Recent Leonardo Canon Concepts (X-Gun, Gatling 20, Blaze30)

[TomS]

Leonardo seems to be on a streak developing new automatic canons

Announced in 2023, the X-Gun is an electrically powered single-barrel 30x173 gun for both land and naval applications:

SeaFuture 2023 - Leonardo unveils new 30x173 mm X-Gun weapon system - EDR Magazine

Leonardo at SeaFuture 2023: The X-Gun will have a 200 rounds-per-minute rate of fire; to increase accuracy the sniper mode is available.

www.edrmagazine.eu

More technical details here: https://www.edrmagazine.eu/leonardo-details-its-30-mm-x-gun-and-announces-first-two-customers

The mechanism looks interesting, being driven by a single rotating drum with cam slots, which makes it rather simple mechanically and easy to control for things like single shots or controlled RoF. (They talk about a "sniper" mode, where it chambers a round then stops, waiting for a full trigger press to fire the round).


Overall mass: 173 kg (78 kg for the receiver, 60 kg for the barrel, and 35 kg for the feeder) plus 16 kg for the Gun Control Unit.
Dimensions: 3,555 mm long (breech block is 431 mm wide and 465 mm high, barrel is 2700 mm long)

C-UAS is one of the gun's intended roles, and so it is set up for induction fuzing of ABM rounds from the outset, with built-in Mv detection in the muzzle brake.



Looks like there are a couple of naval applications already, one for the Italian Navy and one for Canada, so perhaps this doesn't belong in Projects, but they say it is still technically TRL 6.

 

[TomS]

Up next is the Gatling 20, which looks to be basically an ITAR-free equivalent to the TM197, a 3-barrel Gatling firing 20mmx102 ammo.

Leonardo is developing two new medium calibre guns - EDR Magazine

Leonardo unveiled 2 new projects for medium calibre guns, one chambered for 30x113 ammunition while the second is a Gatling weapon firing.

www.edrmagazine.eu

 

[TomS]

And finally, the Blaze30, which is a 30mmx113 gun intended to replace .50-cal machineguns for the C-UAS role primarily.



Looks to be a scaled-down version of the X-Gun, with a new inductively-fuzed airbursting 30mmx113 round rather than the LW30 PROX fuzed round the US is fielding.

 

[kqcke for you]

And finally, the Blazer 30, which is a 30mmx113 gun intended to replace .50-cal machineguns for the C-UAS role primarily.

View attachment 726646

Looks to be a scaled-down version of the X-Gun, with a new inductively-fuzed airbursting 30mmx113 round rather than the LW30 PROX fuzed round the US is fielding.

2 for me and my F-125 please xD

 

[TomS]

2 for me and my F-125 please xD

I'd see if they can upgrade from the SeaSnake 27 to the 30mm version, which has a high-velocity ABM round. (I thought I'd seen something about this actually happening in the F-126, but can't find it now.) Edit: Found it -- the German Navy is switching to the MSI Seahawk 30mm for the F123 refit. Will be odd if we don't see 30mmx173 RWS on other ships going forward. Source:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1768771974808109483

View: https://twitter.com/AlexLuck9/status/1768771974808109483


OTOH, replacing all five of the current HITROLE 12.7mm mounts with 30mmx113 would be an interesting change. Dramatic C-UAS upgrade without significantly impairing (maybe even improving) their counter-boat performance.

 

[kqcke for you]

I'd see if they can upgrade from the SeaSnake 27 to the 30mm version, which has a high-velocity ABM round. (I thought I'd seen something about this actually happening in the F-126, but can't find it now.) Edit: Found it -- the German Navy is switching to the MSI Seahawk 30mm for the F123 refit. Will be odd if we don't see 30mmx173 RWS on other ships going forward. Source:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1768771974808109483

View: https://twitter.com/AlexLuck9/status/1768771974808109483

Yeah the Switch is happening because MLG-27 and even SEA Snake 27 are just shit against must flying targets. This also helps to unify munition.

OTOH, replacing all five of the current HITROLE 12.7mm mounts with 30mmx113 would be an interesting change. Dramatic C-UAS upgrade without significantly impairing (maybe even improving) their counter-boat performance.

Atleast funny to see

 

[Regio Ammiraglio]

Super AV at Eurosatory featuring the new Leonardo turret equipped with the X-GUN (this turret Will be probably adopted by the Italian army and Navy)

For now, Leonardo has presented two renders, a new turret (the One on the super AV) and what looks like and upgraded Freccia turret with the X-GUN and Centauro 2 optics

Also, here a video showing how X-GUN work

View: https://youtu.be/lDAfkH3TnL0

 

[Regio Ammiraglio]

X-GUN development history, featuring different design and versions

 

[Scott Kenny]

So instead of a chain and all the headache of adjusting gear spacing to control different parts, they basically went to a system more likely used on a gas-operated gun? Nice!

 

[blockablocka]

The X-Gun is nothing new; Denel's EMAK-35 and GI-30 CamGun use the exact same drum cam mechanism--see the X-shape carved into the drum cam below. And this was developed back in the 80's and 90's. Had an interesting linkless feeding system as well. However, the South Africans didn't come up with this concept either; the US was playing around with drum cam operated autocannons back in the 50's. Honestly, it's kind of annoying the way Leonardo's marketing tries to pass it off as an entirely novel concept.

 

[Scott Kenny]

The X-Gun is nothing new; Denel's EMAK-35 and GI-30 CamGun use the exact same drum cam mechanism--see the X-shape carved into the drum cam below. And this was developed back in the 80's and 90's. Had an interesting linkless feeding system as well. However, the South Africans didn't come up with this concept either; the US was playing around with drum cam operated autocannons back in the 50's. Honestly, it's kind of annoying the way Leonardo's marketing tries to pass it off as an entirely novel concept.
View attachment 754876

Crud, IIRC Leonardo Da Vinci sketched out a repeating crossbow controlled by such an X-shaped cam in the 1500s.