Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1258433
reached through a decade of research was that replacement of the 25 mm Bradley gun and fitting a new weapon on the existing turret has no sense, when it comes to cost-effectiveness. Currently, the Americans are rather going towards the XM813 (30 mm Bushmaster) gun in the unmanned Kongsberg MCT-30 turret that has ultimately been installed on the Stryker platform. All things aside, the above is a short-term solution. The ALAS-MC/ EAPS program is the one where the 50 mm SuperShort has been mentioned, however, the ultimate shape of the system would be known after 2018. The increased quantity of ammo, so that it matches the levels associated with the 30 mm rounds, is said to be critical. Regardless of the caliber, selection of the gun itself, and its operating principle, is also very important. The automatics of the gun may be powered externally (electric motor) or it may also use the effect that the powder combustion products have. The external power supply is a solution that is omnipresent in the US-made Bushmaster guns, available in calibers ranging from 25 to 50 mm. 30 mm Rheinmetall Wotan and British-French CTAI solutions utilize the very same operating principle. The external drive creates a lot of advantages since the gun is more compact and much lighter (more than 40% weight savings) than other solutions. Secondly, the automatics of the gun are independent of the type of ammunition and the degree to which the barrel and gas channels got dirty. This translates into improvements in the reliability department, for the externally powered guns. It is much easier to get rid of potential malfunctions. Chain guns are also safer for the users, as the risk of self-firing has been minimized. The rate of fire can be smoothly adjusted. It is quite simple to rapidly change the type of round that the gun fires (between AP and MP-T ammunition for instance). Stronger recoil is one of the disadvantages of guns as such since this diminishes the accuracy when on the move, and when fired in bursts. Guns as such also offer a lower maximum ROF Should the power supply unit be damaged, then the gun would be incapacitated. In a scenario as such the gun can be operated in an entirely manual mode, however, this pushes the rate of fire down to 10-15 RPM. The gas-operated systems are used in the KDA and the Mk 30-2 gun (Puma IFV). These offer a higher rate of fire with the recoil being significantly diminished. They can still fire the rounds in a more- less normal manner, without power supply provided to the turret. Currently, the guns are usually belt- fed with ammunition guided via a so-called articulated conduit. Both components above are the main cause of malfunctions in automatic guns, whereas this happens not only due to reasons of purely material nature, as they may also be caused by human errors happening when belts are connected, or by other errors in the procedures that are carried out before shooting. Ammunition quality is a separate issue that also remains relevant within that regard. The lessons learned in Poland, with regards to the use of the 30 mm Bushmaster guns in the Hitfist-30P turres, are quite valuable here. Even though the gun is rated as „spectacular", malfunctions are quite common. However, as the users suggest, more than 50% of those are caused by a lack of knowledge and erroneous operation. Proper training of the crews decreases the number of malfunction-issues by 50%. The second half of the cases of jamming is usually caused by poor quality ammunition/links. In two cases of extreme nature (2012) the faulty rounds exploded inside the gun, causing burns and minor injuries of the crew. Due to the reasons as such the Polish Ministry of Defence requires the ZSSW- 30 to provide easy and quick access to the gun from the inside of the vehicle, so that gun malfunctions can be removed quickly. Alternatively, a beltless feed may be used. The Americans have the most significant experience here, with their linkless feeding systems for the aircraft cannons, with separate loading magazines used to maintain the guns at the airbases. This solution, being almost 40 years old, is currently implemented in the Bushmaster family, as it creates a number of significant benefits. Stryker's Kongsberg Protector MCT30 turret is a good example here. It features the Mk 44 XM813 gun with a linkless feed, using two magazines coupled with the gun, 76-rounds each. This provides the Mk 44 gun with a two-side feed with a capacity of 152 rounds. The most common cause of malfunctions has also been eliminated. Both magazines follow the gun in the elevation plane. ANALYSIS