TSAMTO, April 27. Leonardo Group has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the supply of four 127-mm OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano naval artillery systems to equip the new multi-purpose combat ships of the Canadian Navy.
According to a press release from the Italian group, the deal also includes the Automatic Ammunition Handling System (AAHS) as an additional option. Three artillery systems will be installed on board the new ships, and the fourth will be used for training.
The OTO 127/64 LW Vulcano gun mount has been selected by six navies of the world over the past 10 years. The system has a flexible architecture that allows it to be installed on many types of offshore platforms.
The state-of-the-art technologies and full digitalization used in the artillery system provide continuous assistance to operators and support for the onboard fire control system. The Leonardo 4AP fuze for conventional ammunition provides high operational flexibility based on its task-specific programming features. The AAHS automated loading system guarantees automatic reloading of the gun with both long-range precision and conventional ammunition.
As previously reported by TSAMTO, on October 15, 2018, Irving Shipbuilding and the Ministry of Public Services and Procurement of Canada announced the selection of the Type-26 frigate of the BAE/Lockheed Martin group of companies as the winner of the tender, which provides for the construction of 15 multifunctional combat ships under the CSC (Canadian Surface Combatant) project. At the moment, the cost of the project is estimated at 77.3 billion kan. dollars (about 62 billion US dollars). Construction of the ships will be carried out by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. at the Halifax Shipyard in Nova Scotia and will begin in 2023/24.
