The 30mm DS30M Mark 2 is a ship-protection system made by MSI-Defence Systems consisting of a 30mm Mark 44 Bushmaster II

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

on an automated mount. It was designed to defend

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s from fast inshore attack craft armed with short-range missiles,

rocket-propelled grenades A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are ...

machine guns A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

, or explosives.

Description

The DS30M Mark 2 system consists of a 30mm Mark 44 Bushmaster II on a fully automated mount or via manual control with an off-mount electro-optical director (EOD). The gun and the EOD can be controlled from a remote operator console elsewhere on the ship. The weapon is a gyro-stabilized, electrically operated, self-contained, single cannon mount featuring a choice of weapon, control mode and sights. It has low magnetic, radar and

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

signatures with good availability, reliability and maintainability (ARM).Global Security ''Mk 44 Bushmaster II 30/40mm Automatic Cannon / Mk 46 Weapon Station''
In theory, the dual feed system of the Bushmaster series allows the operator to select different types of ammunition for use against a variety of targets.

History

In August 2005, the Maritime Gunnery and Missile Systems Integrated Project Team in the UK

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

awarded MSI-Defence Systems (part of MS International PLC) a contract to supply a total of 26 Automated Small Calibre Guns (ASCG) systems for retrofit to the 13

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...

s of the

(RN) as part of their

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

Defensive

Anti-Surface Warfare Anti-surface warfare (ASuW or ASUW) is the branch of naval warfare concerned with the suppression of surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's su ...

upgrade in a contract was worth more than £15 million (US$30.7 million). The system was bought after Fleet Command and the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Directorate Equipment Capability identified a gap in capability in the RN's ability to defend itself against swarming fast attack craft threats. MSI undertook land-based trials at Eskmeals Firing Range in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

. In mid-2007, MSI delivered the first two mountings, which were installed on HMS ''Somerset'' in August 2007, and used in sea trials on gun ranges in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

starting in October 2007. In 2008, the management consultancy company CORDA (part of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

) was awarded a £300,000 research contract by the UK MoD's Defence Technology and Innovation Centre to assess the level of protection British warships receive from small calibre 30mm guns. CORDA's programme manager said: "What we are doing is looking at the performance of the Royal Navy's 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun and what can be done to increase the level of protection it provides. ..The ASCG system has significantly enhanced capability, but we have been asked to look at how improving tactics or integrating further technology could improve the performance of the system." The study used simulator-based operator trials at the Maritime Warfare School to quantify the performance of the weapon system when engaging multiple targets. In 2019, a trial was carried out on board HMS ''Sutherland'' to test the fitting and operation of Martlet light surface-to-surface missiles on a modified DS30M Mark 2 mount. While the tests were deemed successful, there has been no official confirmation about whether the shipboard mounts would go into operational service.

Operators

; *The system is fitted to the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates, River-class Batch II offshore patrol vessels, Hunt-class mine sweepers, and RFA ''Wave Ruler''. ; *The system is fitted to fifteen

Swiftships Swiftships is a shipbuilding and marine engineering company headquartered in South Louisiana, USA. Company operates globally and specialized in the construction of small to medium sized vessels made of steel, aluminum or fiberglass. Swiftships i ...

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s of the

Iraqi Navy The Iraqi Naval Forces (Arabic: القوات البحرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed forces of Iraq. Formed in 1937, initially as the ''Iraqi Coastal Defense Force,'' its primary resp ...

.Swiftships Orders Build Iraqi Navy’s Coastal Patrol Capabilities
; *The system is fitted to three s for the

Royal Navy of Oman The Royal Navy of Oman ( ar, البحرية السلطانية العمانية), abbreviated RNO, is the maritime component of the Royal Armed Forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Given its long coastline and strategic location along the Indian Oc ...

.Naval Technology.com
; *The system is fitted to HTMS ''Bhumibol Adulyadej'' and ''Naresuan-''class frigates, HTMS ''Angthong''

amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, as ...

, HTMS ''Krabi'', Laemsing and ''Tor-''class patrol boats.Royal Thai Navy Combatant Ship Specification
, thaiarmedforce.com, 21 January 2010 ; *Planned to be used by

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...

on six ''Maharaja Lela''-class frigates. ; *Used by

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...

. The system equips the three ''Amazonas-''class corvettes and the PHM ''Atlântico''.

References

External links

SEAHAWK
{{DEFAULTSORT:30mm Ds30m Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Gun Naval anti-aircraft guns 30 mm artillery Close-in weapon systems Military robots Naval guns of the United Kingdom Military equipment introduced in the 2000s

Description

History

Operators

See also

References

External links