Otobreda 127/64

OTO 127/64 LW - VULCANO System
The OTO 127/64 LW gun mount on Italian OPV Francesco Morosini
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	Italy
Production history
Designer	Oto Melara
Designed	2005[1]
Manufacturer	Oto Melara (now Leonardo S.p.A.)
Produced	2012[1]
Specifications
Mass	Empty: 33 t (73,000 lb) [2]
Barrel length	320 in (8.1 m)[3]
Shell	127x835mmR shell weight: 29 to 31 kg (64 to 68 lb)[3]
Caliber	127 mm (5.0 in)
Rate of fire	32 rpm[3]
Muzzle velocity	808 m/s (2,650 ft/s)[3]
Effective firing range	30 km (19 mi) VULCANO: 70–120 km (43–75 mi)
Maximum firing range	120 km (75 mi)[3]

External image
Hi-res image of Oto Melara 127/64
Publicity shot of the Oto Melara 127/64

The OTO 127/64 LW (light-weight) Gun assembly is a rapid-fire gun mount suitable for installation on large and medium size ships. It also has a version for coastal defense, intended for surface fire and naval gunfire support as main role and anti-aircraft fire as secondary role. The compactness of the gun feeding system makes installation on narrow section crafts possible.

The gun can fire all standard 127 mm (5 inch) ammunition including Vulcano long range guided ammunition. By that, it is officially branded as the OTO 127/64 LW - VULCANO System by Leonardo for marketing.

Modular automatic feeding magazines allow the firing of up to four different and immediately selectable types of ammunition; the magazines (four drums, each with one shell ready to fire and 13 other ammunitions on store) can be reloaded while the mount is in operation.

An ammunition manipulator system is available to transport projectiles and propelling charges from the main ammunition store to the feeding magazines, which are automatically reloaded. Ammunition flow is reversible. Rounds can be automatically unloaded from the gun. Digital and analog interfaces are available for connecting to a vessel's combat management system, including a CORBA based network interface.^[4]

The 127/64 LW naval gun mounts includes a Vulcano module, which acts twofold:

• Programmer for ammunition's fuse and guidance system.
• Mission Planning and Execution for Naval Fire Support Action (firing solutions, selection of ammunition, definition of trajectories and firing sequences, ballistic computations accounting for ammunition type, etc.), as a standalone or in interaction with ship's Network Centric System.