Destroyer to Employ Improved Gun System

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Destroyer to Employ Improved Gun System
November 03, 2008
Navy News|by ENS Alexis F. Steele

PACIFIC OCEAN - USS Kidd (DDG 100) conducted the first firing of the Mark 38 (Model 2) 25mm Machine Gun System (MGS) from a guided missile destroyer during multi-ship live firing exercises off the coast of Southern California.

Coordinated by Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, the exercise employed ships and their embarked helicopters to simulate an escalating surface threat environment requiring the use of main gun systems as well as minor-caliber defenses.

Following strafing runs by MH-60Rs helicopters from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, Kidd and USS Preble (DDG 88) engaged ex-tug YFRT-520 with their five-inch gun systems and small arms fire before Kidd fired the Mark 38, achieving numerous hits at extended ranges.

"The Mark 38 Mod. 2 performed beyond expectations. Video from the optical sights indicated that the 25mm rounds were consistently on target at ranges beyond the capability of manually-aimed minor caliber weapons," said Capt. Kerry Gilpin, commander, DESRON 21.

The Mark 38 Mod 2 is already installed on many guided missile cruisers, providing several tactical advantages over its predecessor. Compared with the manually trained and aimed model 1, the model 2 provides a stabilized, optically sighted minor caliber gun system that improves hit potential against all threats, particularly small and fast maneuvering targets. It also adds a double ammunition feed system, enabling the operator to switch between two different ammunition types at will.


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