"FIRE SWARM" ON CLOSE-IN DEFENSE LINE

he upgrading of air attack means necessitates the development of shipboard armaments that can reliably protect a ship during combat. However, even perfect defense systems cannot guarantee a ship against the penetration of at least one antiship missile in a mass missile attack. In addition, there is the possibility that an antiship missile, even though damaged by air defense weapon systems, will breach the air defense line and threaten the ship. To counter such threats, a reliable fire shield must be created around the ship. Russian engineers have designed and successfully tested a 30mm gun mount, the AK-630M1-2. It boasts a phenomenal rate of fire, high reliability and accuracy. 
Based on the well-known AK-630 gun mount, it has combined the latest achievements in design and optimization of previous versions. Mounted on the same site as the AK-630 and weighing only one ton more, the AK-630M1-2 has double the ammunition load and a rate of fire of 10,000 rounds per minute. 
 

AK-630M1-2 gun mount

  
The "fire swarm" produced by the gun mount has a high target hit probability within a range of 1,000 meters where other ship protection means are inefficient because of dead zones. The high accuracy and density of fire create a curtain around the ship, leaving missiles no chance to break through. 
 

Antenna of the MR-123-02 naval fire control radar system

 
The AK-630M1-2 is controlled by the MR-123-02 radar system which can operate in the surveillance mode and automatically track targets. The radar scans space around the ship in five layers consecutively and in two ranges: 15 and 30 kilometers. 
 
Radar data are displayed on the plan-position-indicator on the control panel. As soon as a target blip appears on the screen, the system traps and automatically tracks the target and produces guidance parameters. As the target is tracked, it is displayed on the TV sight screen. When the guidance and firing data are ready and when the target enters the firing range, the operator steps on the "Fire" pedal. The burst length is determined by data input from the control panel and is controlled automatically. After the target is destroyed, the control system switches to the circular scan mode. 

The fire control system is capable of controlling simultaneously two AK-630M1-2 gun mounts firing at one target, which makes it possible to increase fire efficiency and ensures a maximum angle of fire. 
 

The image of the "Fire swarm" on the TV sight screen

  
In case of a failure in the MR-123-02 control system, it is capable of autonomously searching for the cause of the failure and indicating on a special device the component that must be replaced. 

The core of the AK-630M1-2 gun mount comprises two AO-18K automatic guns mounted on a single carriage one above the other. The automatic guns are fed independently from two magazines located in the turret compartment. The muzzle of each automatic gun mounts a gas compensator. This simple device has considerably increased the gun mount's reliability as it has made unnecessary any synchronization of the automatic guns, i.e. each one operates independently of the other, and the unbalance of forces, caused by unsynchronized firing, is adjusted by the gas compensator. In addition, the firing can be conducted by one automatic gun. 

The weight and size of the gun mount (height – 2 meters, turning radius – 1.6 meters, weight – 2.5 tons) make it possible to install it on ships of all classes, including dynamically-supported ships. 

The gun mount fires the 30mm complete rounds with high-explosive or fragmentation-tracer charges which proved efficient with the AK-630 gun mount. The AK-630M1-2 is served by a two-member crew. 

A ship armed with the AK-630M1-2 gun mount, among other air defense means, will reliably protect its close-in defense line.