ADEN cannon
| ADEN cannon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 30 mm ADEN Mk 4 on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford | |
| Type | Revolver cannon |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Armament Development Establishment |
| Designed | 1946 |
| Manufacturer | Royal Small Arms Factory |
| Produced | 1953–present |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | See specifications |
| Length | See specifications |
| Barrel length | See specifications |
| Shell | 30×111mm[1][2] |
| Barrels | See specifications |
| Action | See specifications |
| Rate of fire | 1,200–1,700 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 795 m/s (2,610 ft/s) |
| Feed system | See specifications |
The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN, ADEN being an acronym for Armament Development Enfield,[3] is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm.[4] Developed post-World War II primarily to meet British Air Ministry's requirement for increased lethality in aircraft armament, the cannon was fired electrically and is fully automatic once it is loaded.[5]
Design and development
During World War II, the German firm Mauser began development of a radically new 20 mm autocannon using a motorised firing mechanism in order to improve the rate of fire. The weapon got the preliminary designation Mauser MG 213 and by the late-war period the design was beginning to mature. However the presence of large heavy bombers like the Boeing B-17 and Avro Lancaster led to the need of up-arming Luftwaffe fighter aircraft with heavier cannons. Mauser responded to this by adapting the MG 213 to fire the 30 mm rounds from the MK 108 cannon. This variant got the preliminary designation MK 213, as the 30 mm caliber meant that the weapon was classed as a cannon in German nomenclature. The 30 mm rounds on the MK 108 cannon had a fairly short cartridge with limited propellant capacity (30×90mm), and thus had a low muzzle velocity (ca 550 m/s). However, as they were adapted with mine shells, which could effectively knock out any aircraft at the time with just a few hits, they did not need high velocity to be effective against non-manoeuvering targets like bombers. Despite frantic efforts, production of the MK 213 never commenced due to development problems such as excessive barrel wear, not to mention the allied bombing campaign against Germany.[6] At the end of the war only 5 prototypes (V1 to V5) of either 20 mm MG 213 or 30 mm MK 213 were finished.[6]
In the post-war era, the MK 213 became well known in armament circles, and a number of companies took up development. This included the Armament Development Establishment in the UK and GIAT in France. A common 30×113mm (actually 30×111mm[1][2]) round was developed that offered a dramatic improvement in muzzle velocity from the MK 108's 540 m/s to the new design's 790 m/s. This was only slightly lower than contemporary 20 mm cannon like the Hispano Mk. V's 840 m/s, making the new round suitable for use during dogfights as well as against larger targets. The mechanism improved the rate of fire from the Mk. V's 750 rpm to 1,300 rpm, a significant improvement.[7] The new weapon was quickly developed and production was set up at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. The name ADEN was created by combining the two first initials of Armament Development Establishment with the first two letters of Enfield, producing ADEN.[1]
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The ADEN cannon entered service on the British Hawker Hunter in 1954, and was subsequently used on every British gun-armed aircraft until the advent of the Panavia Tornado in the 1980s.[4] The last version to see production was the Mk. 4. An improved version, the Mk. 5, incorporates a multitude of small changes to improve reliability and increase rate of fire to 1,500–1,700 rounds per minute. No new Mk 5s were built, but many older weapons were converted, being redesignated Mk 5 Straden.[7]
GIAT also introduced their version of the design as the DEFA cannon. The two weapons are very similar and can use the same ammunition.[4]
ADEN 25
The ADEN Mk 5 became the basis for the planned ADEN 25, which was to be a somewhat larger weapon (length: 90 inches (2,290 mm), weight: 203 pounds (92.1 kg)) firing the new range of NATO 25 mm ammunition (as in the American GAU-12 Equalizer) at a much higher muzzle velocity of 3,445 feet per second (1,050 m/s). The lighter ammunition was also to produce a higher rate of fire, 1,650 to 1,850 rounds per minute. Severe development problems plagued the ADEN 25, which proved unable to meet its design weight target.[8] It was finally cancelled in 1999. As a result, RAF Harrier GR.7 and GR.9 aircraft did not carry a cannon, no attempt apparently having been made to retrofit the older ADEN 30 mm pods. Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers retained the 30 mm weapon until their retirement in 2006.
Aircraft fitted with the 30 mm ADEN cannon
Aircraft using the ADEN 30 as in-built armament have included the A-4S Skyhawk, English Electric Lightning, Folland Gnat (and HAL Ajeet), Hawker Hunter, Gloster Javelin, Saab Lansen, Saab Draken, SEPECAT Jaguar, Supermarine Scimitar, and CAC Sabre. Several podded versions exist, including the installations scabbed below the fuselage of British Hawker Siddeley Harrier (and US Marine Corps AV-8A/Cs) and Sea Harriers and the Swedish FFV Aden, which is used (among others) on the BAE Hawk. The FFV Aden contains the weapon and 150 rounds of ammunition, is 151.57 in (3.85 m) long, and weighs 802.5 lb (364 kg) fully loaded.
Specifications (30 mm ADEN cannon)
- Design
- Type: Single-barrel aircraft autocannon
- Action: Revolver drum with 5 chambers[9]
- Operation: Gas operation[7]
- Cocking-system: Pneumatic[7]
- Priming: Electric[7]
- Firing-system: Electrical 26 volts DC
- Rifling: Progressive RH parabolic twist, 16 grooves[7]
- Cartridge: 30 × 111 mm[1][2]
- Data
- Caliber: 30 mm (1.18 in)
- Weight of complete weapon: 87.1 kg (192 lb) (196 kg (432 lb) with 200 rounds)[4]
- Length of complete weapon: 1,590–1,639 mm (62.6–64.5 in)[7][9]
- Weight of barrel: 12.25 kg (27.0 lb)[7]
- Length of barrel: 1,080 mm (42.5 in)[7]
- Recoil load: 31.4 kN
- Rate of fire: 1,200–1,500 rpm (ADEN Mk. 4),[9] 1,500–1,700 rpm (ADEN Mk.5)
Ammunition (30×111mm)
Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Data may also vary historically.[1][2]
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Users
- Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU)
- Royal Rhodesian Air Force (later to Air Force of Zimbabwe)
- Swedish Air Force – designated 30 mm akan m/55
- Royal Thai Navy Flying Unit
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
Notes
See also
- DEFA cannon – comparable French design (shares a common range of 30×113mm (30×111mm[1][2]) NATO rounds)
- Mauser BK-27 – comparable German design
- M39 cannon – comparable US design
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab AMKAT, Ammunitionskatalog, Data och bilder, Flygvapnet. Sweden: Försvarets materielverk, FMV. 1984.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Air Publication, 110L-0201-1, 30mm ammunition and fuzes, (Aden Gun), General and technical information. United Kingdom: Ministry of Defence, Prepared by the Ministry of Technology. 1970.
- ^ "ADEN development" (PDF). Flight (28 January 1955): 109. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d Lennox, Duncan (2001). "Guns: ADEN 30 mm cannon (United Kingdom)". Jane's air-launched weapons. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-0866-6. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013.
- ^ "Aden 30mm Gun Installation". Hawker Hunter. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ a b Volume 2, Part 3, Hunter Weapons, The 30mm ADEN Gun, Rocket Projectiles, Air To Air Missiles, Bombs, etc. pp. 2–6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "ADEN 30 mm Cannon MK 4 & 5" (PDF). United Kingdom: AEI Systems Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ http://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_pdf.cfm?DACH_RECNO=1059
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Saab 105, Flyghistorisk revy. Sweden: Svensk Flyghistorisk Förening. 2013. pp. 80, 81.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ammunitionsröjning, FV akanam. Data och bilder, Kursutgåva 1975 (in Swedish). Sweden: Försvarets materielverk, Huvudavdelningen för flygmateriel, Vapenbyrån (published 21 May 1975). 1975. p. 8.