Engineering:Oerlikon KCB

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Oerlikon KCB
Hispano-Suisa-30-hatzerim-1.jpg
HS.661
TypeAutocannon
Specifications
Mass138 kg
Barrel length75 caliber

Cartridge30×170mm
Calibre30mm
Barrels1
ActionGas-operated
Rate of fire600 round/min
Muzzle velocity1,080 m/s (3,500 ft/s)
Effective firing range3,000 m

The KCB is a 30 mm caliber autocannon, developed by Hispano-Suiza as HS.831.[1] When Oerlikon purchased Hispano's armaments division,[when?] the gun became KCB.[1]

Development

HS.831 is a scaled-up version of the 20 mm HS.820 and has much the same general operating principles.[1] It uses the 30x170mm round that was developed for this gun.[2] On ground, the HS.820 was used in combination with the HS.661, a single simple anti-aircraft gun mount,[3] and was also mounted on the AMX-13 DCA (Défense Contre Avions), a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon for the French Army.[4]

In the United Kingdom, BMARC developed A32, a locally operated naval mounting incorporating two HS.831.[1] When the gun was renamed KCB, the A32 became GCM-A series.[1] And LSE (Laurence, Scott & Electricmotors Ltd; presently MSI Defence Systems) also developed a single mount for KCB, which became DS30B.[1] Both GCM-A and DS30B were introduced by the Royal Navy.[1]

The United States Navy designated the twin HS.831 weapons system developed by Emerson Electric as EX-74.[5] This mount was commercialized as the Emerlec 30 and appreciated[clarification needed] by foreign navies.[5]

References

Books

  • Cullen, Tony; Foss, C.F. (1992), Jane's Land-Based Air Defence 1992-93 (5th ed.), Jane's Information Group, ISBN 978-0710609793 
  • Friedman, Norman (1997), The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1997-1998, Naval Institute Press, ISBN 978-1557502681