The Meroka CIWS is a

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

12 barrelled 20 mm

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of l ...

, using twelve Oerlikon 20 mm/12 guns mounted in 2 rows of 6 guns each.Descripción e imágenes del Meroka CIWS (en inglés)
/ref>Historia del Meroka
/ref> The system's primary purpose is defence against

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

s, and other precision guided weapons. However it can also be employed against aircraft, ships and other small craft, coastal targets, and floating mines. The weapon is mounted primarily on Spanish naval vessels, from

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 ...

size upwards. The term MeRoKa (from German ''Mehrrohrkanone'', meaning ''multi-barrelled gun'') can refer to weapons such as the

Nordenfelt gun The Nordenfelt gun was a multiple-barrel organ gun that had a row of up to twelve barrels. It was fired by pulling a lever back and forth and ammunition was gravity fed through chutes for each barrel. It was produced in a number of different c ...

but is more commonly used referring to this naval CIWS defence system. The "Meroka" was developed and produced by the Spanish firm FABA Sistemas (''Fábrica de Artillería Bazán'').

Description

Unlike a

rotary cannon A rotary cannon, rotary autocannon, rotary gun or Gatling cannon, is any large- caliber multiple-barreled automatic firearm that uses a Gatling-type rotating barrel assembly to deliver a sustained saturational direct fire at much greater ...

, the Meroka CIWS uses individual guns firing in salvos or simultaneously; the barrels are purposely skewed in order to expand the impact area. The guns are mounted in an enclosed automatic

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

and are directed by

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

or an optronic thermal controlling system. The original version of the Meroka CIWS was directed by a separate off-mount

system. This was later changed to an on-mount Lockheed Electronics PVS-2 Sharpshooter I-band radar. The

is designed to acquire targets at 5,500 yards (5,000 meters), with the Meroka achieving first impact at 1,640 yards (1,500 meters) and destruction of the target at 550 yards (500 meters). Later versions included an optronic targeting system, as a backup in high electronic jamming conditions. More recent modifications included an Israeli designed IR tracker and other electronic devices of Spanish design supplied by

Indra Sistemas Indra Sistemas, S.A. () is a Spanish information technology and defense systems company. Indra is listed on the Bolsa de Madrid and is a constituent of the IBEX 35 index. Indra is organized around three business areas: information technologies ...

Specifications

* Gun: 12 × Oerlikon 20 mm/120. * Weight: . * Elevation: -15° to +85°. * Traverse: 360°. * Muzzle velocity: . * Rate of fire: 1,440 rounds per minute cyclic (for all twelve barrels). * Ammunition: Fixed (APDS-T) 720 rounds in a magazine, 60 rounds per barrel. * Weapons range: Effective range with APDS-T (0.102 kg with sabot), roughly 1,500–2,000 meters. * Search and track systems: Lockheed Electronics PVS-2 Sharpshooter I-band radar, Indra Thermal Imager.

References

Naval Weapons of the World

External links

{{in lang, es 20 mm artillery Anti-aircraft guns of Spain Naval anti-aircraft guns Autocannon Close-in weapon systems Spanish Navy Salvo weapons

Description

Specifications

See also

References

External links