Typhoon Naval Optronic Stabilized Weapon Platform
Posted on 11/20/2007 10:57:50 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
RAFAEL signs $25m deal with US Navy
Armament Development Authority, BAE Systems land joint contract to supply US navy with advanced naval weapons systems. Contract second of its kind, to be completed by end of 2009
Naama Sikuler
Published: 11.20.07
Israel's RAFAEL Armament Development Authority and US based BAE Systems announced Tuesday they were awarded a joint, $36 million weapons contract by the US Navy.
The two will supply the US Navy with 62 Typhoon naval weapons systems by the end of 2009.
The Typhoons are a range of remotely operated naval stabilized weapon systems, designed to combat ocean-based terror. They are already in use by several naval forces around the world.
This is the second contract the US Navy awards Rafael and BAE: In 2006, the two were awarded a $28 million contact, to supply the American naval forces with 67 Typhoon systems, which are now in operational deployment.
RAFAEL's reported stake in the contract is $25 million.
Typhoon Naval Optronic Stabilized Weapon Platform
Looks like it has a dash-cam...cool
..that reminds me of the Phalanx system, which I used to help build...
BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED $36 MILLION U.S. NAVY CONTRACT FOR 25MM GUN SYSTEMS TO PROTECT SHIPS
29 Oct 2007 | Ref. 339/2007
MINNEAPOLIS - BAE Systems received a $36.3 million contract from the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center for the production and delivery of 62 MK 38 MOD 2 Machine Gun Systems (MGS). The gun systems will be delivered between July 2008 and June 2009.
The MK 38 fulfills the critical role of ship self-protection by providing naval vessels with a highly lethal, last layer of defense. The MK 38 is a 25mm, stabilized remote-controlled gun system that has an effective range of more than 2,000 meters. It is highly autonomous, proven against multiple surface threats and is a critical asset in our global war on terrorism.
“The performance of the MK 38 brings significantly higher reliability and improved operational availability to the most important team - our Navy, its ships and sailors who depend on the MK 38s for protection,” said Dennis Morris, BAE Systems’ president of Armament Systems.
Including this latest order, BAE Systems has been contracted to deliver a total of 150 MK 38 MOD 2 Machine Gun Systems for installation aboard various U.S. Navy surface combatants and amphibious ships. The proposed program of record calls for a total of 243 systems through FY 2015.
The MK 38 is currently in service on eleven ships and will be installed on selected U.S. Navy ships including CG, DDG, LHA, LHD, LSD, PC, FFG and LPD class ships, as well as several Coast Guard vessels. The main weapon on the MK 38 MOD 2 is the M242 25mm Chain Gun, a proven NATO-standard cannon with selectable rates of fire. The MK 38 fires all USN-approved 25mm ammunition at 180 rounds per minute, with 168 rounds on-mount. Additionally, the systems’ four-axis stabilized electro-optical sensor provides round-the-clock surveillance capability day and night, enhancing a ship’s overall mission effectiveness.
“This system gives our sailors a decisive edge when they’re dealing with small boat threats or other close-encounter dangers,” said Morris.
BAE Systems is teamed with RAFAEL Armament Development Authority, Ltd., for the development and production of the MK 38 MOD 2 MGS. The systems will be assembled and tested at BAE Systems’ Louisville, Kentucky facility.
The Phalanx is often referred to as looking like "R2D2" because of the dome for the radar.
I think this new one also looks like a Star Wars droid, the battle droid or "droideka"
A few years ago a co-workers husband was finishing out his final years in the Navy by heading up the team fitting out of the CIC in the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and seeing it through it's sea trials. I heard that the unofficial nick name of that ship was going to be "Ronny ray gun." The reason supposedly was because it had twice as much power generating capabilities in it's nuclear reactors (it has two and according to the story they're have more than output than earlier ones) and they intend to use some of the power for a directed energy (laser or particle beam) CIWS to replace the Phalanx. I asked her to ask him if that was true and she said he couldn't answer the question and she figured that made it true. They may have just been messing with me, however.
Anyone know why someone would want this system @ 180 25mm rds/min versus Phalanx @ 4,500 20 mm rds/min?
They seem to be described as having a very similar mission.
tried to find accurate data on unit costs. Seems like the phalanx runs anywhere from a couple million to 5 million and change versus typhoon @ .5 mil. Operating costs also were quite a bit higher, so maybe its just the cost factor.
You want to waste your air defense against small watercraft, then have Iran's "10,000" missiles inbound while you're trying to reload the Phalanx?
It is cheaper and not autonomous so accidents are less likely to occur.
High rates of fire are a colossal waste of ammo when all we need is a few well placed chain gun rounds to destroys inflatables, speedboats etc,,, Your point on reloading the CIWS is completely without merit. It's done almost as fast as the six barrel Gatling style gun runs out of rounds. Maybe an active duty gunner's mate can comment on this, but when they were relatively new weapons, we could reload them in less than 15 seconds. Understand, that this was the stated reloading time, not the actual time necessary to do the job. It could be done faster by highly motivated personnel. Prior to this guns system, we used M2's and M-60's which were insufficient.
Excellent explanation, thank you. Love the Fire in the Sky bit.
I guess the short answer is: different mission and the typhoon is the cost/effective tool for the job.
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