Posted on 01/09/2019 9:39:43 AM PST by C19fan
The U.S. Navy, without fanfare or notice, tested a new weapon last summer that could revolutionize surface warfare. The hyper velocity projectile (HVP) is a Mach 3 shell fired from existing guns on cruisers and destroyers. A guided projectile, HVP can drop high explosives on enemies on the ground up to three times as far as conventional ship gun ammo with a high rate of precision. It can also intercept incoming anti-ship missiles, providing an economical alternative to increasingly expensive anti-missile interceptors.
According to USNI News, the guided missile destroyer USS Dewey fired 20 new HVP projectiles during the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises. Although the test was unclassified, it was not reported at the time by the U.S. Navy. It was the first known use of HVPs at sea by a warship.
Large surface combatants in the U.S. Navy all carry the Mk.45 5-inch (127mm) Naval Gun System. Unlike railguns, these are chemical energy guns that use gunpowder to launch projectiles, a basic technology hundreds of years old. Guided missile cruisers of the Ticonderoga-class carry two Mk.45 guns, while guided missile destroyers of the Arleigh Burke-class carry one. These guns are typically used for shore bombardment, softening up enemy defenses before an amphibious assault, although in a pinch they could be unleashed against enemy surface ships and incoming aerial threats.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Build the Montana class.
I doubt they are in a condition to be returned to service quickly.
The engines alone, being water-tube boilers and steam turbines, have not been fired or turned over in decades at this point, and who knows what state they were in when they left service. These ships haven’t moved under their own power in almost 30 years.
You can’t do that to boilers and turbines.
F=ma... might be a smaller projectile, but at greater velocities, it will still have the same impact (if not more) as the big old boys from WWII
Something similar has existed since the late 80's. They are now on all our combat ships, IIRC. Search: Palanx (CIWS)
Similar has been around for a long time. The 105mm Behive round was commonly used during the 60s.
The sabot round of the M1 Abrams tank shoots from a 120mm barrel. The penetrator exits at a muzzle veolocity of 5500 ft/s...About mach 5.
Good! You pinged Lone Palm first! He is fire control qualifiedâI thinkâon these particular weapons.
152mm on M60A2 (my tank) and SHERIDAN had a canister round. Only 300m range but 60 degree arc. Beehive had a fuse the loader would set based on the range announced in the TC’s fire command.
What took the Navy so long?
Isn't that what the CIWS (R2-D2) does?
The normal muzzle velocity of naval guns during World War Two was about 2600 feet per second. The German 88mm gun used by the Tiger II tank in 1944-45 had a muzzle velocity of about 3300 feet per second.
I.e., big *ucking deal. Yawn. The major advantage of a rail gun with a Mach 3 muzzle velocity is that it doesn't need a propellant charge. Instead it requires less combustible liquid fuel to generate electricity, and might (only "might") be able to fire more rounds per minute.
They developed guided munitions with a fragmentation charge. The high-G guidance package is the enabling advancement allowing choice of the Combustion-Light-Gas-Gun over the Rail-Gun. The CLGG had consistency (ignition/combustion) issues which degraded accuracy at extremely long range with inert (dumb) rounds. The rail-gun has proved not durable under the required operating demands.
They should now revert to implementing the gas-gun for the Naval application primary weapon. The smooth bore does not suffer extreme wear upon repeated firing. The projectile achieves more than 2500 meters/second velocity. It would cost five percent to fire a smart round able to replace a $2,000,000 long range missile.
You know, those guys that claim we have operational ship reail guns, etc?
The navy was developing ERGM decades ago for the 5" guns, a rocket boosted GPS guided extended range munition. They dropped that program at some point.
The new rounds dramatically expand the ability of the guns on these ships and other platforms to engage surface targets and air and missile threats.
By Joseph TrevithickJanuary 8, 2019
The Russians have been loudly broadcasting their work in this area but this leads me to believe once again we are far ahead of them and their talk is mostly just that. Well done Squids! (Retired Army Officer)
Typical of their breathless hype sotries.
Looks like a typical Sabot round as tank guns have used for years. Rumor was a Sabot round was developed for the 16" battleship guns.
would probably cost the about the same amount of money as the CVN Gerald Ford cost. What would be the value.
They look really cool and scare the crap out of people who need the crap scared out of them.
scaring people doesn’t work, you have to kill them. A Montana class battle ship would be limited in that capability. Don’t scare the crap out of them, shoot the crap out of them.
Every gun on every Navy surface ship, including hand held small arms should have “shot gun shell” ordnance available as a final defense against incoming missiles. Guns must also have the capability to shoot straight up. On board Marines and Sailors may have to lay flat on their backs and shoot upward.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.