US Navy selects BAE Systems' 57mm Mk 110 for Constellation-class frigates
Above:
New constellation-class frigate being digitally modelled as it nears completion of the design phase.
Courtesy BAE Systems
The contract, awarded earlier this month, includes engineering support and calls for two Mk 110s for the USS Constellation (FFG 62) and USS Congress (FFG 63). The new Constellation class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates is designed to operate in blue water and in the littorals, for an increased forward naval presence.
The Mk 110 gun system, known internationally as the Bofors 57 Mk 3, is the deck gun of choice for the Constellation class. It is a multi-mission, medium-caliber shipboard weapon, effective against air, surface, or ground threats without requiring multiple round types. The system is capable of firing up to 220 rounds per minute at an effective range of more than nine nautical miles using BAE Systems’ six-mode programmable, pre-fragmented, and proximity-fused (3P) ammunition.
Image: US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam Butler Downloaded from DVIDS.com.
“The selection of the Mk 110 for the US Navy’s Constellation class frigates signifies confidence in the gun system and its ability to meet current and future needs in shipboard defence,” said Brent Butcher, vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems “The Mk 110 gun system provides this next-generation frigate with the continued performance that our surface fleet has come to expect from its intermediate calibre guns.”
