Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun

Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun
Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun on a Valour class frigate of the South African Navy
Type	Naval Close-in weapon system
Place of origin	South Africa
Service history
In service	In service since 2005
Used by	South Africa
Production history
Designer	Lyttleton Engineering Works (Denel)
Manufacturer	Denel Land Systems
Specifications
Weight	5,500 kilograms (12,100 lb) (without ammunition) 6,500 kilograms (14,300 lb) (with ammunition)
Length	5.4 metres (210 in) (turret and barrels)
Barrel length	3.15 metres (124 in) (90 cal)
Width	2.9 metres (110 in) (turret)
Height	2.3 metres (91 in) (turret)
Crew	None (but manual control is possible from the operator's console)
Shell	35×228mm NATO
Barrels	2
Action	gas-operated
Elevation	-10° to +85°
Traverse	360° (unlimited)
Rate of fire	2×550rpm
Muzzle velocity	1,175 metres per second (3,850 ft/s)
Effective firing range	4,000 metres (4,400 yd) (air target)
Maximum firing range	6,000 metres (6,600 yd) (surface target)
Feed system	Belt 2×240 rounds (one belt for each cannon)
Sights	Radar and/or Optronic (IR and Visible)

The Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun (35DPG) is a close-in weapon system (CIWS) for warships built in South Africa by Denel Land Systems. It is currently in service on the Valour class frigates of the South African Navy.

Its primary role is to defend against attack by helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and missiles. It has a secondary role against surface vessels and shore targets, both in symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare and also in law enforcement where accuracy is critical because collateral damage is unacceptable.

The system consists of two GA35 rapid-fire automatic cannons mounted side by side in an unmanned low radar observable turret. Target acquisition is by the ship's search and track radar, while an optronic tracking system with infrared and visible spectrum modes provides fire-control. A control console is located in the ship's operations room, although the system operates automatically in the air-defence mode. An emergency control panel is fitted on the rear of the turret. The turret does not penetrate the deck on which it is mounted. On the Valour class frigates it is mounted on top of the helicopter hangar. The turret is fully self-contained and requires only an electrical supply and a radar data feed from the ship's combat management system and the control console. The turret is capable of unlimited full circle traverse at up to 70° per second and elevates from 10° below to 85° above horizontal at up to 40° per second.

The turret's on-board computers do the ballistic calculations and fire-control. The system requires only real-time three-dimensional target information from the ship's combat management and tracking systems. The high level of self-containment and compact size and low weight allows installation on a wide variety of ships down to as small as 200 tonnes.