Page 230 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

236 NAVAL SK ILLS

A 5-inch/54-caliber gun of a Navy cruiser fires a round during a live firing exercise. (Joshua Scott)

On ships having both guns and missiles, the Illost capable system minute to a maximulll range of 13 nautical miles. The shell weighs
may be designated the main batteq', and the other the secondary. 72 pounds.
The range at which a gun is effective against surtace and air The Oto Melara 76~mm (3~inch ) 162~caliber rapid~fire, dllal ~
targets (the ~Oectijle rflllge) is an important characteristic of a gun purpose mount was developed in lIi,ly for NATO use in the late
system. It is dependent on the initial velocity imparted to the pro- 19fiOs to comhat high-speed aircraft and the cruise missile. Because
jectile by the propellant, the weight of the projectile, the caliber of of its light weight, it is suitable for installation on ti·igiltes. It is a
the gun, and the ability of the sensors and fire-control systems to water-cooled single mount, with a rate of fire of eight)' rounds per
detect ime! track the target. The ranges of larger caliber n;\\,<,[ gun minute and a maximulll range of 17,800 yards (19,200 meters) .
projectiles have been extended somewhat by the addition of rocket The mount is not manned and requires only three ammunition
assistance. These rocket-assisted projectiles (RAP) have a solid- handlers to reload the magazine.
propellant rocket motor incorporated in the shell casing. The PhahlIl.\: close-in weapon system (CI\·\,5) is a 20-ml11 gun
Naval guns are categorized as major (8 inches or larger), inter- system designee! to be il ship's last-ditch wcapon ag<linst an antiship
mediate (less than 8 inches and larger than 4 inches), and minor cruise missile. The system is a complete unit containing search and
(less than 4 inches in diameter). tracking radar, a fire-control system, and a magazine. The Phalanx
The biggest naval guns available today are the 127-Jlllll system is capable of automatically detecting and engaging .11lY mis-
(S-inch)/S4- and 62-caliber automatic, dual-purpose, single- siles that penetrate the other task force defenses. The gun is a six-
mount guns fitted on Bllrke-cbss destroyers and Ticollderoga-class barrel Vulcan Gatling gun capable of firing three thousand rounds
cruisers. These gUlls are completely automatic, and are loaded, per minute to a rilnge of abollt J mile. The Phalanx search l'i,dill'
controlled, ime! fired from remote positions without any need for a input is fed directly into a computer, which will ideIlti~' the ti.,rget,
gun crew to enter the mount. The gUll em fire twenty rounds pCI' lock the gun on, ilnd fire it until the t<Hget is destroyed, whereupon