Naval Gun-S Kulshrestha.qxd:INDO-PAK.qxd 10/02/15 11:13 AM Page 5
NAVAL WARFARE
FEBRUARY 2015
Oto Melara’s 127/64 LW gun can fire the VULCANO family of Ballistic Extended Range (BER) and Guided Long Range (GLR) rounds © Oto Melara
booster. AGS-L can also fire a high capacity ballistic 155 mm ASuW projectile (ASuWP). The AGS-L can store up to 240 LRLAP and 48 ASuWP.
DSI
The Narwhal, which can be armed with two different types of 20 mm cannon © Nexter
Guns below 40 mm calibre
measured and a built-in CPU sets up the trigger point of maximum lethality. In addition, a Digital Signal Processor provides full rejection of sea clutter at minimal distance from sea surface. What is of importance is the fact that the 76/62 gun mount including the ones already in service can be upgraded by the introduction of a Fuse Programmer Device. DART (Driven Ammunition with Reduced Time of flight) guided projectile, has also been developed by Oto Melara, it can be re-vectored towards the target during its flight. It can be fired by 76mm Strales system. The STRALES is highly effective against anti-ship missiles. DART is a subcalibre projectile with canard which is directed to the target by the guidance beam generated by an antenna placed on the gun mount. Its effectiveness is further increased by 3AP microwave programmable fuse and pre-fragmented warhead. As far as coastal gun batteries are concerned the Indian Navy can look at heavier gun systems like the 155mm (6inch) Advanced Gun System Light, manufactured by BAE Systems (Minneapolis) , which provides a heavy volume, precise and sustained gun fire support. The Long Range Land Attack Projectile, LRLAP ammunition is being developed by BAE Louisville, Kentucky and
BEL has developed “Gun Fire Control System” (GFCS) for the Indian Navy for the P-28 class of ships.The GFCS is a quick reaction, multisensor, and multi-weapon, short/medium/long range defense system against air, surface, or shore targets on board naval ships
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Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida. The LRLAP for AGS-L is capable of hitting targets at a range of 74 nm at the rate of six rounds per minute with the rocket booster assisted launch. It is multi piece ammunition and the shell is loaded with modular launch charges and rocket
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BAE Systems is working on the Mk 38 Mod 3, in partnership with Rafael, Israel. The Mod 3 uses a 30 mm ATK cannon with a coaxial .50-calibre M2 heavy machine gun in place of the 25mm M242 cannon that is fitted on the Mod 1 & 2 mounts. The 30mm cannon provide a 500-meter longer effective range over the M242 Bushmaster. The Mod 3 has a greater range of elevation: -20 degrees to +75 degrees to engage air targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and helicopters. The Mod 3 mount carries about three times the ammunition load of the existing gun mounts. The MK 46 GWS is a remotely operated naval gun system that uses 30mm high velocity cannon, a forward looking infrared sensor, a low light television camera, and a laser rangefinder for shipboard self defense against small, high speed surface targets. The gun can be operated locally at the gun turret or remotely at the Remote Operating Console in the Combat Information Centre (LPD 17 class)/Mission Control Centre (LCS class). It has a range of 2000 meters and a rate of fire of 200 rpm. The system includes the MK 44 Mod 2 30mm Bushmaster II cannon, i.e. a single barrel, open bolt, dual feed, electrically powered, chain driven automatic cannon. Oto Melara claims that its twin Fast Forty 40 mm gun, firing 900 rounds per minute, can kill an incoming supersonic missile at ranges up to 3,280 yards (3,000 m). The mount automatically switches from the lighter HE round to the heavier APFSDS when the missile reaches a range of 1,100 yards (1,000 m). The Bofors 40 Mk4 naval gun system has been designed to be an agile, flexible weapon system that enables a very quick response. Its long range and a high rate of fire are complemented by its low weight and compact dimensions. It has the capability to switch between optimized ammunition types, including programmable 40mm 3P all-target ammunition. The Nexter Narwhal (Naval Remote Weapon Highly Accurate Lightweight) naval remote weapon system is particularly designed for use in light ships with very high maneuverability for monitoring and close-in
combat actions but may also be suitable for heavier tonnage ships. The fully stabilised NARWHAL rapid-fire gun system comes in two variants: NARWHAL 20A with a 20mm M621 cannon and NARWHAL 20B with a 20mm M693 cannon. In its basic configuration, the NARWHAL consists of a gyro stabilised mounting armed with a 20 mm cannon, a day camera, and a firecontrol system. It is remotely-controlled from a control panel enabling system operation, target acquisition and tracking and fire opening by the operator.
Fire Control Systems BEL has developed ‘’Gun Fire Control System’’ (GFCS) for the Indian Navy for the P-28 class of ships. The GFCS is a quick reaction, multi-sensor, and multiweapon, short/medium/long range defense system against air, surface, or shore targets on board naval ships. The GFCS is designed to provide air or surface defense with 76mm and 30mm guns. It will track hostile targets through radars or video tracking systems, based on data provided by early warning search radars. Data generated by sensors is processed and used to control the weapons by directing them in the direction of incoming missiles. It comprises five functional sub-systems: tracker, weapon control, sight control, combat management
system, and support systems, each of which can be used as an independent system. Sagem is modernizing fire control systems for French Naval surveillance frigates. It is using new-generation ElectroOptical Multifunction System (EOMS-NG) to provide fire control for the ship’s 100mm gun as well as contribute to their tactical situation awareness and self-defense. The single unit high-performance EOMS-NG optronic system features day-night infrared search and track (IRST) type passive panoramic observation, identification, tracking and fire control as well as very short reaction time between detection and engagement. Ideal for fighting piracy and illicit traffic, the EOMS-NG will replace the existing Najir optronic system. SAGEM’s VIGY MM is a high precision electro optic fire control system which can be Integrated in a Combat Management System or operated in a stand-alone mode. VIGY MM allows manual or automatic sector surveillance, automatic target tracking, aid to identification and transmission or reception of 3D target designation information. VIGY MM is able to control several guns of different calibres simultaneously. It is easy to operate and maintain. VIGY MM comprises of, a high-performance gyro stabilized platform providing an accurate line of sight, a ballistic computer allowing high accuracy
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gun firing, and a Man-Machine Interface (MMI). VIGY MM has high reliability, performance, and accuracy. Over 400 systems in the VIGY MM range (formerly PANDA, LYNX, NAJIR Mk1, Mk2, and 2000, VIGY 20) are currently operated by 30 navies worldwide.
Conclusion Promising development of the laser weapon system ‘LaWS’, whose prototype has undergone successful trials on board USS Ponce in the recent past may lead to a very cost effective solution against small boats and UAVs, but it cannot replace the naval gun in all its roles. The electromagnetic rail gun, has potential and can fire non explosives shells to large distances (>100Kms) with great accuracy at velocities up to 7.5 Mach, but it is still some time away. The missiles, despite their falling prices cannot match the cost benefits accrued by the traditional naval gun. On the other hand, rapid technological improvements in gun shells and fuses have satisfactorily demonstrated very high ranges (>100Kms) and accuracies. The naval gun thus continues to be entrenched in its position as the main work horse armament on board ships of the major navies and is likely to remain the mainstay of warships at least until 2025 if not up to 2040.