CDR Salamander - Yes, Reality Demands More Guns, Larger Guns, Everywhere

Let’s pick up the topic we spent some time on back in March.

After the invention of gunpowder, every time a navy faces conflict after a long time at peace, one of the first things they realize they have to do is to get more guns, and larger caliber guns, on their ships as soon as possible.

This reality today also applies to a side-branch, missiles, as well, but today let’s focus on the gun proof.

In peace, the accountants and those who are willing to shift their personal career risk onto combat risk worn by other people will happily divest platforms of money and people hungry weapons to buy cheaper, smaller, none—or if they are feeling a little guilty, will “fit for but not with”.

After a real war at sea happens, and the Naval War Gods of the Copybook Headings remind you of the folly of the peacetime accountants, you start to see weapons appearing on any surface that can support them.

Make no mistake, in the next Great Pacific War we will be required to do with modern weapons to counter everything from ballistic missiles to low-and-slow drones what the USS Alaska (CB 1) had to do in 1945 against the threats of her day.

That’s just the air threat.

As the Ukrainians have reminded everyone at the Russians’ expense, you also need to be ready for the small and sometimes sneaky and slow threat on the surface.

In the March post, we covered a few options of weapons we can buy to bolster the weapons options for our warships and auxiliaries that are already in production. We left one out.

First, as pointed out by Trent Telenko, there is a pedigree here.

First of all, let’s remember the M15 halftrack and its 37mm/.50 caliber combination mount ashore from WWII and Korea.

As Virtual Bayonet pointed out, look at what we’re buying to take to sea.

That pic is from USS Mustin (DDG 89) equipped with the new Mark 38 Mod 4.

Where the Mod 0 through Mod 3 had a stand-alone 25mm gun, the Mod 4 has not just been up-gunned to a 30mm gun (with expanded ammo options including the Programmable Airburst Rounds that is perfect for counter-UAS and small boats), it threw in Ma-Deuce for fun and profit.

The 30mm accepts standard NATO 30mm x 173mm NATO ammunition, including the whole constellation of of high-explosive (HE) and armor-piercing (AP) rounds available—just in case you have more interesting targets needing your attention.

Just a superb evolutionary development.

More. Faster. Also, up those numbers.

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