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Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system
The Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system (MGS) is a shipboard weapon system designed to protect warships primarily from a variety of surface threats, especially small, fast surface craft. It consists of an M242 Bushmaster chain gun mounted on a turret that can be either manually or remote controlled, depending on variant. Originally designed by the United States in the 1980s for use on their warships, the Mark 38 is today in service on warships of various NATO countries.
The Mark 38 25 mm MGS provides ships with short-range capability against high-speed maneuvering surface targets (HSMSTs), floating mines, and enemy swimmers. Ships close to land can use the system against enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles. It is a low-cost weapon that can operate in any weather condition, day or night. The Mk 38 MGS can be permanently or temporarily installed on warships for their deployment requirements.
The initial variants of the Mark 38, Mods 0 and 1, were unstabilized and required one crewmember to manually operate. The latest Mods 2 and 3 feature stabilization and remote control ability. All variants of the Mk 38 require two crewmembers for conducting maintenance (e.g., replacing the Bushmaster in the event it malfunctions, which takes five minutes).
The primary component of the Mk 38 is the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster. It is an externally-powered, chain-driven gun. The Bushmaster uses an electric motor to drive the moving parts for ammunition feeding, loading, firing, extraction, and cartridge ejection. The mass of the M242 on the Mark 38 MGS is 109 kg (240 lb).
The Mk 38's Bushmaster can fire all U.S. Navy-approved 25 mm ammunition, including:
It has a single-shot semi-automatic mode, for single shots; a burst mode, for a few shots at a time; a low-rate fully automatic (LRFA) mode, for a rate of fire (ROF) of about 100 rounds per minute (RPM); and a high-rate fully automatic (HRFA) mode, for a maximum ROF of about 200 RPM. The Mk 38 MGS can realistically sustain about 180 RPM while on HRFA. The weapon's muzzle velocity is 1,345 m/s (4,410 ft/s) for armor-piercing ammunition or 1,100 m/s (3,600 ft/s) for high-explosive ammunition. The M242's maximum firing range is 6,800 meters (7,400 yards), with an effective firing range of about 3,000 meters (3,300 yards). However, the Mk 38 has an estimated effective firing range of about 2,500 meters (2,700 yards).
Different machine gun mountings are used, depending on the variant of the Mark 38. All MGMs share the same traverse of +/−15 to +/−165 degrees and enable the M242 Bushmaster to elevate from −15 to +55 degrees. The inability to elevate higher than 55 degrees limits the Mark 38 MGS in the anti-aircraft role.
Mark 38 Mods 0 and 1 use the Mark 88 machine gun mounting. It was manually trained—requiring a crewmember to physically operate—and lacked stabilization, both of which reduced targeting effectiveness.
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Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system AI simulator
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Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system
The Mark 38 25 mm machine gun system (MGS) is a shipboard weapon system designed to protect warships primarily from a variety of surface threats, especially small, fast surface craft. It consists of an M242 Bushmaster chain gun mounted on a turret that can be either manually or remote controlled, depending on variant. Originally designed by the United States in the 1980s for use on their warships, the Mark 38 is today in service on warships of various NATO countries.
The Mark 38 25 mm MGS provides ships with short-range capability against high-speed maneuvering surface targets (HSMSTs), floating mines, and enemy swimmers. Ships close to land can use the system against enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles. It is a low-cost weapon that can operate in any weather condition, day or night. The Mk 38 MGS can be permanently or temporarily installed on warships for their deployment requirements.
The initial variants of the Mark 38, Mods 0 and 1, were unstabilized and required one crewmember to manually operate. The latest Mods 2 and 3 feature stabilization and remote control ability. All variants of the Mk 38 require two crewmembers for conducting maintenance (e.g., replacing the Bushmaster in the event it malfunctions, which takes five minutes).
The primary component of the Mk 38 is the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster. It is an externally-powered, chain-driven gun. The Bushmaster uses an electric motor to drive the moving parts for ammunition feeding, loading, firing, extraction, and cartridge ejection. The mass of the M242 on the Mark 38 MGS is 109 kg (240 lb).
The Mk 38's Bushmaster can fire all U.S. Navy-approved 25 mm ammunition, including:
It has a single-shot semi-automatic mode, for single shots; a burst mode, for a few shots at a time; a low-rate fully automatic (LRFA) mode, for a rate of fire (ROF) of about 100 rounds per minute (RPM); and a high-rate fully automatic (HRFA) mode, for a maximum ROF of about 200 RPM. The Mk 38 MGS can realistically sustain about 180 RPM while on HRFA. The weapon's muzzle velocity is 1,345 m/s (4,410 ft/s) for armor-piercing ammunition or 1,100 m/s (3,600 ft/s) for high-explosive ammunition. The M242's maximum firing range is 6,800 meters (7,400 yards), with an effective firing range of about 3,000 meters (3,300 yards). However, the Mk 38 has an estimated effective firing range of about 2,500 meters (2,700 yards).
Different machine gun mountings are used, depending on the variant of the Mark 38. All MGMs share the same traverse of +/−15 to +/−165 degrees and enable the M242 Bushmaster to elevate from −15 to +55 degrees. The inability to elevate higher than 55 degrees limits the Mark 38 MGS in the anti-aircraft role.
Mark 38 Mods 0 and 1 use the Mark 88 machine gun mounting. It was manually trained—requiring a crewmember to physically operate—and lacked stabilization, both of which reduced targeting effectiveness.