| Mark 45 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun | |
|---|---|
 The latest version, a 5"/62 caliber Mark 45 Mod 4 firing | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service |
• Mod 0: 1971[1] • Mod 1: 1980[1] • Mod 2: 1988[1] • Mod 4: 2000[2] |
| Used by | See users |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1968[1] |
| Manufacturer | United Defense[1] (now BAE Systems Land & Armaments) |
| Produced | 1971[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
• Mod 2: 21,691 kg (47,820.5 lb)[1] • Mod 4: 28,924 kg (63,766.5 lb)[1] |
| Length |
• Mod 2: 8.992 m (29 ft 6.0 in)[3] • Mod 4: 10.008 m (32 ft 10.0 in)[2] |
| Barrel length |
• Mod 2: 6.858 m (270.0 in)[3] Rifling: 5.82 m (229 in)[3] 8,000 rounds (barrel life)[3] • Mod 4: 7.874 m (310.0 in)[2] Rifling: 6.836 m (269.1 in)[2] 7,000 rounds (barrel life)[2] |
|
| |
| Shell | Conventional: 31.75 kg (70.0 lb)[1] |
| Caliber | 5.0 inches (127.0 mm) |
| Barrels | Single barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist) |
| Elevation |
• -15°/+65°[3] Maximum elevation rate: 20°/sec[3] |
| Traverse |
• ±170° from centerline[3] Maximum traversing rate: 30°/sec[3] |
| Rate of fire | 16–20 rounds per minute automatic[4] |
| Muzzle velocity |
• Mod 2: 2,500 ft/s (762.0 m/s)[1] • Mod 4: 2,650 ft/s (807.7 m/s)[1] • 1,500 ft/s (457.2 m/s) reduced charge for defilade fire or illumination rounds |
| Effective firing range | 13 nmi (24.1 km)[4] |
| Feed system |
600 rounds (Ticonderoga class) 680 rounds (Arleigh Burke class) 475–500 rounds (Other classes) |
The 5-Inch/54-caliber (Mk 45) lightweight gun is a modern U.S. naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 5-inch (127 mm) L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount.[1] Originally designed and built by United Defense, it is now manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments after the former was acquired. The latest 5-inch/62-caliber version consist of a longer barrel L62 Mark 36 gun fitted on the same Mark 45 mount.[1] The gun is designed for use against surface warships, anti-aircraft and shore bombardment to support amphibious operations.[1]
The gun mount features an automatic loader with a capacity of 20 rounds. These can be fired under full automatic control, taking a little over a minute to exhaust those rounds at maximum fire rate. For sustained use, the gun mount would be occupied by a six-man crew (gun captain, panel operator, and four ammunition loaders) below deck to keep the gun continuously supplied with ammunition.
History[]
Development started in the 1960s as a replacement for the 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun system with a new, lighter, and easier to maintain gun mounting. In USN use, the Mark 45 is used with either the Mk 86 Gun Fire Control System or the Mk 160 Gun Computing System. Since before World War II, 5" has been the standard gun caliber for U.S. Naval ships. Its rate of fire is lower than the British 4.5-inch (113 mm) gun, but it fires a heavier 5" shell which carries a larger burst charge that increases its per-shell effectiveness against aircraft.
Variants[]
- Mod 0: used mechanical fuze setter. Two-piece rifled construction, with replaceable liner
- Mod 1: electronic fuze setter replaces the mechanical one. Made with a unitary construction barrel, which has a life span approximately twice that of the Mark 42 gun.
- Mod 2: export version of Mod 1, but now used in the US Navy
- Mod 3: same gun with a new control system; never put into production
- Mod 4: longer 62-caliber barrel (versus Mod 1 and 2's 54 caliber) for more complete propellant combustion, higher velocity, greater range at +20 nautical miles (37 kilometres; 23 miles)[5] and thus more utility for land attack.
- Special note
In sustained firing operations (Mode III), the gun is manned by a six-man crew all located below decks. These are a gun captain, a panel operator, and four ammunition loaders. In fully automatic non-sustained firing operations (Mode IV), the gun can be fired without any personnel inside the mount. However, sustained fire is limited to the capacity of the automatic loader (20 rounds). This means that there will be no one at control panel for the gun to save the weapon when having to fall back to verbal cease fire to the gun crew.
Users[]
Mark 45 gun aboard HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)
Australia- Royal Australian Navy
- ANZAC-class frigates: Mod 2 being upgraded Mod 4
- Hobart class destroyer: Mod 4 planned under construction
- Absalon-class command and support ships
Greece- Hellenic Navy
- Hydra-class frigates (MEKO 200 HN)
- Atago-class guided missile destroyers: Mod 4
- Akizuki-class destroyers: Mod 4
- Republic of Korea
- Republic of Korea Navy
- King Sejong the Great-class guided missile destroyer: Mod 4
- Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class guided missile destroyer: Mod 4
- Incheon-class frigate: Mod 4
- New Zealand
- Royal New Zealand Navy: Mod 2
- Spain
- Spanish Navy
- Álvaro de Bazán-class frigates: Mod 2
- Taiwan
- Republic of China Navy
- Thailand
- Royal Thai Navy
- Naresuan class frigates: Mod 2 being upgraded Mod 4
- Turkey
- Turkish Navy
- Salih Reis-class frigates (MEKO 200 TN II-B)
- Barbaros-class frigates (MEKO 200 TN II-A)
- Yavuz-class frigates (MEKO 200 TN)
5"/54 Mark 45 Mod 2 firing
Loading a round aboard USS Cole (DDG 67).
- United States
- United States Navy
- Active service ships:
- Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships (later removed)
- Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers: Mod 2[4]
- CG-52: Mod 4 after receiving the cruiser modernization
- Arleigh Burke-class destroyer guided missile destroyer:
- Decommissioned:
See also[]
- Extended Range Guided Munition: long range (~60 nm) precision guided projectile program by Raytheon for the Mark 45 gun, canceled in 2008.
- Otobreda 127/54 Compact and Otobreda 127/64: contemporary 127mm naval gun from Italian manufacturer Oto Melara
- 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun: contemporary standard naval gun for British ships
- French 100 mm naval gun: contemporary standard naval gun for French ships
- Advanced Gun System: US Navy planned 155 mm gun for Zumwalt class destroyer
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Norman Polmar, pp. 492-493
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "United States of America 5"/54 (12.7 cm) Mark 45 Mod 4". NavWeaps.Com. 18 April 2010. http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-62_mk45.htm. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "United States of America 5"/54 (12.7 cm) Mark 45 Mods 0 - 2". NavWeaps.Com. 18 September 2007. http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-54_mk45.htm. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "The US Navy Fact File: 5-inch Mark 45 54-caliber lightweight gun". United States Navy. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20101205001743/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2100&tid=575&ct=2. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ↑ "5-inch 62-Caliber Mk 45 Mod 4 Naval Gun System". Brochure. BAE Systems. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20120425050027/http://events.us.baesystems.com/SAS/prodserv/pdf/BAE-Systems-Mk45-Mod4.pdf. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- Bibliography
- Norman, Polmar (2005). The Naval Institute guide to the ships and aircraft of the U.S. fleet (18th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. pp. 492–493. ISBN 978-1-59114-685-8.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun. - US Navy fact file
- BAE Systems: Mk 45 Mod 4 Naval Gun System
- BAE Systems: Mk 45 Naval Gun Overhaul and Upgrade
- NavWeaps.Com: 5"/54 (12.7 cm) Mark 45 Mods 0 - 2
- NavWeaps.Com: 5"/54 (12.7 cm) Mark 45 Mods 4
- FAS: Gunner officer information sheet
- BAE Systems' computer animation and video of the Mk 45 Mod 4 gun on YouTube
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