Bushmaster II

Bushmaster II automatic cannon on a Finnish CV 90

The Mk 44 bus master II is a derivative of the single-barrel M242-Bus Master - Chain-Gun - automatic cannon . The Mk 44 owns 70% of the parts of the M242. The main difference is the caliber, which has been increased from 25 mm to 30 mm . The inside of the tube is chrome-plated to increase its service life. An interesting feature of the weapon is that it can be converted to use a different caliber by exchanging a few components. This means that the 30 × 170 mm RARDEN cartridge and the Super 40 cartridge can also be fired with it. The Super 40 is a cartridge with the same external dimensions as the established 30 × 173 mm ammunition, with the projectile and case neck enlarged to 40 mm.

Technical specifications

ATK Mk 44 on Polish KTO Rosomak

Type: single barrel chain gun
Manufacturer: ATK
Caliber: 30 mm NATO
Function: externally driven chain gun
Total length: 3.405 m
Weight: 154.6 kg
Cadence: semi-automatic or 250 rounds per minute
Effective range: 3000 meters
Muzzle velocity: 1405 m / s

commitment

The weapon is standard equipment of the CV 90 of the Finnish, Norwegian and Swiss armed forces as well as the Polish KTO Rosomak . In addition, the Mk 44 is used in the Singapore infantry fighting vehicle Bionix as an alternative to the M242 as a combat vehicle cannon. In 2007, the 25 mm and 40 mm cannons in Lockheed AC-130 gunships of the US Air Force were briefly replaced by Mk 44s, but this was reversed a little later. The weapon should also be installed as an on-board cannon in the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles of the United States Marine Corps .

Mk 46 (GWS)

Mk 46 Mod 2 GWS aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport ship USS Green Bay (LPD-20) (2016)

Under the designation Mk 46 Gun Weapon System (GWS), the United States Navy uses the weapon as ship guns on the units of the San Antonio class and Zumwalt class . In the marine version, the Mk 46 is supplied from two side-mounted magazines with 200 cartridges each and has a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute. A forward-facing infrared sensor, a night vision camera and a laser rangefinder provide inputs for a fully automatic tracking system .

The U.S. Navy announced on June 5, 2019 that it has placed a $ 25.5 million contract with General Dynamics Land Systems for six Mk 46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon Systems (GWS). These are intended for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Landing Platform Dock (LPD) programs . Two of the Mk 46's (GWS) are dedicated to the LCS Surface Warfare Mission module and to the LPD program, with two assigned to the LPD-29 and two assigned to the LPD-30 . The work should be completed by September 2021.

Web links

Commons : Bushmaster II - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Bushmaster II on navweaps.com (English)
Mk 46 (GWS) on seaforces.org (English)

Individual evidence

↑ A Spookier Spooky, 30mm at a Time? In: defenseindustrydaily.com. Defense Industry Daily, LLC, September 6, 2009, accessed November 8, 2014 .
↑ MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System. In: navy.mil. United States Navy , January 19, 2019, accessed June 13, 2019 .
^ The Shephard News Team, London: US Navy orders Mk 46 Gun Weapon Systems. In: shephardmedia.com. Shephard Press Limited, June 7, 2019, accessed June 13, 2019 .

[1] A Spookier Spooky, 30mm at a Time? In: defenseindustrydaily.com. Defense Industry Daily, LLC, September 6, 2009, accessed November 8, 2014 .

[2] MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System. In: navy.mil. United States Navy , January 19, 2019, accessed June 13, 2019 .

[3] The Shephard News Team, London: US Navy orders Mk 46 Gun Weapon Systems. In: shephardmedia.com. Shephard Press Limited, June 7, 2019, accessed June 13, 2019 .