December 28, 2007: To provide
protection from hostile small boats suicidal or otherwise), the U.S. Navy has
bought 62 Mk 38 Mod 2 remote control 25mm automatic cannon. This is the same
gun used on army M2 Bradley infantry vehicles. Firing three rounds a second, to
a max range of 3,000 meters, the Mk 38 is operated by a sailor inside the ship,
using controls much like those found in a video. This makes training operators
easy, since most sailors have spent way too much time playing video games in
their youth.
The Mk 38 is based on the Israeli
Typhoon system and weights about 1,500 pounds. The gun system holds 168 rounds
of ammo, providing about 53 seconds worth of firing. The sensors mounted on the
gun enable the operator to see at night, and with magnification. The gun is
stabilized, enabling the operator to hit targets at max distance in rough seas
and at night. In the next year, the navy will equip over a hundred ships
(destroyers, cruisers and amphibious ships) with the Mk38, with each system
costing about $600,000.
