Posted on 10/04/2017 9:49:44 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Israeli firm Rafael took the opportunity afforded by the Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney to internationally launch its latest variant of the Typhoon remote-controlled naval gun, the Mk 30c.
The ‘c’ represents compact, an indication that size is an important feature of this gun that weighs around 1t. Meanwhile, the ‘30’ refers to the ATK Mk44 Bushmaster II 30mm cannon that the system hosts.
However, an important evolution on the Typhoon Mk-30c is the ability to change the gun barrel to 20mm, 25mm or 30mm.
The interchangeable barrel, which also encompasses changes to the fire control system to update firing tables, can be interchanged within a few hours, according to a Rafael spokesman. This is advantageous as the gun can be adapted according to the mission while only one gun mount is needed.
A third new feature is a much higher elevation for the gun. The barrel can now elevate 70°, which assists in targeting small- or medium-sized UAVs.
Asymmetric swarm attacks are another threat addressed by the Typhoon Mk-30c. It can fire airburst munitions as well as high explosive rounds from its 200-round magazine.
The gun system can rely on its own sensor suite such as Toplite or a cost-effective Controp EO/IR sensor, or it can be integrated with the ship’s combat management system to give a hunter/killer capability. Rafael claims it is ‘the most economical naval gun system' in its class. An embedded trainer minimises the need for special training facilities.
The Royal Australian Navy is already a user of the Typhoon naval gun system, but Rafael hopes to attract sales of its new system in Australia and elsewhere in the region. Rafael has a history of cooperating with local partners, and Serco already supports existing Typhoons in Australia.
Rafael was also promoting its Typhoon MLS mount at the Pacific expo, which can accommodate either four Spike-ER missiles or two Spike NLOS missiles. The Philippine Navy chose the former option for its MPAC craft, for example. The Spike MLS is suitable for countering swarm attacks, as new targets can be sought as soon as each fire-and-forget missile is launched.
Spike missiles of the Typhoon MLS are also suitable for ‘green kills’ designed to avoid collateral damage and avoid sinking a ship. For example, a ship’s engines or weapons can be targeted by single missiles to immobilise an enemy ship.
Earlier Typhoon variant
It must require more than the barrel be changed out.
Per an episode of the Gunny, Bushmaster had already modified the gun to be capable of changing calibers. The Rafael engineers are pretty competent, but American companies like ATK are pretty good too.
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