Bofors 40mm naval gun The low weight and compact Bofors 40 Mk4 gun system with its high rate of fire and ability to switch between optimized ammunition types – including the intelligent 40mm 3P all-target ammunition – provides high survivability and tactical freedom at all levels of conflict. Mark 49 Bofors gun director being installed on USS New Jersey BB-62. S. The gun was designed as an intermediate anti-aircraft gun, filling the gap between fast firing close-range Rack of spare Bofors 40 mm gun barrels on USS Alabama (BB-60) in 2015. Background. The Bofors 40mm can trace its design back to the Second World War and its decedents are in still in service with many navies. Breda claims that a twin Fast Forty, firing 900 rounds per minute, can kill an incoming supersonic missile flying in a straight line at ranges as great as 3,280 Feb 17, 2023 · The 40Mk4 40mm gun is used as a primary or secondary naval gun system to combat both air and surface threats, but it can also be used against coastal ground targets. It is still being produced and sold (since March 2005 by BAE Systems AB), and several variants exist for both field and naval applications. Navy. Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/43 - developed in the 1930s with market entry in 1934, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s Mar 12, 2025 · The programmable 40 mm Bofors 3P ammunition provides the naval gun system with the highest possible combat flexibility, as it can be programmed in six different function modes to provide optimized effect. C. These guns are much faster reacting than the World War II era Bofors 40 mm/56, but perhaps their greatest feature, at least when used in the anti-missile mode, is their higher accuracy. The RN has not had a 40mm gun in service since the Bofors 40mm L/60 Mark IX was phased out in the 1980s. Nov 1, 2024 · It can switch seamlessly among ammunition types, which delivers versatile targeting of air, land and sea-based threats. S. During World War II, the gun was produced in the United States, primarily by Chrysler and the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D. A primary weapon in fleet air defense on carriers and other ships was the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, a twin-mount displayed here. The 40mm Bofors antiaircraft machine gun has had a short but vital history in the U. Dec 21, 2021 · In the first of two articles examining these weapons, we look at the Bofors 40mm Mk 4 gun. . Bofors 40 mm 3P all-target programmable ammunition allows six modes including three proximity fuzing modes. The Bofors 40Mk4 has the capability to rapidly switch between optimised ammunition types, including programmable 40mm 3P all-target ammo. Wet-mount 40 mm Bofors on USS Mero SS-378 in September 1945. Its low weight and compact dimensions combine with a long range and a high rate of fire. Since that date, Bofors guns have been placed on virtually all combatant ships and on most non-combatant vessels large enough to support the weight of a 40mm assembly. This increases the flexibility and effectiveness of the gun system, which has further reduced the reaction time of the gun and it is possible to choose ammunition mode at the moment of firing, giving it the ability to switch rapidly between surface targets, air targets, and ground targets. First Installations afloat were made In the early summer of 1942. The programmable 40mm Bofors 3P ammunition provides the naval gun system with the highest possible combat flexibility, as it can be programmed in six different function modes to provide optimized effect. Photograph copyrighted by Jim McAllister. The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 (often referred to simply as the "Bofors 40 mm gun", the "Bofors gun" and the like, [3] [4] see name) is an anti-aircraft autocannon, designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. Navy ships. The Bofors 40-mm gun still can be found in several navies today, albeit not on board U. The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, [1] (Bofors 40 mm L/70, Bofors 40 mm/70, Bofors 40/70 and the like), is a multi-purpose autocannon developed by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors (today BAE Systems Bofors) during the second half of the 1940s as a modern replacement for their World War II-era Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun-design. began production but suffered numerous problems in the effort. 40-mm Automatic Gun M1 (AA) and 40-mm Antiaircraft Gun Carriages M2 and M2A1 TM 9-252; 40 MM Antiaircraft Gun, OP 820, 1943 : Navy Service Manual placed online courtesy of Historic Naval Ships Association; Bofors 40 MK3 Naval Gun System— BAE Systems Bofors official site; Oto Melara small caliber naval products page; Indian Ordnance 40mm L 70 Jul 30, 2024 · The Bofors 40 Mk4 naval gun system was designed to be an agile, flexible weapon systems that enable a lightning-quick response. The proven 40 mm gun, together with the latest in munitions technology, forms a platform ready to meet both the expected – and the unexpected. The gun was designed as an intermediate anti-aircraft gun, filling the gap between fast firing close-range small calibre anti-aircraft guns and slower firing long In this ammunition, the projectile was detonated electronically. The 40mm was too small to handle the electronics of the proximity fuse, the 76mm guns being the smallest weapons able to handle that devastating projectile. The York Safe and Lock Co. The 40mm Bofors proved highly effective, particularly with the advent of Japanese kamikazes in 1944-45. The Bofors 40 mm L/70, like most Bofors autocannons, is based on the same core action as the original Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60, basically being a fire on closing, self-ejecting gun with a recoil The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 (often referred to simply as the "Bofors 40 mm gun", the "Bofors gun" and the like,[3][4] see name) is an anti-aircraft autocannon, designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. , Manitowoc, WI. Photograph by Harry Berns, Official Photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. Despite this, the Bofors 40mm remained the primary close-in anti-aircraft weapon of smaller vessels until the Japanese Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to models of 40 mm calibre automatic anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: . caymdctmgruuyathdmyqwqhpbdhflqlnacciszspmxcbvnqhp