Mark 45 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun | |
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The latest version, a 5-inch/62 caliber Mark 45 Mod 4 test firing on USS Forrest Sherman in 2007
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Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service |
1971-present
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Used by | See Operators |
Production history | |
Designed | 1968 |
Manufacturer | United Defense (now BAE Systems Land & Armaments) |
Produced | 1971 |
Specifications | |
Weight | |
Length |
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Barrel length |
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Shell | Conventional: 31.75 kg (70.0 lb) |
Caliber | 5.0 inches (127.0 mm) |
Barrels | Single barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist) |
Elevation |
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Traverse |
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Rate of fire | 16–20 rounds per minute automatic |
Muzzle velocity |
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Effective firing range | 13 nmi (24.1 km) |
Feed system |
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1971-present
The 5-inch/54 caliber (Mk 45) lightweight gun is a modern U.S. naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 127 mm (5 in) L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount. 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 consists of a longer barrel L62 Mark 36 gun fitted on the same Mark 45 mount. The gun is designed for use against surface warships, anti-aircraft and shore bombardment to support amphibious operations. 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.
Development started in the 1960s as a replacement for the 5-inch/54 caliber Mark 42 gun system with a new, lighter, and easier to maintain gun mounting. In United States Navy 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, 127 mm (5 inches) has been the standard gun caliber for U.S. Naval ships. Its rate of fire is lower than the British 4.5 in (114 mm) gun, but it fires a heavier 127 mm (5-inch) shell which carries a larger burst charge that increases its per-shell effectiveness against aircraft.
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 safe the weapon when having to fall back to verbal cease fire to the gun crew.