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4.5 inch (114 mm) Mark 8 naval gun
Encyclopedia
The 4.5 inch Mark 8 is a British
naval gun
system which currently equips the Royal Navy's frigates and some British destroyers and frigates sold to other countries.
for use against surface, aircraft
and shore
targets since 1938. The current 55-calibre Mark 8 gun replaced the World War II era 45-calibre QF 4.5 inch Mk I - V naval guns. Like all British 4.5 inch naval guns, it actually has a calibre of 4.45 inches (113 mm).
, was developed by the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment
using the Ordnance, QF 105 mm L13 of the Abbot self-propelled gun
as a starting point (it used electrical primers). The outer shell of the gunhouse is built from glass-reinforced plastic
(GRP).
The new weapon emphasised reliability over a high rate of fire, allowing a switch to a lighter, single barrel mounting and ammunition of a one-piece design.
The gun system has a combination of electrical and hydraulic components and the full system penetrates up to three deck levels below the weather deck; deep magazine, gun control room and power room, gunbay and the gunhouse.
The weapon is semi-automatic, therefore needing fewer people than its predecessors to operate. With no personnel in the gunhouse loading is supported by personnel in the gunbay to load the feed ring and in the deep-magazine to pass ammunition to the gunbay. The Captain of the Gun in the control room ensures continued weapon readiness and the gun controller in the Operations Room operates the aiming and firing process. The weapon has a rate of fire of about 25 rounds per minute and a range of 12 nm (22 km; 27.5 km with the newer High Explosive Extended Range round).
The first recipient of the new gun and mount, the Mark 8, was the Iran
ian frigate Zaal in 1971. The gun entered Royal Navy service in 1973 on the new destroyer Bristol
.
These guns proved to be less reliable than the older 4.5 inch Mark 6 (Mark V gun) during the Falklands War, being forced to cease fire on several occasions due to faults.
The first major modification to the mounting, the MOD 1, was developed in the late 1990s; replacing the gunhouse with a Reduced Radar Cross Section assembly and replacing the hydraulic loading mechanism with an all electric system. This particular gun has been nicknamed the "Kryten
Gun" by members of Royal Navy, after the odd shaped head of a robot from the British Sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf
.
(MoD) is investigating a proposal from BAE Systems
to "up gun" the 4.5 inch to accept the 155 mm gun barrel and breech from the AS-90
self propelled gun. This would introduce a common gun calibre with the British Army
and Royal Navy, helping with ammunition logistics, and encouraging joint Army-Navy development of extended range and precision guided shells. A £4m contract has been awarded to develop a prototype, and firing trials had been scheduled for 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naval gun
Naval artillery
Naval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...
system which currently equips the Royal Navy's frigates and some British destroyers and frigates sold to other countries.
Background
The 4.5 inch gun has been the standard medium-gun calibre of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
for use against surface, aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
and shore
Naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by the term Naval Fires...
targets since 1938. The current 55-calibre Mark 8 gun replaced the World War II era 45-calibre QF 4.5 inch Mk I - V naval guns. Like all British 4.5 inch naval guns, it actually has a calibre of 4.45 inches (113 mm).
Design
A completely new type of 4.5 inch gun with a longer 55-calibre barrel, it was designed in the 1960s for the Royal Navy's new classes of frigates and destroyers. The new weapon, built by VickersVickers Limited
Vickers Limited was a famous British engineering conglomerate that merged into Vickers-Armstrongs in 1927.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
, was developed by the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment
Fort Halstead
Fort Halstead is a research site of Dstl, an Executive Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. It is situated on the crest of the Kentish North Downs, overlooking the town of Sevenoaks...
using the Ordnance, QF 105 mm L13 of the Abbot self-propelled gun
FV433 Abbot SPG
FV433 Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery variant of the British Army FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles, using much of the chassis of the FV430 but with a fully rotating turret at the rear housing the 105 mm gun and given the vehicle designation of...
as a starting point (it used electrical primers). The outer shell of the gunhouse is built from glass-reinforced plastic
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
(GRP).
The new weapon emphasised reliability over a high rate of fire, allowing a switch to a lighter, single barrel mounting and ammunition of a one-piece design.
The gun system has a combination of electrical and hydraulic components and the full system penetrates up to three deck levels below the weather deck; deep magazine, gun control room and power room, gunbay and the gunhouse.
The weapon is semi-automatic, therefore needing fewer people than its predecessors to operate. With no personnel in the gunhouse loading is supported by personnel in the gunbay to load the feed ring and in the deep-magazine to pass ammunition to the gunbay. The Captain of the Gun in the control room ensures continued weapon readiness and the gun controller in the Operations Room operates the aiming and firing process. The weapon has a rate of fire of about 25 rounds per minute and a range of 12 nm (22 km; 27.5 km with the newer High Explosive Extended Range round).
The first recipient of the new gun and mount, the Mark 8, was the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian frigate Zaal in 1971. The gun entered Royal Navy service in 1973 on the new destroyer Bristol
HMS Bristol (D23)
HMS Bristol is a Type 82 destroyer, the only vessel of her class to be built for the Royal Navy. Originally intended as the first of a class of new large destroyers to escort the CVA-01 aircraft carriers projected to come into service in the early 1970s, Bristol turned out to be a unique ship...
.
These guns proved to be less reliable than the older 4.5 inch Mark 6 (Mark V gun) during the Falklands War, being forced to cease fire on several occasions due to faults.
The first major modification to the mounting, the MOD 1, was developed in the late 1990s; replacing the gunhouse with a Reduced Radar Cross Section assembly and replacing the hydraulic loading mechanism with an all electric system. This particular gun has been nicknamed the "Kryten
Kryten
Kryten is a fictional character in the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kryten's registration code on Red Dwarf is "Kryten additional 001". The name Kryten is a reference to the head butler in the J.M...
Gun" by members of Royal Navy, after the odd shaped head of a robot from the British Sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
.
155 mm variant
The Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
(MoD) is investigating a proposal from BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
to "up gun" the 4.5 inch to accept the 155 mm gun barrel and breech from the AS-90
AS-90
The AS-90 is a lightly armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army. It was first delivered in 1993...
self propelled gun. This would introduce a common gun calibre with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Royal Navy, helping with ammunition logistics, and encouraging joint Army-Navy development of extended range and precision guided shells. A £4m contract has been awarded to develop a prototype, and firing trials had been scheduled for 2009.
Usage
- Type 45 Daring-classType 45 destroyerThe United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer is an air defence destroyer programme of the Royal Navy which will replace its Type 42 destroyers. The first ship in the class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009. The ships are now built by BAE Systems Surface Ships...
air defence destroyer - Type 23 Duke-classType 23 frigateThe Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...
frigate - Type 22 Broadsword-class frigate
- Type 21 Amazon-class frigate
- Type 42 Sheffield-classType 42 destroyerThe Type 42 or Sheffield class, are guided missile destroyers used by the British Royal Navy and the Argentine Navy. The first ship of the class was ordered in 1968 and launched in 1971, and today three ships remain active in the Royal Navy and one in the Argentinian Navy...
guided missile destroyer - Type 82 destroyerType 82 destroyerThe Type 82 or Bristol-class destroyer was to be a class of four Royal Navy warships intended as area air-defence destroyers to replace the County-class destroyers, and to serve as escorts to the planned CVA-01 aircraft carriers...
, Bristol
- Niteroi classNiteroi class frigate- History :The Niterói Class Frigates were designed and built by the British shipyard Vosper Thornycroft in the 1970's. These ships were designated Mk 10 by Vosper Thornycroft and are the largest of a series of ships built by that shipyard for both foreign buyers and the Royal Navy, also known as...
(BrazilBrazilian NavyThe Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
) - Inhauma classInhaúma class corvetteThe Inhaúma Class corvettes are four escort vessels operated by the Brazilian Navy. These ships were built in Brazil and designed with assistance from the German company Marine Technik. It was originally planned to build 12 to 16 ships but the economic situation in Brazil did not permit this and...
(Brazil) - Alvand classAlvand class frigateThe Alvand class comprise four Iranian light patrol frigates. Only three are currently in service....
(Iran) - Dat Assawari (Libyan NavyLibyan NavyThe Libyan Navy was the maritime force of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, established in November 1962. It was a fairly typical small navy with a few missile frigates, corvettes and patrol boats to defend the coastline, but with a very limited self-defence capability...
)
See also
- QF 4.5 inch Mk I - V naval gun - British predecessor
- 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun - American equivalent to the Mark 8
- Advanced Gun SystemAdvanced Gun SystemThe Advanced Gun System is a naval gun system under development by BAE Systems Armaments Systems for the Zumwalt class destroyer of the United States Navy. Production has started; the first magazine was delivered to the U.S...
- BAE's new 155 mm long-range gun system for the US Navy's Zumwalt class destroyers