- Otobreda 76 mm
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Otobreda 76 mm 
The Otobreda 76mm Super Rapid as mounted in a stealth cupola (to reduce Radar cross-section) onboard the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen.Type Naval gun Place of origin 
ItalyService history In service 1964 - present Used by See users Production history Designer Oto Melara Designed Compact: 1963
Super Rapid: 1985Manufacturer Oto Melara (1963–2001)
OtoBreda (2001 onwards)Produced Compact: 1964
Super Rapid: 1988Variants See variants Specifications Weight Empty: 7.5 tonnes (17,000 lb) Barrel length 62 caliber: 4,724.4 mm (186.00 in) Shell 76×900mmR (complete round)
12.34 kilograms (27.2 lb)Caliber 76.2 mm (3.00 in) Elevation -15°/+85°
speed:35°/s (acceleration: 72°/s²)Traverse 360°
speed: 60°/s (acceleration: 72°/s²)Rate of fire Compact: 85 round/min
Super Rapid: 120 round/minMuzzle velocity 925 m/s (3,030 ft/s) Maximum range HE round fired at 45°:
Compact: 20,000 m (22,000 yd)
Super Rapid: 30,000 m (33,000 yd)Feed system Magazine capacity:
80 ready rounds on Compact gun mount
85 ready rounds on Super Rapid gun mountThe Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier. A vehicle-mounted version known as the Otomatic was built for the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun role but was not put into production.
The unlike the older Allargato the Otobreda 76mm Compacto cannon system is compact enough to be installed on relatively small warships, like corvettes, avisos (a vessel somewhere between a corvette and a patrol boat), or patrol boats. The gun's high rate of fire makes it suitable for short-range anti-missile point defence, and its calibre also allows it to function in anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and ground support roles. Specialised ammunition is available for armour piercing, incendiary, and directed fragmentation, and a new stealth cupola has been designed in recent years.
The Otobreda 76mm has been widely exported and is in use with 53 navies. It has recently been favoured over the French 100 mm naval gun for the joint French/Italian Horizon CNGF frigate project. On 27 September 2006 Iran announced it has started mass production of a marine artillery gun, named the Fajr-27, which is a reverse-engineered Oto Melara 76 mm gun.[1]
Contents
Other specifications
- Cooling: sea water—fresh water for flushing
- Electrical Power supply
- 440 V, 3-phase, 60 Hz, main circuit;
- 115 V, 1-phase, 400 Hz, servo and synchro network
Variants
- 76/62 Super Rapid - Also called the "Super Rapido" this is the most up to date development of the Italian 76mm naval cannons, with an increased rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute and increased range of 30 km. To achieve the higher rate of fire the Super Rapido requires a specially developed round that can be uploaded and chambered at higher speeds. While the older 76mm Allargato and 76mm Compacto can fire the new special round, it does not increase their rate of fire. Only the Super Rapido can fire at 120 rounds per minute. And that rate is only done in short bursts. The Super Rapido also improved on the serious vibration problems that the older Oto Malera and Otobreda 76mm mounts had that effected accuracy against smaller high speed air targets, for example anti-shipping missiles and guided bombs.
Users
Platforms using the Oto-Melara 76 mm include:
Asia
- Ulsan class frigate
- Godavari class frigate
- Brahmaputra class frigate
- Shivalik class frigate
- kora class corvette
- Kamorta class corvette
- Veer class corvette
- Kaman class missile boat
- Saar 3 class missile boat
- Saar 4 class missile boat
- Saar 4.5 class missile boat
The OTO-Melara 76mm mounting is seen in this photograph of the Japanese Asagiri class destroyer Asagiri, formerly DD 156, renumbered TV 3516, seen here on 28 July 2008 departing from Portsmouth Naval Base, UK
Shells of the Otobreda 76 mm gun in Japanese service.- Hatsuyuki class destroyer
- Asagiri class destroyer
- Murasame class destroyer
- Ishikari class destroyer escort
- Yubari class destroyer escort
- Abukuma class destroyer escort
- Hayabusa class patrol boat
- Ulsan class frigate
- Pohang class corvette
- Donghae class corvette
- Gumdoksuri class patrol vessel
Myanmar
- Aung Zay Ya class frigate
- Anawyatha class corvette
The OTO Melara 76mm Super Rapid gun mounted on the Victory class corvette - RSS Valour (89)- Endurance class LST
- Formidable class frigate
- Victory class corvette
- Fearless class patrol vessel
- Nandimithra Class Saar 4 class fast missile vessel
- Pattani class offshore patrol vessel
- Ratanakosin class corvette
- Ratcharit missile boat
- Chuburi patrol boats
- Tapi class large patrol corvette
- Khamronsin class corvette
- Baynunah class corvette
Africa
- Ambassador MK III Missile Boat
- Descubierta class corvette - Spanish built
- Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate
- Ramadan class missile boat
- Type-148 Tiger class fast attack missile boat
- Descubierta class corvette - Spanish built
- Floreal class frigate
- OPV70 class patrol vessel
- Warrior class - modified Sa'ar 4 class missile boat with two guns
- Valour class frigate - German built MEKO design
- Type 143 Albatros class fast attack craft
Europe
- Flyvefisken class patrol vessel
- Thetis class ocean patrol vessels
- Ivar Huitfeldt class frigate (In service from 2012)
- Knud Rasmussen class patrol vessel
- FREMM multipurpose frigate
- Horizon Common New Generation Frigate
OTO-Melara 76 mm gun onboard the Sachsen class frigate - F221 Hessen- Brandenburg class frigate - MEKO design
- Bremen class frigate - MEKO design
- Sachsen class frigate - MEKO design
- Braunschweig class corvette - MEKO design
- Gepard class fast attack craft
- Elli class frigate
- FACM Class La Combattante III
- FACM Class La Combattante IIIb
- FACM Class La Combattante IIa
- Osprey 55 class gunboat
- HSY-55 class gunboat
- Osprey HSY-56A class gunboat
- Roussen Class (62m Super-Vita design)
- Jason Class (LST)
- Peacock class patrol vessels
- Róisín class Offshore Patrol Vessels
Twin 76 mm guns of the Italo-Franco Horizon class frigate, Andrea Doria- Audace class destroyer
- Durand de La Penne class destroyer
- San Giorgio class amphibious transport dock
- Minerva class corvette
- FREMM multipurpose frigate
- Horizon class frigate
- Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550)
- Karel Doorman class frigate
- Holland class offshore patrol vessels
- Regele Ferdinand frigate
- Regina Maria frigate
- Santa Maria class frigate
- Descubierta class patrol vessel
- Buque de Accion Maritima (BAM) Class
- Doğan class fast attack craft
- Kılıç class fast attack craft
- Kılıç-II class fast attack craft
- Yıldız fast attack craft
- G class frigate
- Milgem class corvette
North America
- Iroquois class destroyer after TRUMP modifications (Canada)
The Mk 75 in use aboard USCGC Gallatin, 2005.
Loading of the 76 mm shells
Underdeck of a Mark 75 gunVarious aspect of the Otobreda 76 mm Mark 75 gun in US service - Famous-class medium endurance cutter (USCG)
- Hamilton-class high endurance cutter (USCG)
- Oliver Hazard Perry–class frigate (USN)
- Pegasus-class hydrofoil (now de-commissioned) (USN)
- Oaxaca class Offshore Patrol Vessel(Mexican Navy)
Oceania
South America
- Espora class frigate - license built MEKO 140 design
- Intrépida class fast attack craft - based on the TNC-45 design
- Karel Doorman class frigate¨
- Type 22 Batch II frigate "Almirante Williams"
- Saar 4 class missile boat
- Type 148 missile boat
- Quito class missile boat (Ecuador)
- PR-72P class corvette (Peru)
See also
- 76mm/L62 Allargato
References
- Notes
External links
- Oto Melara products: medium calibres
- Italian 76 mm/62 (3") Compact, SR and USA 76 mm/62 (3") Mark 75 at NavWeaps
- "76SR - Your Solution to Any Naval Problem" YouTube video of Super Rapido in tests.
Categories:- Naval artillery
- Naval anti-aircraft guns
- 76 mm artillery
- Naval guns of Italy
- Modern weapons of Germany
- United States Coast Guard weapons
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