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A fully illustrat*d guide t0 Modern Naval Artillery

 Forthcoming issues feature:
Volume ll Issue 123 I950s Aircraft-Caniers
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I'fr e pre-emin ence of the afucraft-carrier in the immediate
prca*-war years and the rtse of the guided missile seemed, to
sigeify the end of the naval gtn as a major weapon system,
.hqt evenfs of the last decade
have shownthe error of sucha
xa7 of thit*ing and naval artillery has seen a reuival.

--:'= :-: -:82 Falklands War and the troubles in ]rebanon late in the
--- "'--,1 ',-=:r. the terms Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) and Naval
.---::= -:-.;c:r1 Forward Observer (NGSFO) have begmn to take on
-, ; :=:--
-=anings
rn polrtrco-military circles, In an age where de-
= : : = - :--:', 's Crftcult to flnd, it had become an easy option to say that a
- :1--i:-,-: ..re gun was obsolete aboard a naval warship whlch could
:* :j:r-:r ,';r ionger-range 'a11-singing, all-dancing' missile systems.
-', . - --:-: l*xe ol the Royal Navy it was decided that the new-
- : r :i : r - .- : ne 22 Balch I/2/3' ASW frigates and the follow-on'Type
j =
- - - : :-:'.e-cnger
' .- -: ----: -r:irch
carry such a weapon, However, the Falklands
io which such current naval guns were put forced a
:r r f has resulted ln the 'Type 22 BaIch 3' shrps and the
- -: + -=r--r:i
I : : --.--<e class being redeslgned to lncorporate the trred and
: -=: - .' r:::matic II4-mm (4 S-in) Mk 8 qun.
I . -:- =r:--r:j io contrast the original narrow-minded vrew of the
I -:.: l"l:*-:=,; :: Defence wlth lts counterparts rn the USSR and USA,
iri 'r : -
=r= :-:: actlvely promoting the retention of big gmn warships in
;i,
lr,: r :..: -:. :: leriorm NGS tasks amongst other things, Surprisingly,
., -- : '-:=-- :-a-nes tended to follow the biq powers' lead and tried
The RoyalNavy found itself unexpectedly in action in the South Atlantic ir,
1982, with.the supposedly outdatedmedium naval gun making animpr:art
co_ntribution to the campaign to retake the Falklands. The 'Tfpe Z t ' figate
HMS Active found herself on shore bombardment duty within days of itrt-,-ng
wherever possrble to keep large-calibre guns tn their -;-s:_;- :,
addition both France and Italy have made a lucrative expor::a1= ::: ::
selling their gmns to other natlons throughout the world. Oi-:e 3:-.:- _=:-:
by these two countries the most important is the ltaliar l€-::- :-:_
23' OTO-Melara Compact, which is used by some 35 differer: r-a-. _:: j
has been used in combat on many occasions by the Israel_:-t-.1- :. : _-_--
the shore-bombardment and anti-surface ship roles. Horve;=r j-= -::,:.
famous gun by far is the rmmense American 406-mm (16-: -,',
==;,:-- __
the 'iowa' class battleships, which again fired in anger :cr = :_:: -:,=
since World War II durlng the US Navy's involvement rn :: _=:--,=.=
tragedy,
g:;:i:e
Formostof the lastfour and a half centuries, the primary aim of naval
has been the destruction of enemy ships.WorldWar II saw a considerah,e
change in role, with the massive guns of the battleship providing aweson:e
support.to amphibious landings, a task still much in evidence today.
 100-mm Model 68-II gun
-::e 100-mm (3.9-in) Model 1968-11 55-
:alibre weapon is the latest version of
a senes of French 100-mm (3 94-in)
;rs which have the designations
Models 1953, 1964 and 19681, Com-
p;red with these the Model 68-ll is
Lqrter and flrl1y automatic, rmth the op-
::n of autonomous operation with a
---rret crew of only two. The barrel has
= i:nger life than those of the prevrous
;:--is because it is air-purged and wa-
-:l-cooled after each round has been
1ed. The gnrn can engage both air and
s:::ace targets, the former including
-=a-skimming antr-ship missiles, The
:::nd types flred include both a multr-
p'.:pose shell with either a trme or pro-
rmity fuse, and a prefragmented shell
n:Lr a proxrmity fuse, Apart from the
j
ft
i
fl
!l
Derived from the standard
100-mm weapon used by the
French navy, the 100-mm
C ompac t h as been develope d
by C reuso t-Loire and offered
to several countries. Entirely
automatic, it has a srnr/ar
pertormance to the Model
1 96 8 J I, bu t an all-up weight of
some l7 tons allows for
installation on relatively small
vesseis. Afeature of all the
French turrets is the ability to
replenish the magazine while
frring is in progress.
French navy, the Model l96B-iI or its
earlier variants serve with the navies of
Belgium, Portugral, Argentina and
Greece.
A 100-mm Creusot-toire Compact
variant (entirely automatic and posses-
sing the same performance character-
rstics) has also been developed and
sold to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the
People's Repubhc of Chrna,
Specification
Model l968JI
Calibre: lO0 mm (3,94 in)
Weight:22 tons
No. ofbarrels: one
Elevation: - 15'to +80' Projec'tileweight: 13,5 kg (29.8 lb) Above; AdmiralCharner, a frigate of
Muzzle velocity: 870 m (2,854 ft) per Total round weight 23,6 kg (52 lb) the'Commandant Rividre' class, is
second Maximum rate of fire: 60 rpm fitted with the standard I 00-mm gtn
Maximum effective ranges: surface turretfore and aft, although one o{
fire 15 lcn (9,3 miles), and antr-aircraft the aft turrets has been replaced by
fire B kn (5 miles) Exocet Launchers-
Above : The M ed i terr a nean- based EeJour.'Second Maitre Le Biha+ based
aviso (fnirale) Quartier Maitre intheChannel, displays her bow-
Anguetil of ffi e H69' c/ass is mounted I 00 - mm m ain arm ament.
equipped with a single I 00-mm dual- The gun has a rate of fire of 60 rounds
purpose gun in the Model I I 6 8J I per minute (which can be sustained)
mounting. This version of the tufiet is and is desrgne d to engage bo th
a lightened and completely surface and aerial targets. Sea-
au tom atic defivation of the M odels skimming missiles can also be
1953, 1964 and 1968-j,. engaged.
 ffi Hlir, crrr, Mountingr Mk 42
The dual-purpose radar-controlled
stngle 5-in Gun Mounting Mk 42 was
adopted in the late 1950s and early
1960s as the successor to the semi-
automatlc twin 127-mm (S-in) 38-
calibre Mk 32 and singrie I27 mm 54-
calibre Mk39 mountings of World War
II and the immedrate posr-war years
respectrvely The Mk 42 is capable of a
much higher rate of fire and ls fltted
with an automatic ammunitton feed
system with two 2O-round ready-use
lrums, Driven by electro-hydiauhc
power units the Mk 42 can be oper-
aied in local or automatic control.
Crew for the Mk 42 Mod 7/B is 14 of
';,'hom four are actually on the mount.
3ver 150 gnrns of this type are at sea
',',rth the US Nalry and the navies of
i'.tstralta, Japan, Spain and West Ger-
::any, All bar a few of the US guns have
been upgraded to the Mk 42 Mod t0
srandard by kit additions, this bringing
:.ne mount up to the same equipment flt
- the was [ghter Mk 42 Mod g variant
-,..hrch constructed for the 'Knox'
:lass frigates. This has solid-state elec-
-:-n'cs. a 10 per cen- redr:clron in pow-
:r requirements and a crew of only two
.11 the mount, reducrnq the overall total
-: The 127-mm En-m barrel fitted to
12,
,:e Mk 42 mounts is desigrnated the Mk
-3 A semi-active laser-guided projec-
le is in the procurement stage for
'.-ese and the later Mk 45 mountings
-he round is 1,548m (5.OBft) lonq,
.';eighs 47.4 kq ( 104.5 lb) and is similar
-r concept to the US Army's Copper-
T h e he Licopter- ca r rying des tr oy er
Shirane is armed with two single S-in
( 127-mm) Mk 42 gun mountings.
Altogether I I vessels of theJapanese
Maritime Self-Defence Force carry
the Mk42,with twomore planned.
Above: The radar guided 5-in Gun
Mounting M k 42 is in widespread
use, over I 50 units of various models dM
being atseawiththeUS Navy and the
navies offour Allied countries. The ffi
gun crew required to operate the ffi
system ( 14, with four in the turret
itselt) is almost half that of preceding
twin-grun turrets.
Right: The single 5-in(127-mm) Mk
42 gun aboard a'ForrestSherman'
class guided missile destroyer is
engulfed by heavy seas. It should be
remembered that navalguns have to
function in all conditions.
head projectile for its 155-mm (6, l-in)
howrtzers
Specification
MountingMk42
Calibre: 127 mm (5 in)
No. ofbarrels: one
Weights: Mod 7/B 65 B tons, Mod 9
57,65 tons and Mod l0 63,9 tons
Elevation: -5'to +80"
Muzzle velocity:Bl0 m (2,657 ft) per
second
Projectile weight: 31 B kq (70 ]b)
Maximum rate of fire:20 rpm
Maximum effective ranges: sudace
flre 23.8 km (14.8 miles), andanti-
aircraft flre 14,8 km (9.2 miles)
re Hlin Cu1 Mountingr Mk 4b
The liqhtweight radar-controlled sing-
le S-in Gun Mounting Mk 45 utilizes a
Mk 19 gnrn barrel and represents what
is essentially a quantum leap for US
naval medium gnrn technoloqy, It was
designed for fltting to new-build
warshrps and is fully automatic in op- types of ammunition carried on the
eratron, with only sx men required in drum. The gmn has already seen exten-
the fixed-ammunition handllng room to srve combatuse inthe shore bombard-
reload the single 20-round ready-use ment role during the US NavY's in- Specification
drum, The mount embodies all the im- volvement in Lebanon, and has proved MountingMk45
provements to 127-mm (S-in) gun - to be exceptionally reliable and easily Calibre: 127 mm (5 in)
maintained. To date no other country No. ofbarrels: one
mounts that have been develoPed
over the last 40 years or so since the has bouqht the weaPon for its shiPs, Weight: 21.34 tons
127-mm 38-calibre gun was first intro- although it rs still tn mass production for Elevation: - 5'to +65'
the US Nalry as the main gnrn armament Projectile weight 31.8 kq (70 16)
duced. In lhe Mk 45 Mod I verston now
being produced the below-decks re- for the AEGIS-equipped'Ticonderogta' Maximum rate of fire:20 rpm
loading arranqements have been class missile cruisers and the 'Arleigh Maximum effective ranges: surface
Burke' class mrssile destroYers fi re 23.8 lcn (14,8 mjles). and antr-
modified to allow remote and raPid
round selection between several amongst others. aircraft fire L4.B kn (9,2 miles)

Right: Built by the Northern

O r dnance d ivision of the F M C'
corporation, the single 1-in/54-
calibre Gun Mounting Mk 45 is the
most advanced of the turrets
currently in service with the US Navy.

Below: One of the mostimportant

vessels fo be com missioned in the
Iast decade, USS Ticonderogais
equipped to command and control
the air defences of a fleet. She is also
equipped for surface action, with two
Mk45 mounts.

Above:The lean form of the'california' class cruiser uss South carolina cuts
-tn US .
o"gi lni iiter. I n common with all of the larger fighting shipl- of thewhich
ii;ry6"iii th" hit l0 years, the'Californias' are armedwithMk45s,
may soon be capable of firing laser guided proi ectiles '

Above.'US.S Texasof the'Virginia'class

-ini"L ls amongst the most potent cruisers
Win *.iionry that iicludes Tomahawk, H arpoon, ASROC and- and
sliid.raiiti6 , together with gun systems inclu.ding
-i6 Phalanx-CIWS
ii is i-ii f I 27-im), the cjass lras'an ti'air, anti-sur{ace, and anti'
submarine capahility in no small measure.

2444
 : l6-in Gun Turret Mk
iollomng the reactrvation of the 'Iowa,
class battleships the US Naqr reintro-
duced to active service the laroest
:-ahbre naval gmns in the world to"day
With nine radar directed l6-in Mk-Z
Mod 0 qmnq in three i,ZO8{on tdple
turrets, the 'Iowas' require a crew oi ZZ
per mount alone plus an additional 30-
36 men in the magaztnes. The ammuni-
tlon fired rs_gr_tfer Hrgh-Capacriy Hrgh
Explosive (HCHE) or Armoirr-pierclrig
rAP), the Iatter being capabJe o"f
penetralrng up to 9 m (29.S ft) of rein_
forced concrete or SS0 mm (22 in; of
annour plate, Each battleship has a
magazine load of 1.220 projectiles wjrh
a larger number of 49 9-kg ( I lO-lb) full-
Above: The most heavily-armoured
US warships ever built, the'lowa'
c,lass rras desrgn ed to withstand
comb at wi th the J apanes e
superbattle sh ips Yamato and
Musashi. The main arm am ent w a s
also the mostpowerful available, in
tripleMkT turrets.
7 Modern Naval Artillery
charge and 24-kq (52.8{b) reduced-
charge propellant bags. The length of
eqgh gun is 50 cahbres, and the weight
i0B479ks (239,156]b) wlthout lts
breech block. The gmns can also be
loaded, elevated and fired individual-
ly,
Since reacttvation the USS l'/ew
/ersey has used her guns in support of
the Lebanese army and US Marrnes in
and around Beirut, Lebanon, whtlst
during her previous Vietnam War
activation the 406-mm gun proved one
of the most accurate and deadlv bom-
bardment weapons of the whoie war,
hittrng targets in direct support of
ground troops and others whrch were
Below: The most recent activation
ftasseen the'Iowas'
compre hen s ively r efi tte d, an d
serving at the centre of sur{ace action
groups, The enormous main turrets
are without parallel in today,s navies,
each barrel alone weighing over t 00'
tons,
inland and heavily defended wrth re_
spect to air attack, Dunnq the late
1950s a tacrical nuclear rouid, the lS-
kiloton yield Mk 23 'Karie, was de-
veloped for servrce and although a
number entered the active nuClear
stockpile, it is thought that none were
taken to sea, The Iowa's were equip_
ped to carry l0 of these rounOs in thejtr
magazmes,
Specification
TurretMk 7 of the class in both the Korean and
Calibre: 406 mm ( 16 int
No. ofbarrels: three
Weight: i,708 tons
Elevation: -5" to +45"
Muzzle velocity: HCHE Z62 r:'.2 -,
persecond,andAP5ZOm(l gjl
_ -
. :=:
second
Projectile weights: HCHE 862 k:
(1,900 lb). andAP t22S kor2 t.. :
Maximum rate of fire: 6 rpm
Maximum effective rarges: liC.-.:
38 km (23.6 mrles) and Ap 3e I <:_
(22,8 miles)
The need for powerful shore
bombardment saw the re-activation
Vietnam wars. New Jersey ln 1 968
was seen primarily as a grun
platform, her 16-in (406-mm) gtns
being the only weapons m ann ed.
2445
Sheiling Lebctnon
The involvement of United States Marines with the Multinational Peacekeeping
F orcein the Lebanon saw the full weight of American military might supporting the
contingent ashore. In addition to the carrier and amphibious groups offshore, theUS
Navy was to deploy the world's only operational battleship, ffte U,SS NewJersey.

In October 1982, following the Israeli'Peace for
Galilee' invaslon of southern ]rebanon and the
subsequent siege of Berrut, a multi-national
peacekeeping force (comprising US Marines,
French paratroops and Forergn Legionnaires,
Italian army units and a smail armoured car unit
cf ihe Britrsh army's Blues and Royals) was
landed in an eflort to keep ihe peace between
an apparent myriad warring factions Mean-
,ruhile in the Shouf mountains to the south east of
:he city Chrrstian Phalangist and Moslem Druse
mrlitras began a savage blood feud which
caught the Israelis right in the middle, They
endured this for nearly a year untrl they with-
drew lrom Beirut and its surroundings, This left
the Christians who had moved into the Shouf
without any effectrve support as the lrebanese
army (reformed, rearmed and trained by the
Americans) was still not strongr enough to take
over the abandoned Israeli posrtrons The
Druse forces at once mounted an all-out attack
on both the Phalangist villages and the main
l,ebanese army position at Souk al-Gharb,
They succeeded rn eliminattng the former
whilst the Lebanese army held on grimly to its
positions using every unit and weapon avail-
able,
Fearing a major increase in the threat to the
peacekeeping force, the Americans commit-
ied a number of its missile cruisers and des-
iroyers offshore to supporting the Lebanese
wrth 127-mm (S-in) Naval Gunfire Support
(NGS) Usinq a mixture of both aeriai recon-
naissance by TARPS-equipped Grumman F-
i4.A Tomcats from carriers, and small three/
four-man US Manne Corps forward observer
teams which entered the Shouf in jeeps and
Lebanese army vehicles to find suitable
targets, hundreds of rounds were fired into
Druse positrons to prevent a flnal assault on
Souk al-Gharb, Although rn the flnal analysis
the Amencan NGS caused lrttle rn the way of
mrlitary damage or casualties, the deterrent
value was suifrcient, On 25 October the suicide
bombings of the US Marine Corps and French
paratroop HQs durrng Muharram, the frrst
month of the Moslem year and what is effec-
tively the martyrdom season for fanattc Shta
Moslems caused American resolve to streng-
then: the massive 406-mm (16-tn) guns of the Accurate gunfire from afloat needs identification
battleshrp USS l/ew/ersey lylng off shore were of targets ashore. Grumman F- I 4A Tomcats,
allowed to open flre for the flrst time on 14 equipped with the Tactical Airborne
Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS), provided
December, target information for the destroyers and crursers
Used to bombard Druse and Syrian positions giving the initial 127-mm (i-in) gunfire support for
in the Shouf Ihe New Jersey fired huge 862-kg the Lebanese army.
(1 900-1b) HE rounds that in some areas 1iteral1y
reshaped the landscape, Although impressive Before long, attacks on the Marine contingent at
in appearance, with complete salvoes being Beirut airport led to the assignment of the massive
fired off at targets many kilometres inland, the tirepower of USS NewJersey to lft e Lebanon, where
final results showed a need for more effective her guns were to be fired in anger for the first time
rounds to produce a better target coverage. A in 16 years. The main targets were Syrian and
programme was then inttiated to develop both Druze positions in the Shouf Mountains.

l€.:'i
 'Ifte newest and most advanced warship in the US
fieet saw actian for the first time off the Lebanon,
when on a nurnber of occasions the AEGIS cruiser
USS Tieonderogapravided I 27-mm (S'in) gunfire
suppart ta the troops asftore.

subniunition cargo rounds and an extended-

range HII shell for engagirrg targets larther ' :r'r' .1,
nland than ever before. e.":-.-,
Although the 127-mm HE rounds were found .X*ltg I .B -

aCequate for some tasks it was also deemed

recessary that for the NGS of troops in close &1,
proximity to an enemy (as at Souk a1 Gharb) a
.aser-guided round was needed whtlst for
area targets well away from the coast rocket-
:ssrsted projectiles were required The latter
-s no,ru in service with the Mk 45 gun mount,
.-,,hilst mass productron ol the former together
',vrtn its shrpboard Seafire laser fire-controi sys-
.em has been requested in the Ftscal Year L986
mrlitary budgei requesis. The guided round
,mll also be able to use Qtround-based laser
iesignator systems currently in service lvilh
:he US Marine Corps and airborne systems on
ioi-rr,rard observer aircraft. So the concept of
prcking ofl individual sniper and machrne-gun
positions with a 127-mm shell, which was so
badly nssdsd by the US Nlarines 1n Beirut
durrng the laiter period oi therr stay rn the crty,
rs not that far off and will add considerably to
ihe US Marlnes'peacekeeprng abilities in such
sriuaticns
The New Jersey and the other warships pro-
'"'rded continuous NGS to the US Marines and
I ebanese army until the former pulled out (or
:c grve the correct US Adrninistration term're-
Ceployed') on 22 February l9B4 Although the
-JS ground lorces had faiied in their primary
nLssion and lost over 250 dead the Lebanese
:peration again showed to the military'world
.he value of havrnq NGS available to ground
:rces, both in a direct support role and as a
: eierrent lactor to effect operations on the field
,- cattle. The use cf the 406-mm guns in an
.:---rmrted manner on Druse vlllages and milit-
..:',- pcsitions in the Shouf vuould have caused
:"en an organrzation hardened by years of
:-: -ial factional liqhting unacceptable matenel
..: i personnel losses Thus the threat of the
.--. Aas sullicLerL Lo marr-rain a staius quo
-r:und Souk a1-Gharb rn the milttary opera-

t.

: gunfire support can only be effective

)'] aval
. : accurate abservation of the {all of
e : e is
:. ::ai end, Marine Corps abserver teams in
:.: :ersd the Shouf , both to find suitable
: ::.i to correct naval shellfire"
',':.:oubted\y it lhe use ofNewJersey's
r,lras
. . . : :a am.ent which drew all eyes to the
- --.- 5r : r I s,hou ld be remembered that only a
: : ; :e','iously this ePitome of Power
, : :. .',-as cruising the coast of Centra]

*
ru Houi"t naval rocket-launcher systems
For shore bombardment and defence
suppressron missions the Soviet navy
has fitted some of its amphibious war-
fare vessels with modifled versions of
standard Soviet army multiple rocket-
launcher systems, The oldest type
used is an 18{ube 140-mm (5,51-1n)
launcher which is fitted amidshlps with
blast shields in pairs on the 'Polnochriy
A/B/C' LSM classes, The rocket used is
the spin-stabilized MF-14-0F, which
weighs 39,6 kg (87,3 lb) and has an
1B.B-kg (41,4-lb) HE-fragmentation
warhead. The maximum range of the
weapon is around 10 kn (6,2 miles), It
rs believed that a smoke round can also
be fired to screen an assault landing.
The weapon has been exported
aboard 'Polnochnys' to the navies of
Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Egypt,
Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Ltbya, Poland,
Somalia, South Yemen, Syria and Vlet-
nam.
In the Iate i97Os the Soviets intro-
duced a new rocketlauncher aboard
the 'lvan Rogov' class LPD and the 'A11r
gator IV' class LST, Based on the 122-
mm (4,8-in) BM-21, the navai system
comprises a pedestal mount with two
clusters of 20 loaded rocket tubes,
Once fired, the empty tubes are dis-
carded and the mount is automatically
reloaded with two new pods from a
below-deck magazine, Several of the
East German's 'Frosch' class LSTs are
also conflgured for this system, The
standard rocket weiqhs some 77 kg
(i69,75 lb) and has a 19,4-kg (42,8-lb)
HE-fragmentation warhead, Smoke Specification Specification Given previous Soviet practice in
and chemical rourids are available as I22-mmlauncher I40-mmlauncher adapting naval systems for land use
options. The maximum range of the Calibre: 122 mm (4.8 in) Calibre: 140 mm (5,51 rn) or vice versa, it should not be
system is in the region of 20 lqn (12.4 No. of launchertubes: 40 (two 20-round No. of launchertr:bes: 18 surprising to learn that the famaus
miles), which allows the vessel to pods) Weight of rocket 39,6 kq (87,3 ]b) 'Katyusha' multiple rocket- Iauncher
stand-off a fair distance to avoid return Weightof rocket 77 kg(169,8]b) Tlpes of rockets: HE, smoke should appear on Soviet assault
fire. In both cases the systems used Types ofrockets: HE, smoke, chemical Reloadtime: l0mrnutes slrips. On tfte Ivan Rogov, the rockets
caa be flred individually, in multiples Reloadtime: 2-3 minutes Maximum range: 10 km (6.2 miles) are pedestal-mounted high in front
or complete salvoes, Maximum range: 20 km (12.4 miles) ofthebridge.

ft-** suns
=
In the early 1960s the Soviet navy intro-
Cuced into service on the 'Kynda' class
llissile cruisers a twin 76-mm 60-
:ahbre raprd-firing dual-purpose enln
nount which rapidly became the stan-
iard flt for a number of warship and
a-u:<r[ary vessel classes, Now found on
::re 'Kiev' class aircraft-carriers, the
(ara' and 'Kyunda' class missile cruis-
the 'Kashin' and 'Kildin' class des-
=rs,
:r3yers, the 'Krivak I', 'Mirka' and
?eiya' class frigates and the 'lvan
i.cgov' class amphibious warfare
s:::-os, the mount is usually associated
',';--1 either an 'Owl Screech' or 'Hawk
S:leech' I-band fire-control radar. The
;,;Jrem has also been exported to a
:-'-::ber of Soviet chent states on ex-
;.:r version 'Kashin' class destroyers
--:i:rPetya and'Koni' class frigates.
smaller surface combatants
:--r:r 3s the 'Matka' class missile craft
-=:-tr -.lre 'Tarantul', 'Nanuchka IIi' and
:-=:< class corvettes, the Soviets intro-
::::i rn the 1970s a fully automatic
-:-;:: 76-mm 60-calibre dual-purpose
;-:-',";:lch also had the option of local

!ne 76-mm Dual Purposegrunfitted

:o 'Je rear of the superstructure of
'ie So-iet carrier 'Kiev' is seen in the
3rt-aicraIt position in this picture
:a-ken rr the Meditenanean by a
ic1 aJ Air Force Nimrod maritime
paroJ aircralt.
76-mm gnrns (continued)
on-mount control by a gmn crew rf re-
qurred. Fire-control for aerial targets is
by a 'Bass Tilt' H-band radar, whilst
surface targets need the use of a local
sighting system in conjunction with the
slup's search radar,
Specification
76-mmU60
Calibre: 76 mm (3 in)
No. of barrels: two
Elevation: O'to *80'
Muzzle velocity:900 m (2,953 ft) per
second
Projectile weight: 16 kg (35.3 ]b)
Maximum rate of fire:90 rpm
Maximum effective rangres: surface
fire B lcn (5 miles), and antr-aircraft flre
6 kn (3,7 miles)
,iiio-**
il and l3o-mm
In the early 1970s the'Krivak II'class
mrssile frigates were seen to be armed
wrth two new-pattern single 7O-calibre
100-mm dual-purpose gmn mounts aft,
The barrel is water-cooled and the
mounting is assessed by NATO as
being ful1y automatic in operation, with
fire-control by either a 'Kite Screech'
radar or an off-mount optronic sighting
system, The new gmn was subsequent-
ly seen to be adopted for the 'Udaloy'
class ASW destroyers, the 'Krivak III'
class mrssile frigates and the lead shlp
of the nuclear-powered battle-
cruisers, the Krror herseli
The 100-mm (3,9-in) gun was fol-
lowed in the mid-1970s by a brand new
gun design mounted imtrally on the
'Sovremenny' destroyer class, and
found to be a ?O-cahbre twin 130-mm
dual-pwpose gun mount, The barrels
are also water-cooled to prolong life.
The fittrng ofthe barrels close together
would seem to indrcate that they share
a common cradle system, The gn-rns
have a grreater maximum range than
the older 152-mm (6-in) Soviet guns
(2BWn/17,4 miles in comparison with
27 krri/16,8 miles), and are nowfitted as
the main armament for the larqer
-l
Modern Naval Artillery
Specification
76-mmU60
Calibre: 76 mm (3 in)
No. ofbarrels: one
Elevation: -5'to +85'
Muzzle velocity: 900 m (2,953 ft) per
second
Projectile weight 16 kg (35,3 1b)
Maximum rate of fire: 120 rpm
Maximum effective ranges: surface
fire 10 lcn (6,2 miles), and anti-aircraft
fire 7 kn (4,3 miles)
First appearing on'Kynda' class
cruisers in the early 1960s, the twin
76-mm DP gun also appeared on the
contempor ary' K ashin' clas s
destroyers. Classes since carrying it
include' Kiev',' K ara' and'Krivak'.
eruns
Soviet surface combatants such as the
'Slava' class missile cruisers and the
second nuclear-powered battle-
cruiser, Ihe Frunze. Fire-control is
similar to that of the smaller 100-mm
gn-in.
Specification
I00-mmU70
Calibre: ]OO mm (3,94 in)
No. ofbarrels: one
Elevation: - 5" to +80"
Muzzlevelocity:900 m (2,953 ft) per
second
Maximumrate of fire: B0 rpm
Maximum effective ranges: surface
fire 15 km (9,3 miles), and anti-aircraft
fire B km (5 mlles)
Specification
130-mmU70
Calibre: 130 mm (5.12 in)
No. of barrels: two Above: Unlike earlier Soviet 100-mm Below: The powerful sudace warfare
Elevation: -5"to +80' g',,ns, the new weapon that has arm ament of the'S ow emenny cJ as
Muzzle velocity: 950 m (3, I 17 ft) per appeared on laterversions of the destroyers is enhanced by the frl=:;
second 'Krival( class frigate is almost of two twin I 30-mm (5. I ?-in)
Maximum rate of fire: 130 rpm certainly fully automatic. The only automatic gan turrets. Also fitted ta
Maximum effective ranges: surface olfi er yesse/s so far thus equipped pn
'S lav a' class cruis er s, the wea
frre 18 kn ( I 1,2 miles), and antr-aircraft are the battlecrurerKirov and ffie outranges the old 152-mm (6-in) ern
fire 10 lcn(6,2mi]es) I ar g e AS W d e s tr oy e r U da)oy. aboard the'Sverdlovs'.
,
 Baltic Bombcrdmenl
Soviet experience in the Baltic during the'Great PatrioticWar'
showed the value of small-scale harassing amphibious
operations. Since then, Iarger-scale action has been an
increasingly important feature in Warsaw Pact exercises, and
n the event of a Central Front conflict a Soviet flanking attack
in the Balticwould be averyrealthreat.
_-1
In any future confllct between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the latterwilL n a
probability launch into actlon in the Baltic Sea a combined amphibious force c=
the Soviets' Baltic Fleet Naval lnfantry Brigade, the East German army's 28t-
'W lhelm Florin' and 29th 'Ernst Moritz Arndt' Motorized Rifle Regiments anc
the Polish army's 7th Blue Beret Sea Landing Divisiqn to support the anc
theatre offensives. Amphibious assaults wlll probably include attempts to selze
ports such as Kiel, to capture the Kiel Canal and, as the main strateg c operat on
to take the Danish Straits to prevent entry into the Baltlc by US/NATO naval units
and to allow f ree exit for Warsaw Pact/Soviet naval units to interdict the North
Sea and the Channel. All three of the Warsaw Pact mernbers regularly conduci
both individual and combrned force landing exercises during the year.
It is also thought likely that at the onset of any war the USSR will rnvade
Sweden with airborne and ground forces across their common f rontier. Wlthin
this context, amphibious landings along Sweden's long coastline for reconnarss
ance and sabotage purposes are also likely. ln this light the continual peacetime
prob ng of Sweden's coastal waters by submarines and frogmen can be seen n
a chilling perspective.
lvlost of the exercises monitored by NATO have demonstrated that the
Warsaw Pact amphibious warfare vessels favour arriving at the disembarkation
point by dawn. Whilst they start offloading, supporting Naval Air Force and
Frontal Aviation units will co-ordinate arr strikes against the beach and its
surroundings whilst navalsurface ships start a shore bombardment designed to
saturate the defences. The main shore bombardrnent and Naval Gunfire Sup
port (NGS) missions will be assigned to the two 'Sverdlov' class cruisers armed
withfourtriple'l 52-mm(6-in) gunturrets.FirngHE(and, lt sbelieved,incertan
circumstances tactical nuclear) shells, the cruisers will be tasked with des-
troying or severely damaging most types of coastal defence lnstallations. To a d
the'Sverdlovs'it is expected that elderly l30-mm (5.12-ln) gun-armed'Kotl n'
and 'Skory' class destroyers plus 100-mm (3.9 in) gun-armed 'Riga'class fri-
gates will also be used. For additional suppressive fire on the way into the beach
and during the actual landings the amphrbious warfare vessels themselves wrll
fire their guns and/or multiple rocket-launchers, whilst any d sembarked amphi-
bious PT-76 tanks and BTR-60 APCs will also be able to add the weiqht of their

-j;' e- t

,.- I
;iilfi The Soviets have retained all gun-armed
l;"r:-:1,
warships in the shape of the J 52-mm (6.in).
gunned cruisers of the 'Sverdlov' c/ass. ln r

today's missile-dominated navies, the

major use for such a vessel must be in l
providing fire support for amphibious
operations in the event of a major European
conflict.

{:
 Modern Naval Artiiler,'
:--s as they are tra ned in co-ordinating counter fire wht st making an assau t during TAPAD-8l' rn the Baltic. Approximately '1 OO surface s^ :-. .-_ . ::
.-c ng Soviet f eets tool part in ffre operaiion, the main anding tartrg-:._= .
r.s n the case of the Royal Navy in the Falklands, the majority of the alr and L thuanian coast between Ba t ysk and palmnicken. AboJt 6,tC: :, . _ ... .
.- :re bombardment f ire wtll be u nder the d rect rad io control of soectal st Nava lnfa,ntry and motorized nfantry were anded by hel copter, as::_ . :- ._ .
-':ntryNGS forward observers and Spetsnaz spec a forces ieams, anded
I

:,.,,errly several days before the ma n landing to dentify defend ng un t posi
. :ns With such targets neutra zed the chances of a successful land ng, wh ch
.'e essential y dependent on seculng the beach head and rapidly bui ding up
^e ioTces on t, become much greater.
n the case of an attack on a port the Naval nfantry wi lalmost certainly be
:nded nearby to link up w th airborne infantry for a combined assau t. The NGS
.rci ts direct on wlll therefore become even rnore crucial as its inherent accura-
:r wi I be useful in demolish ng indivldual targets n the urban fighting phase to
cush on vehicle and Ro-Ro merchant ships. The mission of tne \.... -,.
was to securethe beach head, clear any m nefields presentand .: :-_: :, -.
th'o-g^ de e^d nq lorces 'or t^e o lorr.--p mdi- a^o;-g o .r ..
rflemen to exploit. ln the exercise the role of NGS to he o"overc:--. --.. . .
pos tio-ns holdrng up the Nava Infantry was clear y demonsr ,r-,:
_ In T 983 the joint Warsaw Pact amphib ous assauli exerc se SC'. , _ : j l
Baltcwasgivenevtensvecoverage nthepressofsevera Easler- i, - : :
The first phase was the clearing oioffshore minefields bV a m ne... -::: _,
and the saturatlon of the beaah defences by NGS from tv o :.- .
_

: ear a path for the attacking units. The subsequent capture of the port will then
: ow the rapid d sembarkation at lts faci ities of a large number of motorized rrf le
: v sion troops from Roll-oni'Ro l-off (Bo-Ro) transports and other sh ps.
n supportrng the Soviet army in the land war, two basic scenarios have been
iractised over the years by the amphibrous warfare force. The first is amph
l ous landings executed rn conjunction wlth a main army offensive. These are
:es gned to create diversions in NATO's rear areas and to bleed off reserve un ts
.'"'h ch would otherwrse be commrtted to the main act on. The other is an
cru sers and supporttng Naval Air Force Sukhot Su-20 '; ..:. l
bombers. The maln assault n three waves then went in, under:l . -
=- :
alair support, in the wake of an inltial echelon of Nava lniantri a-:
Bs.ot5 g. q hel cootpr. a^d lano ng c.ait -^a -d n groJp
aoproach by a hel copte. o-ig;r-ared sTnof e screon -
'l
l- d.r LneWa'sawdacro-[^bolsna-'a.ee\ercrtrs Looa . -
role of NGS has been emphasized, so much so that the Sov et -.
-aor-el-p'og-drrre+ora.u-bero' r" Sverdov eldss .r.. -

:n'ph nious assault launched in an effort specifically ca culated to break a they se_rve on well nto the next decade as the primary NGS sr:-
-ita emate on the main f ront by effect vely turning NATO's f ank and opening the Soviet fleers Wlthln NATO clrcles thrs facror hai genei-a 1y bee- : -
.'ray f or a new land off ensive. Such a scenario was practised in September '1 981 bar the US Navy

The Baltic fleet has practiced amphibious warfare

techniques, working in conjunction with
amphibiotts units of the Warsaw Pact, together
with the aircraft of the Soviet AviatsiyaVoyenno-
Morsky Flat (AV-MF, orNavalAviation). A
regiment of 35 Sukhoi Su- I7 'Filters'are assr'Ened
to anti-ship and amphibious support roles in the
Baltic.

i.r'1 ;:+s

'-,:il&'-
gl
:n,lir . :
-

Yi
I

==

i.:

# .::,

ii: @-T*,,i.;
:#?'iF''
.1: '
'
. ::iGa

.' iffi,-^
'-i, s
..
'.":=:q* -
-,iir4::: J
il ide-** triple gun mounting
I:e Soviet navy's SO-calibre 152-mm
triple mountinq features the largest
raval gurrs in servrce today rmth any
ra\ry save that of the USA. The guns are
cf a 1938 design, and are fitted on the
'rnmodfred Sverdlov class cruisers in
a conventional tvvo forward and two aft
ixrret arranqtement, The barrels can
be rndividually elevated, loaded and
nred if required. The loading phase is
believed to be semi-automatic in na-
rure, each barrel having a maximum
rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute,
thouqh a more practical rate is thought
to be 4-5 rounds per minute, The gnrns
also have a limited anti-aircraft capa-
bility using barrage fire, At the rear of
each turret top is installed an B-m
(26,25-ft) long optical lrangefinder,
whlst for radar fire-control purposes
the turrets usually mount an 'Egg Cup'
E-band ranging only radar. An addi-
[onal two 'Top Bow' flre-control radars
for the gnrns are included as part of the
sLup's main electronicflt, Recently a
tactical nuclear capabrlity has been
associated with these guns, possibly as
a direct result of its naval gmnfire sup-
port role in Warsaw Pact amphibious
assault operations.
The only other country to use this
qun was Indonesia, which had the
weapon aboard a 'Sverdlov' class
crujser which has now been scrapped,
Specification
152-mm triple gnrn mounting
Calibre: 152 mm (5.98 in)
No. ofbarrels: three
Weight: not knovlrt
Elevation: -5'to +50'
Muzzle velocity: 915 m (3,002 ft) per
second
Projectile weight 50 kq (110.2 ]b)
Maximumrate of fire:30 rpm
Effective ranges: surface fire 18 km
I I 1.2 miles), and anti-aircraft fire 12 lcn
.7.5 mrles)
Right: The triple I 52-mm gun
mounting in sewice with the
remaining'Sverdlov' class cruisers
of the Soviet F leet are of the I I 38
pattern, originally designed for the
'C hapayev' class. The 50 -calibre
guns are teported to have a
maximum range of 27 km ( I 6.8
miles), firing a proj ectile of some
50 ks(t 10 tb).
Right: This photograph dating from
the 1970s contrasts the'Sverdlov'
classwith the last British 6-in gun
cruiser. The Soviet ship remains to all
intents and purposes anunmodified
Wor ]d W ar I I type, while H MS Blake
bears little resemblance to any
wailimeforcbears.
Below: Dzerzhinsky was alfered in the
early I 960s, being fitted with an SA-
N-2 launcher in place of its X-turret.
Presumably the conversion was not a
grea f success, a s no other 'Sverdlov'
was so converted. Although
potentially fineiVGSsft jps, tft e
'Sverd lovs' rem ain vu lnerab Ie to
modernweaponry and, since thereis
no sigm of the Soviet navy updating
their missile defences by the
addition of close-in weapon systems,
it may be that these large, impressive
vesse,ls are bein g retained as
tr aining ship s and' fl ag- shower s'.
 #d-** oro
,..- i2-calibre 76-mm OTO Melara
3.onpact gun is now the most famous
;:-..-.,ergrht dual-purpose naval gmn in
'.-.: ,-, crld, Developed from the 76-mm
: ,' OTO Melara MMI mount in the
,,,:- -960s the gn-rn flrst entered service
- ,369 as a system intended for in-
. =--atron in ships of any size and ciass
r:'.',1
'i The to motor gmnboats and hydro-
fully automatic mounting con-
.j.s of two parts, the shank and the
-::et assembly. The former is instal-
.=: below deck and contains the B0-
i -:rd rotating platform and hoist
':::runition feed system to the gmn in
.:
:rJJret above Thts is covered by a
.'1.edight and NBC proof frbreglass
. :--eid The only manpower required rs
: --= nrarn magazine where ammunt-
:: handlers are needed to feed the
::-m in order to keep rt loaded, The
','= ol fire is adjustable irom a mrni-
.
- *r of l0 to a maxrmum of BS rounds
-,:r minute, althougrh a new Super
Lapid variant increases the latter to
-, - rounds per minute. The rate is
.r'-sted on the operations room con-
: -. :onsole, Another option available
. :e abilrty to fit a stabilized line of
. ;: local fire-control system if re-
-::d
- :e gun barrel is fltted with a muzzle
:- -:e and a fume extractor. Currently
- ;:rn is rn sewice or on order with
. :.;-: 37 navies, and is belng licence-
: - -n the USA, Japan and Spain, The
. .-:l- navy has used the weapon ex-
--.-',-ely
in combat in the antr-ship and
' :: bombardment roles. It is be-
Melara Compact gun
lieved that the Israelis have modifled
the gmn for use in the latter role, poss-
ibly with locaily produced ammum-
tron
A more modern variant with
autonomous turret-mounted Lince gun
director and new prefragmented
ammunirion. for use agarnst sea-
skimmrng missiles, has been de-
veloped by the Italians for production
in the next year or so.
Specification
76-mm OTO Melara Compact
Calibre: 76 mm (3 in)
No. ofbarrels: one
Weiqht: 7,35 tons
Elevation: - 15" to +85"
IVluzzle velocityr 925 m (3,035 ft) per
second
Projectile weight 6,3 kg ( 13,9 ]b)
Maximum rate of fire: 85- 100 rpm
(accordingto variant)
Maximum effective ranges: surface
fire B kn (5 miles), and anti-aircraft fire
5 km (3. I mlles)
l:i .,:::i
an
Right: One of the mosl successfu,l
naval we apons in the post-war years,
the 76-mm (3-in) OTO-Melara
Compact gun mounting is in service
with, or is being delivered to, 35
navies or more. I t is manufactured
under licence in the USA. Japan and
Spain. and it has been extensively
combat-tested by the Israeli navy.
B elow : The light weight of the 7 6 -mm
Compact has enabled it to be
installed on vessels d;sp/acing as
little as 60 tons. It was mounted on
the 'Pegasus' class hydrofoil USS
Agutla and fftegrun girzes Aguila and
her sisters considerable firepower,
being able to fire at up to 100 rounds
per minute.

Hffi
,.;,.:i{:::,i;i&t
lI iiz-** oTo Melara Compact gun
-:s,gr work for the l27-mm OTO
Melara Compact 54-calibre qun
rn 1965 as a joint venture bY
=::-ed
l I Melara with the Italian govern-
-
:-::. The flrst prototype was com-
:-e:ed in May 1969 and the qrun was
-=i:cred as the main armament for
--:,';-build ltalian nalry frigates and
:=-oyers. The loading. ammunition
:==ing and flrinq sequences afe con-
::lled by one man rn the shlP's opera-
I05-mm Breda SCLAR rocket-launcher
lhe 105-mm Breda SCTAR naval rock-
::-launcher system normally conslsts
:: :wo 20{ube Iaunchers for 105-mm
.+ l3-in) countermeasures or assault
::ckets, an Elsag fire-control unit and a
::agazine filled with SNIA rockets. The
:,';o laulchers are mounted one on
side of the ship so that they pro-
';ie
=achas urde a coverage as possible. A
r:mote-control facility on the fire-
:::rtrol unit allows themto be automati-
:ally trained and elevated to respond
-: any mcoming threats detected by
--:e ship's ovm ESM sensors, To meet
:::r. threat, mixed rocket type salvoes
]= be loaded into the launcher tubes,
:::omatrc selection of the type, fuse
s::Jag and launch sequence being
--::jertaken by the operator on the re-
:::::e fire-control console, If necessary
-:e countermeasures rockets can be
:-:aded and replaced by a variant
'::ei with HE warheads for shore
:c::bardmeni and defence suppres-
J-:: purposes.
-:-rout 1,000 SCLAR mountings have
:e=: burlt to date for the navies of
i:;:::rna. Ecuador, Iraq, Ita1y, Niger-
-: ?:n Venezuela and West Ger-
:--._.- The other rocket tYpes used in-
:-,:e -:e I05LR-C long-range (uP to
.. c. ..r miles) chajl drslraction, the
--al.?.-C medium-range (up to 5 kn/
tions room usinq a console, Ready-use
ammunition rs held in three 22-round
loading drums below deck under the
mount, Thrs allows a choice between
three different ammunition types, the
gun's operator choosing the round
appropriate to the action, The three
drums are automatically reloaded via
two hoists that are manually reple-
mshed in the marn maqazine. A drum
can be reloaded even whilst the elrn is
Above: The Breda I 05-mm rocket'
launcherisusually fitted to aship as
one of a pair, primarily tor use as a
launch system for countermeasures;
high explosive warheads can be
fitte d for as s ault pur poses.
Right: D eveloped from the I 0 5 - mm
launcher, the multi-calibre assault
launcher fires both I 0 |'mm and 5 I -
mmrockets. The servos of the
training mechanisms are more
carefully protected against adverse
weather conditions than in the
originalsystem.
firing. The barrel itself is fltted with a
muzzle brake. Apart from Italy the
navies of Argentina, Canada, Iraq,
Nigeria, Peru and Venezuela have
gmns of this type in service aboard fn-
gates and destroyers.
Specification
I27-mm OTO Melara Compact
127 mm (5 in)
Calibre:
Left: OTO-Melara developed a
compact, lightweight I 27-mm (i-in)
wn and tuftet for use as the main
armament for frigates and
de str oyer s. B lohm und Vos s hav e
adopted thegunfor their'Meko 360'
class of destroyer, as seen fiere on
Argentina's Almirante Brown.
No. ofbarrels: one
Weight:34 tons
Elevation: -15"to +85"
Muzzle velocity: 807 m (2,648 ft) per
second
Projectile weight: unknown
Totalroundweight 32 kq (70,5 lb)
Maximumrate of fire:45 rpm
Maximum effective ranges: surface
fire 15 km (9,3 miles), and anti-atrcraft
fire 7 km (4,3 miles)
Above: The maj or technical features
of modern compact systems are the
major use of light alloy structures,
lightweight control mechanisms, and
ahigher rate offire. This lastfeature
requires an automatic loading
sequence, with ready-use rounds
close to hand and easily refillable.
- l$.mm Breda SCLAR rocket-launcher (continued) Modern Naval Artillery
: - niies) chaff seduction and the
. -:-R-l illuminarjng with a maximum
:.::3e of 4 km (2,5 miles).
Specification
SCLAR
Calibre: I05 mm (4,13 in)
\o. oftubes per launcher: 20
ffeight; l,72tons
Elevation: - 5" to + 60'
Rate of fire: I rocket per second
Rocket types: HE, chafl illumination
Maximum rang e: 4 - 12 km (2 5 -7. 5

Seen aboard a 'Lupo' class frigate of

the ltalian navy, the Breda multi-
calibre assault launcher retains the
capacity to firc deception and
countermeasure rockets from the
105-mm tubes.The 5l-mm rockets
are strictly for close range assault,
however.

>K iti"t "r, 4.S-in Mk 8 sun 1--*-s--t---* -

.he Royal Navy has been usrng the
- l4-mm (4.S-in) weapon as its standard
:redium calibre gun since World War
-i In the mid-1960s RARDE begran de-
srgn development of a fully automatic
-,.ersion to replace the semi-automatic
lvlk 6 twln turret. Based on the Britrsh
army's Abbot gun, the radar-
:ontrolled 4.5-in Mk 8 gun, as it be-
:ame known, is a S5-calibre weapon
rtted with a muzzle brake and fume
:xtractor, The gmn mountingr itself is
Cesigned by Vickers and features a
:einforced GRP qun shield with a srm-
ple ammunition feed system and re-
:rote power controls. A stockpile of
ready-use rounds can be accommo- -l'r
dated at the mounting and flred re-
motely from the operations room wrth
no crew closed up on the reloadrng
system below decks. Five types of
Below : The Vickers 4.5 -in M k 8
mounting is currently in service with
the Royal N avy aboard Type 42 and
Type 82 destroyers as well as Type
2I and Batch 3 Type 22 frigates, and
will befitted to the newType 23
'Duke' class of frigate.

fixed ammunttion can be fired: chaff. With a maximum range of 23 larr

sudace practtce, anli-aircraft praclice
HE (with impact, close proximity dis-
tant proximity or delay-action fuses)
and illuminating, Apart from the Royal
Navy the Mk B is in service with the
Argentine, Brazilian, Iranian, Libyan
and Thai navies, The Mk B saw exten-
sive combat semce in the 1982 Falk-
lands war, mainly rn the shore bom-
bardment and close-support roles for
troops in contact with the enemy, but it
is also credtted with destruction of an
Argentine supply ship when HMS
AJacrity sank the lsia de los Eslados
Specification
MkSgun
Calibre: 114.3 mm (4,5 in)
(14.3 miles) anda sustainedrate of
fire of 25 rounds per minute. the Mk t
can fire a variety of differing rounds"
including high explosive with four
different types of fuse (impac1. ciose
prox imity, dis t an t p rox imi ty anC
delayed action).
No. ofbarrels: one
Weight:notkrown
Elevation: - 10' to + 5;'
Muzzlevelocity:B7C n--'l !:- : :--:
second
Projectileweight:2. k; i: : :
Maximumrateof fire: 2l -::-
Maximum effective ranges: -----i --:
fue 23 lcrr (14.3 m1e..' 1::1:---r -: j
fLre 6 km (3.7 miles)
Falklands Firepower
W i th the B ritish with dr aw al f r om E mpire in the I 9 6 0 s, def ence thinking h as
concentrated on a British role in NATO , and the Royal Navy has become a primarily
anti-submarineforcewith an area of operation largely confined to theNorth
Atlantic. Large-scale amphibious operations, and their attendant gunfire support,
were things of the past until events in early 1982 proved otherwise.

The 1982 war tn the Falklands should have
proved to ail doubters that the fltting of medium
gnrns aboard Royal Nar,ry warships is still a vital
necessity even in an aQIe of high technologry,
The ll4-mm (4.5-1n) QIun saw service tn two
forms, the twin semi-automatic Mk 6 and the
single Mk 8, Both became one of the Task
Force's main weapons for bombarding Argen-
tine positions throughout the Falkland Islands,
The Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) provlded
was well surted to engaging pinpoint targets,
naval gnrns having high muzzle velocity and,
hence, flat trajectory, The 105-mm (4. l-in) qun/
howrtzers ashore, sited in batteries and with
lower muzzle velocity, had a Qreater spread of
fire but a lower rate of fire, For instance, the Mk
6 turret can fire a 25-kg (55-1b) she1l to about
16.4 km (18 000 yards) at a rate of some 30
rounds a minute, while the fully automatic Mk 8
rs able to shoot 2l-kg (46 3-1b) shells to a range
ofabout 23 km (32 340 yards) at up to 25 rounds
a minute, By comparison, a 105-mm light gun
with a competent and fit crew can only hope to
maintain a sustained rate oi fire of about five
rounds a minute over a proloneted bombard-
ment. The ballistic characteritrcs of the naval
guns thus made them more suitable for engag-
rng point targets such as enemy gun positions,
burldings and field works with substantial over-
head cover. The computer-directed Mk 8 also
demonstrated its ability to engage two targets
simultaneously, shelling one with High Explo-
sive while illuminating another wlth starshell.
The automatic control speeded up the time of
response from the time the ship recerved the
target co-ordinates over the Naval Gunfire
Control radio net to the moment at which the
fust rounds landed, Programming of the com-
puter with a number of target co-ordinates also
allowed immediate engagement if a hurried
repeat-mission call came. The only disadvan-
tage of the automatic Mk 8 ls that the success of
the bombardment is entrusted to only a slngle
weapon, High technology ls by no means im-
mune to Murphy's Iraw: HMS Anow was pro-
viding vital support for 2 Para's attack on Goose
Greenwhen the gnrn broke down, silencing her
for two hours,
To provide the target co-ordinates for the
gmns the Task Force ships used 148 Comman-
do Forward Observation Battery, Royal Artil-
lery, This forward observation unit is equipped
with HF radios and is trained to be put ashore in
five-man Naval Gunfire Support Forward
Observer (NGSFO) teams by boat, submarine,
parachute or helicopter several days before an
amphibious assauit, If required, it then remains
around the target to direct the fire, Of the ftve
teams used in the Falklands from 148 Battery
one was assigned to the 3rd Commando Bri-
gade, another to the Sth Infantry Brigade and
the others to the various Special Forces units
which roved over the islands on reconnaiss-
ance and raiding mrsstons.
Firepower demonstration
The first combat use of the 114-mm guns
came when the destroyer HMslrt:rm and the
friqate HMS Plymouth used their Mk 6 mounts
in a firepower demonstratton to frighten the
Argentine defenders of Grytviken on South
Georgla. On 25 April, underthe directronof two
Royal Artillery observers helicoptered ashore
earlier by a Westland Wasp, the ships fired 235
shells whilst a joint SAS/Royal Marines assault
force was landed by helicopter to recapture
the place, Thrs they dld without a shot being
frred when the Argentines surrendered after
The first major action for the gunners aboard the
ships of theTaskForcewas the relaking ofSouth
Georgia. ln this photograph, taken from HMS
Antrim, ffMS Plymouth bombards Argentine
positions.
realizing their hopeless position.
The next occasion when the guns fired in
anger was on I May foliowing the Avro Vulcan
and BAe Sea Harrier attacks on Port Stanley
arrfield. The destroyerHMSGlamorgan with a
Mk 6 turret and the 'Type 21' frigates HMS
Arrow andAlacrity lormeda surface bombard-
ment group, Steering to a gunline position 1o-
cated some 10975 io 15360 m (12 000 to 16,800
yards) off Stanley, they engaged six targets: the
aircraft parking apron on the airfleld, the road
from the arrfield to Stanley, and the suspected
positions to the north and south of the field
where coastal guns and radar were thought to
be located, The flrst shell was fired by the
Arrow, the flre of ail three ships being cor-
rected by NGS observers aboard several helt-
copters, The main Argentine positrons hit were
The epic batile at Goose Green saw HMS Anow
allocated the gunfire support role. Unable to fire
her weapon because of a fault, shewas able to
shell Argentine positions only when a rating held
down a switch in the turret with his finger! She then
performed well, shelling Darwin in the early stage
of the attack. A shell can be seen exploding there
TieTjckers MkB 4.5-in(l l4-mm) navalgun,with
::e preceding Mk 6 twin turret, proved extremely
w-::able in the fire support role in the operation to
the Falklands.
=,;.ke

TheMkB gunwas
:-se belonging to the 25th Infantry Regiment developed from the
-:.:-lnsoon adopted the classic'foxhole com- Army's self-propelled
Abbott 105-mm
;-::':of staying under cover night and day, a howitzer.
.=:-iency which subsequently characterized
-:-=y of the Argentine units in the Falklands
First Argentine airstrike TheMk I gunis
mounted front-heavy,
-: was durrng thrs bombardment that the first to keep the trunnion
-r:gentine airstrike of the war happened, The heightaslowas
---ps then broke off the shelling and retired possib/e. The elevation
-=a-wards. They returned during darkness to arc is - lj"to +55".
- : nplete the interrupted firing programme, At
-=-t flve soldiers were krlled and another five
:-''.ued from the 25th Regiment during the Thelightweight
.:-elling of Sapper Hill during that ntght. Such glassfibrewnshie/d fu
:ay and night bombardments then became a mounted on a stiffened,
::grular feature in the pertod leading up to the Iow-iner tia pe des taL, to
which the training gear
-:a:r Carlos landings as a means of sapping andmotors arefitted.
-::gentine morale and destroying therr posi-
::rs, but also as a drversion to hide the real
,-;rdrng place. On I0 May, durtng a nocturnal The hydraulically-
:=connaissance of Falkland Sound to see if it poweredloading
-.';as mined, Ihe Alacrity detected a short-range system ts asst'mple as
lf,ntact on her Type 1006 radar, Closing the possible, and the
:rstance she lnitially tried to rlluminate it with weapon can be loaded
but failed as a result of the prevailing and fired au tom aticallY
=arsheil
:rnditions, A dozen proximity-fused air-burst from the operations
room.
::unds were then fired from the Mk 8 to try to
..cp the unknown shtp without seriously The ready-use
:amaging rt. This also farled, so flre was recom- magazine is designed
::ienced with contact-fused rounds, At least so that ammunition
-:rree of these were seen to score direct hits typecanbechanged
-,',
hich culminated in a huge orange fireball and without unloading or
--ne contact fading from the radar screen two firing off the rounds
::mutes later. The target was later found to already stocked.

E=

i.bove : The 4.5 -in gun aboardHMS Sheffield r

forward as she burns following the Exocet
=ained herside.
sri,kern

?:ght: The investment of Port Stanley required

::pportfrom the navalguns of theTask Force,
z:rxted by Nava| Gunfire Observation teams
zshore, working in conjunction with the army. This
:cservation postis occupied by the Scots Guards
::i G oat Ridge just before the attack on
l';nbledown Mauntain - the key feature
: z' erlooking Port Stanley.
Falklands Firepower

have been the Argentrne navai transport 1s1a

ie los Esfados loaded with some 325000 litres
(71 490 Imp qal) of aviation fuel, military vehi-
cles and weapons. On the'night of the 16/17
May the AJacnty again entered the Sound to
iaad two SBS teams and a NGSFO team cover-
ng the actual landing. On 2l May an Arqentine
position containing troops belonging to the 12th
and 25th Regiments which threatened the
beach-head was taken out by an SBS assault
Lrsrng NGS from the Antim. At the same time
'he Glamorgan steamed into Berkeley Sound
and shelled targets north of Stanley whilst HMS
Ardent went farther down Falkland Sound to
provide daytime support to D Sqn SAS, which
was raiding the Darwin and Goose Green area
as a diversion, As the Argentine air force
reacted to the San Carlos landings so the
medrum gft-lns were thrown rnto use as AA
1,^/eapons,
but scored no krlls,
On 28 May, when the 2nd Battalion, The Pa-
rachute Regiment attacked Goose Green, the
Arrow provided NGS under NGSFO control
ashore, the fire from her Mk 8 gun being the
rough equivalent of an additional six-gun bat- and under the direction of a team on Beagle The Royal Ordnance Factory 105-mm light gun
:ery of Light Guns, trebling the available artil- Ridge to the north of Wireless Ridge fired on a proved complementary to the navaiweapons;
lery support provlded for the paratroops, Un- series of targets, These rncluded a radar site their mobility and spread of fire were suitable for
:ortuaately, as we have seen, a fault developed with dlsh antenna, Argentine officers' quarters, area targets, while the highvelocity and high rate
,n the Arrow's turret whrch resulted in a two- of fire from the sea dealtwith point targets.
a small fuel dump on the town's racecourse and
roLu gap rn her allotted firing time, However, one ol the elusrve l55-mm (5 l-in) artillery
cy puttrng a man ln the turret to hold down a pieces located in a gnrn pit to the east of Sapper also showed the potential the Royal Navy has
broken switch she eventually resumed firing H111 All were hit, the fuel dump being des- for use in support of NATO's flanks during a
and compensated for some of the time lost by troyed and the glrn overturned and its ammuni- greater conflict,
staying past the scheduled finishing perrod, tion burnt. The conclusions drawn from the successful
-,vhen she was ordered back to the compara- Such bombardments showed that the con- use of naval gunfire support durrng the Falk-
':ve protection of the San Carlos defences at trnuous availability of the Royal Nauy's I l4-mm lands battle (and from the operations rn the
nrst light. gmns and their use under shore-based obser- Lebanon going on at the same time) show that,
The final use of naval guns occurred during vers was a major factor in the Argenttnes' ultr whrle no longer the decidlng factor at sea as it
jre investment of Port Stanley itself. individual mate defeat, both mentally and physically, dur- had been from the time of Drake to the Battle of
snips were assigned to support specific units ing the war, A total of 14 different ships carried Jutland, naval artillery stril has a vital role to
Cwing night attacks on the hrlls to the west of out 63 shore bombardments on 32 days be- play in modern warfare, especrally in support
ne town whilst NGSFO teams directed flre tween the recapture of South Georgda and the of amphibious operations.
;,.herever possible onto Argentine targets they final surrender on 14 June, Accurate supporting
nad found behind the actual battiefield, One gunfire saves casualties and both the Royal I/MS Plymouth wa s on her way to bombard a
example of the latter occurred during the night Marines and Army units greatly benefited from suspected Argentine position on West Falkland
:i IUI3 June, when shrps in Berkeley Sound the work of naval artillery during the conflict, It when she was hit by an air strike.

.--1*?::a:
k
 SWEDEN

rI

57-mm Bofors SAK gun Modern Naval Artillerv

' = - l-calibre 57-mm Bofors SAK Mk Right: Designed for combating both
- -:l-purpose gun can be used either surface and aerial targets, the all-
- automatic remote-controlled or purpose Bofors 57-mmSAK Mk 2 is
--_,'
. ::-stabilized one-man local-control fitted to acompletely automatic fire
,-::s The gmn is housed in a plastlc controlsystemandisenclosedina =---= ..
:-::.a and is designed for both sur- compact plastic turret to provide as "*%-,
.:: and anti-aircraft fire. The barrel is low a radAr signature as possible. "-l';;ffi
-;-d-ccoled, whilst the feed system
--,-,--aLns 40 ready-use rounds with Below: The single 57 mm L/70
--,::rer l2B rounds stowed in racks automatic gun mounting fitted to the
-
-:::r the tuffet, The ammunition is of 'Spica' class fast patrol boat is
-'j: .)pes, a prefragmented round for equipped with r ocke t- launching
.: against aerial tarqets and a semr- rails for 57-mm (2-in) rockets. The
=::::our-prercing round with a delay elevation arc of the gun is - I 0 " to
.,-:-cn fuse for use against surface +75', rate offire being as much as
'.:;lets. The turet can also be frtted 200 rounds per minute.
''.- :
launching rarls for 57-mm (2.24-in)
-:iunatinq rockets if required, The
l.k I gun is in service with the navies of
l',';:den, Malaysia, Norway, Indonesia
:-:gapore, Thailand and Yugroslavia.
,r
the early 1980s a low-radar-
.,Irature variant, the all-purpose 57-
::rm Bofors SAK Mk 2, was built. Usinqr
,--: salre ammunition types it has a
::npletely new automatic reloading
.=;siem with 120 ready-use rounds in
---: cupola, and an improved electro-
:-.-Crauhc remote-control system that
lrsatly enhances the weapons accura-
:; against all types of targets includ-
-,9 sea-skimmrng anti-ship missiles
- :-e Mk 2 is already in mass production
-: the navies of Sweden, Canada,
I.lexico and several unidentifled coun-

Specification
SAXMK I
Calibre: 57 mm (2.24 in)
lio. ofbarrels: one
-i/eight:6
tons
;levation: - 10' to + 75"
)luzlevelocity: 1025 m (3,363 ft) per
.=:Ond
lojectileweight: 2,4 kg (5,3 lb)
lctal weight ofrounds: surface 6.8 kg
-- lb), andanti-aircraftS,B kg(12,8 lb) Specification Elevation:- 10" to + 75' Maximum rate of fire: 220 rpr-
I'laximum rate of fire: 200 rpm SAKMK2 Muzzle velocity: 1025 m (3 363 ft) per Maximum effective rangest s-i-=: -
I'faximum effective rangres: surlace Calibre:57 mm(2,24tn) second fire I 7 km (10 6 miles). and ;.:-:,: :: ---
-:: 13 km(3.(8, I miles) and anti-aircraft No. ofbarrels: one Projectileweight:2,8 kq (6.2 lb) fire 6 km (3.7 miles)
-:: i km I miles) Weight:6 tons Total weight of round: 6. 5 kq ( 14,3 lb)

riu** Bofors gun

- 120-mm Bofors 46-calibre automa-
.-=irln was designed lor use against
.,:,rce and airborne targets. Housed
'-:
- .l-mm (0, 16-in) thick steel turet
;ln has lwo ready-use magazrnes
-::-ied on the elevating cradle, and
'--:: are manually filled from a hoist
- '=rr-1:rve
. =::, from the main maqtazine, The
: to the automatic control is a
" , - -.:abihzed one-man local control
, -::-:For this telescoprc sights are
. -.',-ailst the horst, elevatron and
=:
= =:s: mechanisms can be operated
:.--i
-
The gun barrel rtself has an
,:.;eable lrner, and is waler-
,.=i .- help prolong barrel life, At
=-=:.. :nly the Finnish and Indone-
' ' -..:s have the gun rn service on
. : .-,:- and frigate-sized vessels re-
:- --'.-=--.- The Swedish naly instead
,-- =:-- :lder radar-controlled twin
- -ri--, : 7-rn) mount on its sole sur-
-.-: -'-rslposl-wa r destroyer design
:: ::e Swedishnavywas armedwith
\:-- ::!rets for its |O-calibre I20-mm
- .---.. gtns.HMS Hallandr'snowrn
"::e--e. but the gun type is still
: :":;= ',rii.h the Dutch, Peruvian and
i : .:::,a:an navies.
2l-mm Bofors gun (continued)

'--.-:;: iestroyer. The same 67{on 50-

:.-,::: rnolrnts are used by the Dutch,
:=::'.'-": and Colombian navies on
=-: lsstroYeIS,
Specification
-20-mm Bofors
Caijbre: I2A mm (4.72 tn)
\o. of barrels:two
28.5 tons
'Teight:
Eevation: - 10'to +80" per
lrl'r:zzle velocity: 800 m (2,625 ft)
-^---i
?:ojectileweight: 21 kg (46.3 lb)
Tota.l round weight: 35 kq (77,2 lb)
l,laximum rate of fire: B0 rpm
I'Iaximum effective ranqes: surface
-: ='-? krn (7 5 miles) and anti-aircraft
:= -<m (4 3 miles)

F ;nJand's very capable'Turunmaa'

c:ass corvettes are equiPPedwith
A e B ofors single Ll 46 I 20-mm (4.7 -
nl qtn. Fully automatic, theweapon
:s capable of firing some 80 zl'kg
: 4 6. 3- Ib) shells per minute, an
..ztremely high rate for a gun of this
s2e.

Too-** and l3o-mm guns

on its locally assembled 'Chengdu' No. ofbarrels: one fire 18 km ( I ],2 miles) and anti-aircraft
(Soviet 'Rrga' class) frigates, The de- Elevation: -5"to +40' fire B km (5 miles)
siqn was subsequently manufactured Muzzlevelocity: 875 m (2,871 ft) per
in a modified form by the Chinese and second Specification
used to arm the liangnan'and'Jianghu Projectile weight: 13,5 kg (29,8 ]b) B-r3-2C
VII' series frigates and many of the re- Maximumrateof fire: 15 rpm Calibre: 130 mm (5, 12 in)
furbished ex-World War II escorts sttll Maximum effective ranges: surface No. ofbarrels: one
in service. A twin-barrel vartant has fire 10 km (6.2 mrles), and anti-aircraft Elevation: -5'to +45"
also been produced, and this has been fire B km (5 mrles) Muzzle velocity: 875 m (2,871 ft) per
fitted to the Jianghu lil'and Jiandong' second
frrgate classes, For the future the Specification Projectile weight 27 kq (59.5 lb)
Chrnese nalry is knownto be acquirrng I30-mmtwingn:n Maximumrateof fire: 12 rpm
modern Westem naval gnrns, and is Calibre: 130 mm (5.12 in) Maximum effective range: surface flre
thought to have ordered the French No. of barrels:two 15 km (9,3 miles)
lOO-mm (3.9-in) Compact gnrnfor a new Elevation: -5'to +80"
iflgate cJass under conslrucrion. Muzzlevelocity: 945 m (3 100 ft) per As with so much of thefu military
second equipmen t, curr en t C hinese n aval
Specification Projectiie weight: 33,4 kq (73.6 lb) guns are modifications of Soviet
I00-mmBu-34 Maximumrateof fire: 20 rpm designs of the I 950s, and as sucft are
Calibre: 100 mm(3.94 in) Maximum effective rangres: surface outofdate.
Armed Forces of the World

Vietnam
-^e armed forces of the Socialist Rep.ibl;c of Viet-
-am have had more continuous operat'cnal experi-
:.ce than those of any other nation srnce World War
The army alone can specif ically lay cla'r'r to naving
:efeated' two western armies (those o' =rance and
--^e USA) during this period to hav,ng conquered'
--^e territories of South Vietnam in 1975 arC Kam-
::chea in 1977 , and in 1 979 to have coria ned and
::shed back a large invasion force'ror tne Peo-
: e's Republic of China on its northern bo.Cer. rrcn -
:.ally, the Vietnamese army is now embrc,leC ;r a
3-errilla war inside Kampuchea and is nav ng:o rse
-any of the tactics which the Arner cars lsed
:-rainst it. As a by-product of this guerrl.a cc"' cl
. etnamese troops and armour are per'od ca ,l' e'-
-::ging Thai troops in fierce
little border bati es as
:rey tW to overrun guerrilla bases on or rea'i'e
:order.

The Army
Of the 1.000,000-strong army, some i 60.00i are
::ationed in Kampuchea forming wvo Front -Os
",, th 2 infantry divisions
'1
and support un ts. -nES. /! .:f :

: Jpport a puppet Kampuchean governrnent a-'. :'

scme 30,000 against a total guerrilla force c' 5:a
i1,000 equipped mainly with mortars and reco' less
r
-'les. There are also three infantry divisions anc
,...;pporting units totalling some 40,000 men ;n La3s
:s part of Vietnam's treaty commitment to pl'o:e::
:^at country.
To aid the army in the field and to provide rear-area
:efence there are a number of paramilitary icrra-
- rns. These comprise a 60.000-man Border le-
==nce Force; a 500,000-man People's Regionai M.:-
-,: organized lnto divisions, regiments and .ncecer-
::nt local infantry companies; a 1,000,00Gs:rc"g
,'ban and Rural People's Self-Defence Force crga-
- zed into local company-sized units; and a F'
" 500,000-strong Armed Youth Assault Force serv-
-g as an indoctrination organization for the yo;ng-
=:ers of what was formerly South Vietnam.
The basic formation of the army is the lnfan::v
: vision, which can vary ln strength accord'ng io
;:ographic location, composition and role between
:000 and 15,000 men. The 'average' division is
::nsidered to be about 10,500 men strong. Tne
-:rmal division comprises three infantry regimenis
=ach of 2,000-3,000 men, an artillery regiment. sJD-
:rrt elements and a medium tank battalion of 30 This insqata.ble sentry outside the old palace in old North Vietnamese army. Harlngdefeated t[:e
::nks. There is also a reasonably large armoured Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon) carries a Soviet' French and Americans in turn, the Viefrtam*
buill AK47 assault riIle, the standard rifle of the now occapy Kampuchea.
':rce which is slowly undergoing modernization the
:etter to counter the threat of China to the north. A
', I list of the units in being includes: 40 cr so independent alr-defence artillery serlal numbers havlng been traced bac< tg .;::--::
regirrents, originally supplied to the South Vietnarese J: ,:*-
-
6corps HO, 20 SAM regiments, and ment. The full list of equipment knovr': :: :e -
:re armoured division, six radar br,gades. service with the army is:
-
3 independent armoured regiments,
-5 infantry divisions, Most of the army's equipment in f ront-line forma- armour: M4B, T34l85, T54, T55, T62. Type -3 a-:
-
-r marine brlgades, tions is either of Sovlet or Chinese origins, the Type 62 MBTs; PT-76, M41 , Type 60 and -r:e ill
second-line and paramilitary units being equipped lighttanks; MB, M20and BRDM-2armo.rr::
-=even engineer divisions,
': rr independent engineer brigades, with captured American and South Vietnamese or cars; and BTR-40, BTR-50, BTR-60, BTR-- 42
' I economic reconstruction divisions (each of 3,000 obsolete Soviet weapons. A limited arms industry Type 55, Type 56. Type 531, locally-mod ' a: , -
nen with a military and economic support role), also exists, and this manufactures some smallarms 100 Commando and M1 13 APCs;
and and light weapons types as well as a wide range of a rti lle ry : (towed) 76-mm (3-in) M 1 942 guns, 33---
ammunition. The industry has also been responsible (3.35-in) D44 guns. 1 00-mm (3.91 -in) lt'' i 9-1-
' , e f ield artillery divisions (each of two or three
'egiments). for refurbishing some of Vietnam's stoc< of cag guns, 1 05-mm (4.13-in) M102 howitze's.' 2!---
tured vehicles (such as the M1 13 APC) and refitting (4.8-in) D30 howltzers, 122-mm DT4grrs Ii-
-

-he 60,000-strong air-defence force which took
: -:h a heavy toll of the US Air Force and US Navy air
has con-
-- rs during their attacks on North Vietnam
: -,ed to be built up and now fields:
' : - air def
- ence artillery divisions,
them with Soviet- or Chinese-made weapons. A
portion of all the captured small arms has also pas-
sed through the factories for rebuilding before being
passed on to other Soviet-backed nations and guer-
rilla groups. Weapons of this type have been iden-
tified in El Salvador amongst the rebels there. the
mm M1 931/7 guns,'l 22-mm M1 93B ncr" :.=
1 22-mm Type 60 guns. 1 30-mm (5.1 2-'" \'-i
guns, 130-mmType 59-1 guns, 152-n'- &-
Type 66 gun howitzers, 152-mm D2O g--
howitzers, 1 52-mm M 1 937 howitzers. 52--
- *
-,:
D1 howitzers and 1 55-mm {6.1-in) fv1-
 Armed Forces of the World
nowrtzers;
tself-propelled) SU-76, SU-1 00, 1 55-mm M 1 09
and 203-mm (B-in) M110;
imortars) 60-mm (2.36-in) American and Chinese,
81-mm (3.'1 9-in)American, B2-mm (3.23-in)
Sovietand Chinese, '1 20-mm 14.12-inl Sovietand
Chinese, and 160-mm (6.3-in) Soviet;
a r4efenceweapons: (towed) i 2.7-mm (0.S-in)
M 53, 1 4. 5-m m 10.57 -inl ZP U -1 I 21 4, 23-mm ZU -23,
30-mm M53. 37-mm M 1 939, 40-mm M 1 Bofors,
57-mm 560, B5-mm KS12, 100-mm KS-1 9 and
.130-mm
KS-30 guns;
self-propelled) 23-mm ZSU-23-4, 5l -mmZSU-57 -
2.37-mm Type 63 and 40-mm M42;
,SAM)SA-2, SA-3, 54-6, SA-7 and SA-9;
3.t'-tank weapons: 66-mm (2.6-inl Ml2 LAW, 89-
rnm (3.5-in) Chinese and RPG-2/7 rocket-
launchers; 57-mm American and Chinese, 75-
rm (2.95-in) American and Chinese, B2-mm
Soviet and Chinese, 1 06-mm (4.1 7-in) American
and 107-mm (4.2-in) Soviet recoilless rifles; 57-
'rm M1942 and B5-mm D4BATGS; AT-3'Sagger'
:nd AT-5'Spigot' ATGWs; and
srali arms:various 7.62-mm (0.3-in) pistols; 7.62-
r.nr AK47, Type 68, SKS and Dragunov automatic
r'ies; 5.56-mm (0.21g-in) M1641 automatic rifle;
i.62-mm Type 67, RPK, SG serles, PKS, RP46, DP
series and PKS LMGs,7.62-mm M60 LMG; 7,62-
rm Browning MMG; 12.7-mm DshKand
Browning HMGs.
The Navy
-ne 12,000-man Vietnamese navy is equipped
*: 'riywith Sovlet-built vessels. The vast majority of
:.:n:-;red South Viethamese and Chinese-supplied
.:ssels have now been relegated to the non-
:::rat:onal category or scrapped because of poor
::rC t-on or lack of spare parts. A large number of
.:ssers was lost during the Vletnam War to Amer-
:.3- a r power, the navy performing only a few torpe-
: : a::ac<s with fast attack craft in the Gulf of Tonkin,
: -s :r least one combined 'Styx'SSM and air strike
:--cred during the 1 972 invasion of the South. The
'Styx' missile was shot down by a Terrier missile
from the USS Sterett, whilst all the torpedo attacks
were abortive and usually resulted in the loss of
most of the attacking units.
The current operational strength of the navy is
believed to be:
frigates: four'Petya ll' class, one ex-USCG
'Barnegat'class and one ex-US 'Savage'class;
lightforces:eight'Osa ll' missile boats, 16
'Shershen' fast attack torpedo craft, eight'SO-'1'
large patrol craft, 1 1 ex-US'PGM59'and seven
ex-US' PG M7 1' large patrol craft, six'Zhu k' class
coastal patrol boats, 1 0'PO-2' class coastal patrol
boats and five 'KB' coastal patrol boats;
m i ne warfa re vessels; one'Yurka' ocean
minesweeper and one 'Yevgenya' coastal
minehunter;
amphibious warfare vessels : three LSTs, six LSMs
andl2LCUs;and
support ships: around 750 of ali types including
some 400 or so nonoperational vessels and 1 50
armed.jun ks.
The Air Force
The Vietnamese air force has some 380 fairly
modern combat aircraft and 40 armed helicopters in
service, with several hundred older aircraft in long-
term storage as war stocks. As with the other ser-
vices, most of the equipment is now Soviet-
supplied, some of the latest types being received as
part-payment for the loan of the ex-American base
at Cam Ranh Bay as a naval port and air base for
Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 'Badger' bombers, Tu-142
'Bear' and 'Badger' reconnaissance aircraft, llyushin
ll-38 'May'ASW platforms and MiG-23 'Flogger'
f ighters.
To train the pilots of the Vietnamese air force and
to 'advise' in combat situations there are personnel
from East Germany, Czechoslovakia, North Korea
and the USSR. The large stocks of aircraft captured
when South Vietnam fell have now largely been
scrapped as a result of obvious serviceability prob-
The Vietnamese have adopted a wide variety of
weapons in 40 ye ar s of w ar ; here they s por t PPS h4 I
SMGs. One of the crudest weapon designs of all
times, Georgii Shpagin's 7.6 Z-mm (0.3-in) SMG
was rushed into production for the Red Army in
I 94 I and remains one of the simplest and most
reliable gruns in service.
lems. Except for several ground-attack and fighter
squadrons (with helicopter gunship support), all air
units are stationed in Vietnam. primarily in a defen-
sive posture against any further incursions from
China. The othel units are used in Kampuchea to fly
missions in the guerrilla war there. The main strike
element comprises three ground-attack regiments
organized along Soviet lines. They fly some 90 MiG-
17 'Frescoes' and 60 Sukhoi Su-7120122'Fitters'.
One of the four interceptor/fighter regiments has
been re-equipped with 50 or so MiG-23 'Flogger-Fsl,
whilst the remaining three have some 180 MiG-21
'Fishbed-D/F/J' second-generation and MiG-21
'Fishbed-N' third-generation fighters. All the aircraft
carry the AA-2 'Atoll' air-to-air missiie in its various
marks.
The transport fleet is quite varied, and is divided
into some five regiments which fly about 155 air
craft. Of these the most important numerically are
the 20 Antonov An-2 'Colts', the 20 Lisunov Li-2
'Cabs' and 50 An-26 'Curls'. Heavy multi-engine
aircraft are soon expected to provide a long-range
assault and resupply capability to threaten neigh-
bouring countries as required.
Helicopter support is gradually edging towards
the airmobile concept that was applied in the Viet-
nam War by the USA, with three regiments f lying 25
Mil Mi-6 'Hook', 40 Mi-B 'Hip' and 45 Bell UH-1 B/H
transport helicopters, with 25 Mi-24'Hind' gunships
and 15 Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone' ASW helicopters.
A minimal training force of some four regiments
flies 66 Aero Delfin, Aero L-39 Albatros, MiG-1 7 and
MiG-21 trainers to convert trainee pilots who have
already undergone their primary and basic training in
various Warsaw Pact countries.