4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun
The 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mark 8 is a British naval gun . The current 4.5-inch gun has been the Royal Navy's standard barrel weapon against sea, land and air targets for over 30 years .
The 4.5-inch Mark 8 gun replaced the QF 4.5-inch gun that had been in service since 1938. Officially, the caliber is given as 4.5 inches, which would correspond to 114 mm. However, this is only a rounded figure, the caliber is exactly 4.45 inches, which corresponds to 113 mm. With an increasing focus on combating land targets, a variant in caliber 155 mm is now also being planned.
development
In the 1960s, the Royal Navy identified a need for a completely new 4.5-inch gun for their new frigates and destroyers. The new weapon was supposed to be built by Vickers , but development was carried out by the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment. The 105 mm howitzer of the FV433 Abbot SPG served as the basis .
First, the gun should have a high rate of fire of around 90 rounds per minute; In the course of development, however, this criterion was given less importance and more attention was given to the rapid creation of operational readiness and reliability. This change of heart made it possible to use lighter components, in particular a new single tower was used instead of the twin towers of the previous model. The changes also include the use of ammunition manufactured in one piece and a tower made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic , which made it possible to further reduce the weight.
In addition to the visible turret on deck, the gun system also includes other systems that occupy three additional decks below. This includes the magazine, the control room and the hydraulic and electrical system, which is responsible for the alignment and elevation of the gun.
Furthermore, unlike its predecessors, the Mark 8 gun is semi-automatic. The operation could be significantly simplified and considerable savings in personnel were possible. For example, personnel are no longer required to load the gun; the projectiles only have to be selected and transported from the magazine into the ammunition ring. The continuous operational readiness of the gun is ensured by the so-called Captain of the Gun , while the so-called Gun Controller , who is located in the ship's operations center (OPZ), is solely able to align and fire the gun. An electro-optical fire control system of the Sea Archer 30 type is used to align the gun.
The rate of fire is about 25 rounds per minute; the range is 12 nm, which corresponds to about 22 km. With the new high-explosive-extend-range bullets , a range of 27.5 km should be possible. The caliber length is L55.
Although the new guns were supposed to be particularly reliable, firing had to be interrupted several times during the Falklands War due to technical problems, while the previous guns still in use did not have any problems with reliability.
variants
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Mark 8 Mod 0
The original variant built between 1971 and 2000.
Mark 8 Mod 1
The only major modification so far is the Mark 8 Mod 1, which was developed in the late 1990s. The most visible change is the use of a completely new fairing for the turret, which is shaped in such a way that the radar reflection is kept as low as possible. However, the entire hydraulic system for loading and rotating the cannon was removed and replaced with a fully electric system. This variant was nicknamed the Kryten Gun by the Navy because the new turret has similarities with the head of a robot called Kryten from the British sci-fi series Red Dwarf.
The Mark 8 Mod 1 was developed primarily for the ships of the Daring class . However, should the on all frigates Duke - and Broadsword class to be retrofitted. The frigates HMS Norfolk and HMS Cumberland were the first to receive the new gun.
155 mm variant
The UK Department of Defense and BAE Systems are currently working on a new 155mm gun for the latest generation of British warships such as the Daring- class destroyers. It is hoped that this will result in a much broader range of uses against land targets, the combat of which has gained considerably in importance in the tactics of western navies since the end of the Cold War .
In order to keep costs low, the basic gun structure of the Mark 8 Mod 1 is to be taken over, while the cannon barrel and other core elements are to be taken over from the AS90 self-propelled howitzer of the British Army . In addition to the costs, this would also result in considerable advantages in logistics. While the 4.5-inch caliber is practically not used outside of the Royal Navy, the 155 mm caliber is a standard NATO size . For example, the British Army and Royal Navy could work together, particularly in the development of modern range-extended and guided ammunition, and international cooperation would also be possible if necessary. Compared to other modern ship gun projects such as the Advanced Gun System for the Zumwalt class , such a gun would be a relatively weak gun despite the larger 155 mm caliber, as it would only have a caliber length of L39. However, a more extensive project would cost considerably more and cause problems when installing it on existing ships, as the recoil would be much greater.
use
4.5-inch Mark 8 guns have been in use since 1971. The first user was the frigate Zaal in 1971 , which was exported to what was then still pro-western Iran . In the Royal Navy, the destroyer HMS Bristol was the first unit to receive the Mark 8 in 1973.
units
- United Kingdom
- Daring- class (destroyer)
- Duke- class (frigates)
- Broadsword- class (frigates)
- Amazon- class (frigates)
- Sheffield- class (destroyer)
- HMS Bristol , (destroyer)
- Other states
- Niteroi- class (frigates, Brazil )
- Inhauma class (Corvettes, Brazil)
- Alvand- class (frigates, Iran )
- Various ex-RN units that were resold abroad
See also
- Mark 45 Lightweight Gun - American equivalent
- 127/64 Lightweight / 127/54 Compact - Italian equivalent
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ navweaps.com
- ↑ Photo Gallery: HMS Richmond: Type 23 Frigates: Surface Fleet: Operations and Support. ( Memento of February 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Royal Navy
- ^ From South Wales to the West Indies . ( February 21, 2004 memento on the Internet Archive ) Navy News
- ↑ 155MM Study Looks To Pack More Punch Into The Royal Navy's Fleet BAe Systems Press release, December 14, 2007
- ↑ Army to get new precision "search and destroy" anti-armor weapon MoD Press release, November 20, 2007