Advanced Gun System

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A computer-generated graphic of the Zumwalt class, which has since been put into service without AGS. The two planned AGS in the front area of ​​the ship can be clearly seen.
AGS test gun firing test shots.

The Advanced Gun System ( AGS , English for "progressive gun system ") is a marine gun under development , which should be used for the new destroyers of the Zumwalt class for the US Navy . So far, there are no concrete plans to use the AGS in other new build projects or to retrofit it on existing ships. Due to constant cuts in the Zumwalt program to three to seven ships without AGS, it seems likely that BAE will try to market the AGS elsewhere. The AGS project was originally started by the American arms company United Defense , but was transferred to the British company BAE Systems through its takeover .

With a caliber of 155 mm (6.1 inches), 62 caliber lengths and special GPS -guided ammunition, the AGS is said to give the destroyers of the Zumwalt class great firepower, especially against land targets .

At the beginning of November 2016, the Pentagon decided to refrain from using this weapon system for the time being because of its extraordinarily high costs. A shot from one of these cannons has a cost of $ 800,000.

development

With the final decommissioning of the last two Iowa-class units in the 1990s and the removal from the reserve fleet in 2006, the US Navy lost a lot of firepower. The 40.6 cm guns of the Iowas had proven to be particularly effective when bombarding land targets as part of amphibious landing operations . Due to their retirement, the US Navy still had the significantly weaker Mark 45 lightweight guns (caliber: 12.7 cm). Tomahawk cruise missiles had also proven to be very effective, but expensive and difficult to use at short range.

Therefore, in the 1990s, a new weapon system was worked on. The original idea was to build a ship around two vertical 155mm guns. However, only guided projectiles would have been usable with this, which is why a renewed cost explosion was feared. A more conventional design with two 155mm howitzers was therefore chosen . This means that much cheaper, unguided projectiles can also be used.

description

Each Zumwalt destroyer will be equipped with two AGS in conventional turrets on the foredeck. However, the towers are shaped and clad in such a way that the radar cross-section is kept as small as possible. For this purpose, the gun barrels are retracted in transit and are only extended for firing. Furthermore, the turrets are completely automatic; From extending the barrels to aligning and loading to firing, all of the guns are operated remotely. This enables considerable savings in personnel.

The caliber of the guns is 155 mm, a standardized NATO caliber . The gun is longer than average with 62 caliber lengths, which increases the range. A rate of 10 rounds per minute can be sustained for practically the entire duration of the shooting. For this high cadence, the barrels had to be equipped with a powerful but heavy water cooling. A common fully automatic magazine is available for the two AGS per destroyer, which holds around 750 rounds.

It is to be expected that a Zumwalt ship with this armament will achieve a significantly higher firepower than the Ticonderoga or the Arleigh Burke class with two or one Mark 45 lightweight guns respectively. Compared to the Iowa class, range, precision and cadence are achieved or exceeded, but the explosive and penetrative power of a single AGS projectile is significantly lower.

ammunition

Despite the same caliber as the US Army howitzers , the AGS requires special ammunition. Reasons are the much longer runs and the higher chamber pressure used. Various types of conventional ammunition are to be available for the AGS, of which each Zumwalt destroyer will carry around 650 projectiles.

For particularly high-quality targets, around 100 so-called Long Range Land Attack Projectiles , LRLAP for short, are also to be carried. These projectiles, currently under development at BAE Systems, consist of two parts, the actual projectile and the propellant charges. The entire projectile has a weight of 102 kg, of which 11 kg are accounted for by the warhead. The maximum length of a single floor is 223 cm. With the help of a small rocket motor and a GPS- based steering unit, these projectiles have already proven a range of 109 km in tests, whereby a range of up to 150 km should be possible. Despite this enormous range, the CEP is between 20 and 50 m depending on the firing range.

Due to the fact that the Zumwalt class will only consist of three ships, and the lower number of LRAP projectiles required as a result, a projectile costs around 800,000 US dollars.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Spiegel online from November 10, 2016, stealth ship "Zumwalt" US destroyer fired $ 800,000 - per shot
  2. ↑ http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_61-62_ags.htm
  3. ^ Advanced Gun System (AGS). BAE Systems, accessed April 5, 2014 .
  4. ↑ NavWeaps.com
  5. ↑ Christopher P. Cavas: New Warship's Big Guns Have No Bullets. In: defensenews.com. November 6, 2016, accessed May 24, 2018 .