127/64 lightweight
| 127/64 lightweight | |
|---|---|
| caliber | 127 mm (5 inch) |
| Weight | 22,000 kg (without ammunition) |
| magazine | 56 (ready-to-use ammunition) in four magazines |
| cooling | Lake water |
| Rate of fire | 40 rounds / min |
The 127/64 Lightweight, or 127/64 LW for short , is a rapid-fire naval gun manufactured by the Italian company Leonardo . The original manufacturer Oto Melara was merged into Leonardo in 2016.
Development and designation
The 127/64 LW is a further development of the 127/54 Compact , which dates from the 1960s. It has been in development since the late 1990s and has been available for use since 2010. The designation is based on the caliber of 127 mm, the caliber of length 64, i.e. a pipe length of 8128 millimeters and the design as a lightweight version ( English Lightweight ) in order to be able to use it to units that are smaller than for the 127 / 54 Compact is required.
Purpose and technology
The main purpose of the gun is to combat surface targets, like other ships, and fire at land targets. It is also suitable for use against low-flying targets to a limited extent. The gun is intended for use on medium-sized units, such as frigates and destroyers , and is digitally or analogously networked with the ship's combat system. It can also be controlled via the CORBA protocol. Due to the compactness of the gun, installation is also possible in narrow hull sections of the ship.
The casing of the gun was designed according to the principles of stealth technology ( LO , low observability).
Magazine and ammunition
The gun is compatible with the standardized 127 mm ammunition families for sea guns of NATO . It is supplied with ammunition via four drum magazines, each containing 14 rounds, and can therefore fire different types of ammunition. It is possible to reload the unused magazines while firing and can also be done using an automatic loader. The gun and loading system are designed so that the ammunition can be automatically returned to the magazine after loading. This increases security and allows you to change the type of ammunition to choose the optimal ammunition for a target.
As an alternative to conventional ammunition, which is fired with a range of up to 30 kilometers, the extended range Vulcano ammunition family will also be possible in the future, increasing the effective range of the gun to over 100 km.
use
The 127/64 Lightweight was selected as the main gun for the new F125 frigates of the German Navy . It thus prevailed against Rheinmetall's MONARC concept . The order for the delivery of five guns worth 70 million euros was awarded on April 4, 2007.
On the FREMM frigates ( French: Frégate Multi-Mission or Italian: Fregata Multi-Missione ) of the Italian Navy that are currently being received , the 127/64 is intended as a gun for the land attack version. The first ship of the land attack version, the Carlo Bergamini (F590), has been actively in service since May 2013.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Information on 127/64 on Deagle.com (English)
- ↑ Overview sheet from Oto Melara on 127/64 ( Memento from January 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 934 kB, English)
- ↑ Defense update on the use of the 127/64 on the frigates F125 (English) ( Memento from May 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Press release on the use of the 127/64 on the F125 ( Memento of December 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Oto Melara (English)
- ↑ Press release on the order of the German Navy ( Memento of February 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 189 kB) Finmeccanica (English)