Rheinmetall 130 mm weapon system L / 51
| Rheinmetall 130 mm weapon system L / 51 | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Manufacturer country: | Germany |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall |
| Development year: | 2015– |
| Start of production: | 2025 (planned) |
| Model variants: | L / 51 |
| Weapon Category: | Smooth barrel cannon |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 6630 mm |
| Caliber : |
130 mm |
| Caliber length : | 51 |
| Number of trains : | no trains |
| Furnishing | |
| Ammunition supply: | Loading machine |
| Drive: | hydraulic |
| Muzzle energy: | about 20 MJ |
The Rheinmetall 130 mm weapon system L / 51 is currently a demonstrator for a smooth-barreled cannon for future main battle tanks . It was presented by Rheinmetall at the Eurosatory in 2016 .
The cannon has a caliber of 130 mm and, with the caliber length 51, which is also named, has a barrel length of 6630 mm.
Background and story
The introduction of the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun (Rh120) in the 1970s represented a milestone in the development of modern tank guns in the " western world " after the Second World War . Because the potential opponents were also equipped with new tanks and the designated one Successor Neue Panzerkanone 140 (NPzK-140) was never produced in series, the Rh120 was further developed into the L / 55 in the 1980s . Since 2015, a new generation of armored vehicles based on the Armata platform has been on the market in Russia , equipped with further improved armor and protection systems. Against the background of the planned joint development of a new battle tank by Germany and France as the successor to the Leopard 2 and the Leclerc , Rheinmetall presented the 130 mm L / 51 weapon system as a concept for future main armament. Its development started in 2015; operational readiness is expected around 2025. If the 130 mm smoothbore cannon should be ready for series production, a new NATO standard for standardization and thus standardization of ammunition would also be required, as was done for the Rh120 with the STANAG 4385 .
In addition, Rheinmetall is waiting for a new NATO standard that specifies new armor to be penetrated. This was expected towards the end of 2016.
technology
The 130 mm L / 51 weapon system weighs around 3000 kg without attachments, of which around 1400 kg are accounted for by the smooth gun barrel. The tube is hard chrome plated inside. With the caliber eight percent larger than that of the Rh120, the new smooth-barreled cannon is said to have 50 percent more muzzle energy.
The weight of the ammunition is over 30 kg and is around 1.3 m long. Due to the heavy weight and length of its ammunition, the cannon will likely be loaded using an automatic loading machine.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Rheinmetall is working on a new 130mm weapon. Hartpunkt.de, June 16, 2016, accessed October 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Rheinmetall - firepower for future battle tank systems. Rheinmetall Defense, June 13, 2016, accessed on October 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Eurosatory 2016: Rheinmetall lifts the lid on new 130 mm tank gun. Janes.com, June 16, 2016, accessed October 26, 2016 .
- ^ A b Lars Hoffmann: German Rheinmetall works on new 130mm tank gun. defensenews.com, June 15, 2016, accessed November 22, 2016 .
- ↑ Rheinmetall: Rheinmetall with world premieres at Eurosatory 2016 ( Memento from July 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Rheinmetall Ups Tank Firepower with new 130mm Gun. defense-update.com, June 16, 2016, accessed October 26, 2016 .