BAE to build 155mm naval gun for U.K.

[unhappycamper]

BAE said in a statement that replacing the current 4.5-inch gun with a 155mm system, pictured, would increase the range and effect on targets while also reducing costs by using the same gun and ammunition as the British Army. Previous study phases examined the feasibility of fitting the 155mm gun into the existing Mk8 Mod 1 turret and considered some of the technology risks of the proposed solution.


BAE to build 155mm naval gun for U.K.
By Andrew Chuter
Posted : Thursday Aug 14, 2008 15:19:54 EDT

LONDON — The possibility of British warships firing 155mm artillery is a step closer to reality after an announcement from BAE Systems that it has signed a deal with the Ministry of Defence to build a gun to undertake land-based firing trials next year.

CORDA, BAE’s consulting arm, together with the company’s Land Systems business in Britain and defense research company QinetiQ, hope to start live-firing trials in fall 2009 with a 155mm naval gun based on the British Army’s AS90 self-propelled howitzer system.

BAE said it is also exploiting the capabilities of other company business units such as Armament Systems in the U.S. and Bofors in Sweden.

The Armament Systems division is already in the latter stages of developing a similar system for the U.S. Navy — the 155mm Advanced Gun System destined for the force’s DDG 1000 destroyer program.

No more than two DDG 1000s are likely to be built rather than the seven planned, but the AGS could find its way onto up-rated Arleigh Burke DDG-51 destroyers likely to be built in their place.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/081408nt_UK_navalgun_web/

[Angleae]

1. I was thinking they were going to cancel this.

They've cancelled the remainder of the type 45 destroyers this will be mounted on (only 6 of 12 to be built, 1 completed, 2 in final, 3 others under construction). Also AGS would be very difficult to fit to DDG-51 without MAJOR modifications. AGS has huge under-deck space requirements requiring DDG-51 be either lengthened significantly or deletion of the forward VLS cells.