Vulcano (ammunition)

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Vulcano is the name of a precision-guided extended-range ammunition family that was first developed for use in ship guns . It is currently being produced by the Italian company Leonardo (formerly Oto Melara ) initially for the navy of the Netherlands and Italy. Another potential customer would be the German Navy for the F125 frigates.

Naming

The name of the ammunition is derived from the Italian island of Vulcano , which gave its name to all volcanoes . This is one of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea . In Roman mythology, this island was considered the forge of Vulcanus , the Roman god of fire.

Technology and possible uses

The Vulcano ammunition are so-called Extended Range Sub Caliber projectiles (ERSC) which also have wing stabilization. The Vulcano ammunition uses sub-caliber projectiles which are fired with a sabot .

Was developed Vulcano first as a 127-mm ammunition (5 inches ) for maritime fire support against coastal and land targets. In contrast to the now discontinued Mk 171 ERGM (Extended Range Guided Munition) projectile from Raytheon , which was to be equipped with an additional rocket drive , the Vulcano achieves the increase in range solely through its increased muzzle velocity in combination with reduced air resistance . The muzzle velocity of the 127 mm variant should be up to 1130 meters per second.

The Vulcano is fully compatible with the existing 127 mm ammunition standards of NATO , but has been optimized for the widespread Oto-Melara naval guns 127/54 Compact , Lightweight and 127/64 Lightweight . When used in these guns, the rate of fire is reduced compared to conventional ammunition, for example from 40 to 17 rounds per minute in the 127/64 LW.

Ammunition types and range

The Vulcano is to be available in three versions in the future:

  • unguided multi-purpose ammunition (range 70 km)
  • end-phase guided ammunition with infrared sensor (range 70 km)
  • fully guided long-range ammunition with INS / GPS control (range 100 km)

The hit accuracy is around 20 meters, but should be improved up to 3 m through the use of a laser search head. The longer tube should achieve a range of 120 km when used in the 127/64 LW. The unguided version should be ready for use in 2008, the steered versions in 2011.

Further development

The 127 mm Vulcano will also be ported to the larger 155 mm (6 inches) caliber, one of NATO's standards for land-based artillery . It will then be used, for example, in the self-propelled howitzer 2000 in the Italian army.

In the meantime, the ammunition for the 76 mm caliber used in ship guns has been further developed by Oto Melara and has been on the market since the end of 2011. This means that the Vulcano is also available for the 76/62 Compact , which is used by numerous marine customers.

Oto Melara offers the right Vulcano ammunition for all self-made gun calibers in ship guns.

Vulcano 155 GPS / SAL and Vulcano 127 GPS / SAL

In 2012, Oto Melara and the German defense company Diehl Defense signed a contract for the development and production of the precision-guided artillery shells "Vulcano 155 GPS / SAL" and "Vulcano 127 GPS / SAL" at Eurosatory in Paris. These grenades should be able to hit the target with an accuracy of 1 m and thus also surpass the American Excalibur, which hits a given coordinate at a distance of five to ten meters. While the Excalibur is controlled exclusively by GPS, the Vulcano should be switchable between GPA mode (GPS control) and SAL mode (laser target marking by artillery observer). In the laser control mode, the 1-meter precision is to be achieved so that not only stationary targets, but also moving tanks can be destroyed. The 155 mm variant is planned to be fired by the self-propelled howitzer 2000.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Aviationweek with data on guided artillery shells (accessed on February 17, 2009)
  2. ^ Vulcano is qualified. In: janes.com. IHS Jane's, February 21, 2019, accessed December 6, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c OtoMelara website with information on Vulcano (English, PDF file, accessed on February 17, 2009; 122 kB)
  4. ↑ Information on Vulcano on the German Maritime Competence Network (PDF file, accessed on February 17, 2009)
  5. ↑ Armada.ch with information on guided artillery shells (accessed on February 17, 2009)
  6. ↑ Message about the 76 mm version of the Vulcano . defense-update.com. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  7. ↑ BS, Dorothee Frank: Revolution in the artillery. German-Italian competition for Excalibur , in authorities Spiegel, July 2012, page 43

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