Hypervelocity Bullets Boost US Warships

The ability to accurately attack at speeds of up to 3,675 km/h of HVP bullets gives the US Navy many advantages on the battlefield.

US Navy tests HVP

The US Navy plans to equip its 127mm naval guns with high velocity projectiles (HVP) to destroy a wide range of enemy military equipment. With the speed3,675 km/h,Three times louder than the sound, this type of bullet promises to bring superior power to the standard naval guns on US warships, according toScout.

The US Navy and BAE Systems began researching hypervelocity projectiles for railguns in the early 2010s. Electromagnets would create a huge magnetic field, accelerating the projectile to 9,100 km/h. The kinetic energy generated is so great that the HVP does not need an explosive warhead to destroy its target.

The US Navy plans to equip HVP with railguns, before deploying them to other weapons systems, but to date the US has no railguns in service. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of 127mm Mark 45 naval guns installed on destroyers and cruisers.

Each Mark 45 gun has a range of 22 km, and is primarily used to destroy ground targets. When necessary, it can also attack warships, speedboats and aircraft at close range.

If equipped with HVP ammunition, the Mark 45 will have a range of up to 65 km, three times that of normal ammunition. This type of ammunition is equipped with a guidance system, significantly increasing accuracy. With a maximum rate of fire of 20 rounds/minute, a warship equipped with HVP can destroy up to 20 targets in one minute.

Mark 45 naval gun test firing at sea.

The addition of a guidance system and rudders to the HVP allows the Mark 45 to take on new missions such as shooting down cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as aircraft from a distance equivalent to a medium-range air defense missile. It is likely that the HVP ammunition for the Mark 45 will have many variations to attack ground targets, warships, or shoot down aircraft and missiles.

Expert Kris Osborn said that equipping naval guns with HVP ammunition will bring a series of unexpected advantages on the battlefield. It increases the ability to attack long-range targets quickly, as well as helps battlefield commanders make better real-time combat decisions.

The effort to field HVP rounds fits into the Pentagon’s strategy of harnessing new technologies and integrating them into existing weapons, allowing advanced weapons to be deployed more quickly, rather than waiting years for them to be ready.

Several defense companies such as Raytheon and BAE Systems are developing and testing HVP prototypes for the Mark 45 naval gun, ahead of test firing in 2018.

According to VNE