Hi all,
Does anyone know if the planned project to “up-gun” the Royal Navy’s 114mm Mk8’s medium calibre guns to 155mm standard is continuing, or has this been quietly scrapped as part of the budget cuts?
There is a very good pdf outlining the project by BAE Systems, however I’m unsure if the project is still “alive”
http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2009gunmissile/McClure.pdf
Matt 🙂
By: swerve - 25th November 2010 at 13:23
Yep.
By: Phelgan - 25th November 2010 at 12:57
I have to say in the grand scheme of things, upgrading the guns is pretty low priority I’d have thought.
Rather have the Nimrods..
By: swerve - 25th November 2010 at 11:51
IIRC the upgrade is based on a Mk8 modified to the new calibre, rather than a new gun.
Yes, but it’s still far more expensive than refurbishing Mk 8s. New ordnance & new ammunition handling equipment – what proportion of the original gun is that? Then factor in the cost of completing development.
There are potential long-term savings from rationalising logistics, but they’ll take quite a while to be realised.
In the current climate, I don’t see the project advancing.
By: kev 99 - 25th November 2010 at 08:23
There was a report last year in one of Barrow’s local papers (forget the name) that the developmental money had dried up.
By: ppp - 25th November 2010 at 00:43
Not if they can save money (the only thing that matters to Osborne) by refurbishing old Mk 8s & transferring them to the new ships.
IIRC the upgrade is based on a Mk8 modified to the new calibre, rather than a new gun.
By: swerve - 24th November 2010 at 23:42
Not if they can save money (the only thing that matters to Osborne) by refurbishing old Mk 8s & transferring them to the new ships.
By: ppp - 24th November 2010 at 22:11
Well it would make sense for them to make the change before starting the frigate replacement programme construction since those will make up the bulk of the cannons.
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November 24, 2010 at 9:14 pm