The idea of electrothermochemical firearms appeared a long time ago and immediately interested both scientists and the military. Nevertheless, several decades of work in this direction have not led to noticeable results. Until now, no army in the world has weapons of this type. Perhaps, in the future, electrothermochemical guns will be installed on armored vehicles or ships, but so far they have not gone beyond the ranges and were used only during tests. For several decades, such weapons were built only as experimental samples.
In the early nineties, American specialists built and tested an electrothermochemical cannon, which could later be used on warships. The project was developed by order of the US naval forces and in the future could lead to the rearmament of their ships. It was assumed that in the future, such weapons will be used to perform various tasks. This required the ability to use the gun against surface and coastal targets. In addition, it was proposed to increase the rate of fire of the gun, which would make it possible to use this weapon for the implementation of air defense.
General view of the 60 mm Rapid Fire ET Gun on a ship mount
Electrothermal-chemical technology (ETC or ETC from Electrothermal-chemical) was created several decades ago and is intended to improve the characteristics of barreled weapons, primarily artillery. Weapons based on this technology are generally similar to traditional barrel armament, but with some differences. The main thing is the principle of the formation of gases for throwing a projectile. In ETH weapons, it is proposed to use not traditional gunpowder, but new special compositions. In addition, instead of the usual primer-igniter, the projectile must be equipped with a special igniting device, with the help of which the maximum energy output is achieved. In some projects of such systems, devices have even been proposed, during the operation of which plasma is formed. Due to the latter, it was proposed to increase the energy output during the combustion of the propellant charge.
All existing experimental ETC guns had a similar principle of action. By their general design, they hardly differed from the "traditional" guns. At the same time, they were equipped with an electric propellant ignition system and had to use original projectiles with a new design capsule. New ammunition and special equipment led to the complication of the design of the gun, but made it possible to increase the flexibility of its use.
One of the main advantages of electrothermochemical guns is the ability to change the muzzle energy by adjusting the parameters of the electrical impulse responsible for igniting the propellant charge. Thus, the electrical part of the gun provides control of the main parameters that affect the characteristics of the fire. As a result, the operator of the complex gets the opportunity to use the tool operating mode most suitable for the current situation. In practical application, this allows you to change the firing range while maintaining the required kinetic energy and more effectively hit the specified targets.
The ETH cannon project, developed by order of the US Navy, never received a full designation. It remained in history under the name 60 mm Rapid Fire ET (or ETC) Gun - "60 mm rapid-fire ETX cannon." Apparently, the absence of a different name or index was due to the experimental nature of the project. The usual alphanumeric index could appear in the event of an order for the development of full-fledged weapons for ships and the successful completion of such a project.
The breech of the gun. The drum for projectiles is clearly visible
Despite this, it is known about the development of an artillery installation on which a promising weapon could be mounted. This system consisted of a below-deck box, in which part of the special equipment was located, and a movable gun carriage with the ability to aim the gun in two planes. The movable part of the installation had a design traditional for such systems. Directly above the deck there was a cylindrical swivel base on which two vertical posts with mountings for the swinging artillery unit were mounted. This design provided guidance in any direction in azimuth and within a certain sector of the vertical plane.
Of greatest interest in the 60 mm Rapid Fire ET Gun project is the gun itself, in the design of which several interesting ideas were used. First of all, the layout of the gun is interesting. It had a 60 mm barrel about 14 feet long, fitted with a characteristic round muzzle brake. There was no traditional chamber in the breech of the barrel, since the gun was built according to a revolving scheme. Behind the barrel was a drum with cylindrical chambers for ammunition. A similar scheme was used in view of the need to increase the rate of fire of the gun. Other layout options, apparently, could not provide the required rate of fire.
The barrel was fixed in a rectangular holding device, in the rear of which a horizontal beam was provided with fastenings for a block of equipment responsible for igniting the propellant charge. In addition, these two devices were connected by the axis of the projectile drum. The design of the gun had a separate mechanism for turning the drum. The authors of the project decided to abandon the use of the energy of powder gases or recoil, which is why it was necessary to use a special mechanism, the task of which was to turn the drum before each shot. The drum turning and some other operations were carried out by hydraulic drives, which to a certain extent could complicate the operation of the tool.
The prototype gun had a 10-round drum. The drum consisted of two supporting discs with holes in which tubular chambers were fixed. The rear disc of the drum was in contact with the swing mechanism. According to reports, an obturation system was provided to eliminate pressure losses in the barrel. Before the shot, the chamber got accustomed to the breech of the barrel, due to which an acceptable seal was provided. Before turning the drum, the mechanism “released” the chamber and allowed the next one to be brought to the barrel.
The first series of tests at the proving ground. Usual projectiles are used
The surviving footage of the chronicle shows that the experimental gun did not have any mechanisms designed to extract the spent cartridges from the drum and reload. Perhaps such equipment could appear at later stages of the project or during the development of a full-fledged combat system for ships. However, the prototype did not have the ability to self-reload after using all the available ammunition.
The experimental ETH cannon received a combined apparatus for ignition of a propellant charge, since during the tests it was proposed to use "conventional" and electrothermochemical ammunition. A mechanical striker was used for firing a conventional powder projectile, and an electric igniter for ETX shots. According to other sources, the gun used an electric igniter in all cases.
As part of the 60 mm Rapid Fire ET Gun project, the issue of ammunition was actively worked out. The gun could use traditional unitary powder projectiles, in addition, some new options for ammunition were developed. Research was conducted on promising propellants, electrochemical primers, ignitors, etc. Also studied were various options for the layout of the projectiles and the prospects for various liner materials. Cylindrical and bottle-shaped sleeves were offered, made of metal or plastic with a metal tray.
The development of a promising ETC-gun project was completed in 1991. At the beginning of the next year, the first tests started, during which the gun was mounted on a test bench and the operation of the main mechanisms was checked. During this stage, the operation of the mechanisms was checked without the use of ammunition. The first stage of checks made it possible to identify and eliminate some shortcomings, and also showed the efficiency of the proposed mechanisms. All this made it possible to switch to field testing of guns with real shooting.
The breech of the gun when using ETH ammunition
No later than March 1992, the 60 mm Rapid Fide ET Gun was delivered to the test site and installed on a simplified stand. The stand made it possible to swing the gun in a vertical plane and was equipped with recoil devices. Horizontal guidance was not provided, since there was no need for it. A similar device was used throughout the second stage of testing and soon gave way to a more advanced installation. The second stage of testing was carried out using "traditional" artillery shells. There is no information on the use of new ETH shells. The cannon showed its capabilities, firing single and bursts. In this case, the length of the bursts was limited by the capacity of the drum.
In the early summer of 1992, the first electrothermochemical shells appeared, created specifically for a promising weapon. There is no exact information about their design, but it is known that they were equipped with an original ignition system and a non-standard composition of the propellant charge. In the future, both "standard" and electrothermochemical shells were used in the tests. Apparently, there were some problems with the refinement of the shells, because of which their use had to be limited.
Around the end of autumn 1992, the assembly of an artillery installation was completed, which could be used on various warships. This device made it possible to aim the gun in two planes and fire at various targets on the shore, water surface and in the air. Like the test bench, the ship's installation was equipped with recoil devices. In addition, apparently, it was the underdeck part of the artillery mount that should have been equipped with some mechanisms for reloading the gun, but the details of this are unknown.
According to reports, the promising 60-mm ETH cannon was tested until the winter of 1992-93. The gun fired in different modes using different ammunition. All this made it possible to collect the necessary information about the operation of the gun as a whole and its individual units. In addition, practical research was carried out on original projectiles using a non-standard method of igniting a propellant charge.
Cannon on a shipborne artillery mount, the last stage of testing
In the future, the new cannon could become the armament of warships and solve the tasks of destroying surface targets or air defense. However, the 60 mm Rapid Fire ET Gun project did not leave the testing stage. For various reasons, such weapons were not of interest to the military. Upon completion of the tests, the project was closed for lack of prospects. The gun and ammunition for it turned out to be too complex and expensive for full implementation and operation in the fleet. In addition, the fate of the project was to a certain extent affected by the change in the situation in the world associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Funding for promising projects has been cut. A new electrothermochemical gun and many other developments fell under this abbreviation.
According to some sources, the reason for the closure of the 60-mm ETH cannon project was the rejection of another program. In the 1980s, many American organizations were involved in a large number of projects under the Strategic Defense Initiative. The 60 mm Rapid Fire ET Gun project also had something to do with SDI, although it was not directly related to missile defense or other strategic areas. The rejection of SOI led to the closure of a lot of projects, one way or another related to this program. One of the "victims" of such a refusal was the project of a promising naval gun.
After the completion of the tests, the only experimental gun was probably sent to the warehouse of one of the organizations involved in the project. Her further fate is unknown. However, it is known that this was not the last American project of naval artillery weapons based on unusual ideas and solutions. Later, US scientists began to develop laser weapons, and the so-called. rail guns. The latter in the foreseeable future may become a new weapon of warships. Electrothermochemical systems, in turn, did not leave the design or testing stage.
