 90's? (working from memory here...........)

Raytheon, in partnership with the US Army and Navy, has completed initial gun calibre testing of 25 mm and 30 mm gun systems on a simulated Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System (LPWS).

The analysis focused on structural impacts to the system related the increase from the current 20 mm gun system. Testing focused on the structural impact of the larger munitions and gun calibre systems on the Phalanx mount and included factors such as acoustic pressure, system vibration, gun blast pressure and increased servo response time as a result of the large calibre gun.

During the next 24 months, Raytheon will enter into the detailed design and development phase. The proof of design will verify that the existing Phalanx structure and key characteristics will be compatible with the larger calibre gun and a mobile platform during the prototype vehicle prove-in stage leading to low rate initial production in 2014.

However, a defence source told Shephard that the concept is unlikely to gain traction. A 30mm is unlikely to work out and there still could be major problems with a 25mm solution and the impact the larger calibre has on the frame.

In the meantime the company is continuing to work on the Mobile LPWS which would interface the existing system with a vehicle. Defence sources said the most likely candidate for the integration would be the existing M107A1 palletised load system.

Darren Lake, Washington, DC

[buglerbilly]

This is an extract taken from another source that covers the situation in the late 80's/early 90's........................Gawd, I got a good memory!!! Where am I and why are you people reading this.............HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


The next major step change will be to Block 2 standard, intended to counter the introduction of faster, more stealthy, anti-ship missiles and further extend engagement ranges. The US Navy has drawn up an operational requirement for Block 2, and is expected to issue requests for proposals covering full-scale development (FSD) in late-1991 or early the following year. The FSD contract is planned to be awarded at the end of 1992, with Block 2 entering service at the end of the century.

Improvements that are likely to be demanded for Phalanx Block 2 include higher gun performance in terms of greater muzzle velocity and/or projectile mass, an increased rate of fire and higher accuracy; additional sensors, probably including infra-red search and tracking; and greater realibility. Keeping ship modifications to a minimum is expected to be an important consideration.

General Dynamics and the US Navy are studying candidate gun systems for Block 2, ranging in calibre from 20mm to 30mm. GD points out, however, that an increase in calibre from the present 20mm of the M61A1 is not a foregone conclusion. Under a feasibility study contract awarded by GD out of its discretionary funds. Oerlikon-Contraves is testing its Gatling 5000 seven-barrelled 25mm weapon mounted in a stardard Phalanx production turret. Firing trials began at the Swiss company's Ochsenboden proving grounds in May 1990.

Oerlikon-Contraves says that the Gatling 5000, which has already been adopted for the Breda Barrage/Myriad CIWS program, has a higher rate of fire and muzzle velocity than any other Gatling gun. The weapon fires 25x184mm KBB ammunition, also known as Super 25, which contains a greater weight of propellant than other 25mm rounds. This confers a muzzle velocity of 1,260m/s with the AMDS (Anti-Missile Discarding Sabot) round, or 1,280m/s with APDS-T.

[buglerbilly]

NSWC Dahlgren Demonstrates New Material's Ability to Increase Weapons' Explosive Force

(Source: Naval Air Systems Command; issued December 6, 2011)

This obviously potentially reads across to a whole range of things such as land artillery, rocket warheads, bomb casings etc etc

DAHLGREN, Va. --- Military, government and industry officials watched the demonstration of a revolutionary material that increases the explosive force and lethality on enemy targets during a test at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren, Va., Dec. 2.

The test material, called high-density reactive material (HDRM), is designed to replace steel in warhead casings with little or no compromise in strength or design.

"Today's test demonstrates this new material's potential and the ability of NAVSEA Warfare Center engineers and scientists to move it from the laboratory to full scale working prototype in under a year to meet technology development goals," said NSWC Dahlgren Division Commander Capt. Michael Smith. "It's a remarkable achievement that could not have been accomplished without close technical collaboration and effort between the Office of Naval Research (ONR), NSWC Dahlgren, NSWC Indian Head Division and industry."

Navy scientists and engineers from NSWC Indian Head Division (IHD) developed HDRM by combining several metals and using standard manufacturing processes.

"It's rewarding to see the validation of much of the theory and experimentation that led to the final material selection," said Dr. Clifford Bedford, ONR Advanced Energy Materials program manager. "In the applied research phase of the program, we've seen 100 percent reproducibility with this experimental system."

Unlike conventional munitions, the innovative materials approach integrates the casing with warhead explosives for increased lethality.

"HDRM has demonstrated enhanced blast, multiphase blast, and reactive fragments effects," said Dr. Jason Jouet, NSWC Indian Head Reactive Materials Team Lead. "With the strength of aluminum, density of steel, and more than one and a half times the energy of TNT, HDRM is truly a revolutionary enabling technology."

HDRM can readily replace steel in existing systems and is compatible with current warhead designs, thereby maintaining the same probability of a successful target strike.

"This approach may translate to less ordnance and ultimately fewer sorties to get the same result," said Jouet.

NSWC IHD's Reactive Materials Team has gradually scaled up its HDRM tests to gather measurable data on the materials destructive characteristics.

"Initially, small cylinder casings were tested to help us refine the design," said Bedford. "We used that data to fine-tune the parameters which were used to scale the charge in the later test demonstrations like the test conducted today."

NSWC Dahlgren engineers worked carefully with device characteristics provided by their NSWC Indian Head counterparts and with target characteristics to design a complex test arena at NSWC Dahlgren's Explosive Experimental Area.

"Rather than dynamically flying the HDRM ordnance device at a single target, we set up several tactically relevant targets," said Jeb Brough, NSWC Dahlgren Technical and Programmatic Lead for Reactive Materials. "We inspected damage to the targets and collected performance data that will be applied to effectiveness models for specific weapons."

Test instrumentation captured critical data and NSWC Dahlgren lethality engineers are currently assessing the target damage to judge the effects of the unique HDRM device.

"Although the arena is extremely complex, it is a cost effective method of evaluating the new material's capability and potential," said Brough. "With this data, the Office of Naval Research can evaluate the best potential for further development related to a specific weapon system."

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[buglerbilly]

DEFINITION:

In the US military, reactive materials (RM) are a new class of materials currently being investigated by the Office of Naval Research and others as a means to increase the lethality of direct-hit or fragmentation warheads. Reactive materials are similar to insensitive high explosives, but are usually thermite-like pyrotechnic compositions of two or more nonexplosive solid materials, which stay inert and do not react with each other until subjected to a sufficiently strong mechanical, electrical or laser stimulus, after which they undergo fast burning or explosion with release of high amount of chemical energy in addition to their kinetic energy. Fragments or projectiles made of such materials have therefore greater damaging effect than inert ones, with expected lethality increase up to 500%.

The material classes under investigation are thermites, intermetallic compounds, metal-polymer mixtures (e.g. magnesium/teflon/viton-like), metastable intermolecular composites (MIC), matrix materials, and hydrides.[1] These materials must be strong enough to act as structural components, be sufficiently stable to survive handling and launch, to penetrate a target, and sufficiently unstable to reliably ignite on impact.

The mixtures under investigation include one or more finely powdered (down to nanoparticle size) metalloids or metals like aluminium, magnesium, zirconium, titanium, tungsten, tantalum, or hafnium, with one or more oxidizers like teflon or other fluoropolymer, pressed or sintered or bonded by other method to a compact, high-density mass. To achieve a suitable reaction rate and insensitivity to impact, friction, and electrostatic discharge, fuel particles have sizes usually between 1-250 µm.[2][3] A standard composition is aluminium-teflon (Al-PTFE).

Metals which can form intermetallic compounds by an exothermic reaction are another class of candidate materials. An example is a laminate of thin alternating layers of aluminum and nickel, commercially available as NanoFoil.

The RM weapons under development include an active protection system defensive grenade for intercepting incoming missiles or grenades and detonating them at a safe distance, and the BattleAxe warhead that covers a wide area with RM fragments with devastating results to soft targets, while the unexploded fragments left behind have very low lethality versus conventional cluster bomb remains.

Under research are materials with high mechanical strength, high density, high energy density, and which can rapidly convert from a consolidated structural material to fine powder with large surface area, be dispersed and then ignited to produce a large thermobaric blast.[4]

A palladium-clad aluminum wire, known under trademark Pyrofuze, is used as a pyrotechnic initiator.

Reactive materials also have non-weapon uses. Thin layers of reactive materials, clad with a solder, are used for reactive bonding, e.g., in electronics, or for brazing, e.g., of composite armor plates.

[buglerbilly]

Raytheon Awarded Naval Power System Contract

(Source: Raytheon Company; issued January 30, 2012)

TEWKSBURY, Mass. --- Raytheon Company has been awarded a $10 million contract from Naval Sea Systems Command to develop a pulsed power system that will enable projectiles to reach great distances without the use of an explosive charge or rocket motor.

The contract for the preliminary design of a Pulse Forming Network (PFN) is part of a larger effort by the U.S. Navy to develop a multimission weapon system for use on naval warships to defend and attack with pinpoint accuracy.

Under the contract, Raytheon will provide the research and development of an advanced Integrated Power Systems power load module that may be used for PFNs to power future lasers, railguns or radars.

"This new system will dramatically change how our Navy defends itself and engages enemies while at sea," said Joe Biondi, vice president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "We have the expertise to design and build a solution that provides our warfighters with a decisive advantage over a multitude of current and emerging threats."

The PFN is a large power system providing the electromagnetic energy for the railgun projectile, which will travel up to 220 miles in less than six minutes and exit the atmosphere before hitting its target at a velocity of 5,000 feet per second.

Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 71,000 people worldwide.

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