Air defense systems of the Chinese fleet: 12,7-14,5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounts, as well as 25, 30 and 37 mm first-generation anti-aircraft machine guns

In the comments to one of the publications dedicated to export systems Defense, created in the PRC, one of the readers asked for more details about the air defense systems of the Chinese fleet.
Until the second half of the 1980s, the PLA Navy did not have any warships equipped with anti-aircraft guns. missile complexes, and only anti-aircraft machine gun mounts could be used to counter enemy combat aircraft, as well as artillery small and medium caliber automatic weapons. Anti-aircraft machine guns and most of the 25-37 mm automatic anti-aircraft guns were equipped with very primitive sights, and these naval air defense systems did not interact with centralized fire control systems. Some of the guns installed on patrol ships and destroyers were interfaced with naval PUAZOs that received data from radars and optical rangefinders. However, due to the backwardness and low reliability of Chinese fire control systems created in the 1970s and 1980s, the effectiveness of anti-aircraft guns was low, and they could not effectively protect the ships of the Chinese fleet from modern air attack weapons at that time.
12,7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounts
In the 1950s, the PLA Navy began to include boats and ships armed with Soviet-made 12,7 mm DShKM machine guns. In 1955, deliveries of the Type 54 machine gun, which was a licensed version of the DShKM, began.

Since the culture of weapons production in China at that time was very low, the quality of the first Chinese 12,7 mm machine guns left much to be desired. In this regard, simultaneously with the development of the Type 54 production, DShKM were supplied from the USSR.
In the 1960s, an improved Type 54-I machine gun, which was slightly lighter, went into production. Also, to improve reliability and reduce production costs, Chinese specialists made a number of changes to the design and improved the locking mechanism. The rate of fire and practical rate of fire remained at the level of the basic model, the effective range for air targets also did not exceed 700 m. On late-release machine guns, the ribbing disappeared from the replaceable barrel and a handle appeared, making it easier to replace, the weight of the tripod mount was reduced to a minimum, improved sighting devices were introduced, and a box for 70 rounds was used.
The PLA Navy's Type 54 and Type 54-I machine guns remained in active service until the early 21st century and have been decommissioned along with the boats, patrol ships, and small landing craft they were mounted on. A small number of Type 54-Is now remain in coastal defense units.
In the late 1970s, serial production of the Type 77 machine gun began, with a direct supply of powder gases to the bolt carrier, which was an independent Chinese design, but its tape drive mechanism repeated the DShKM.
Although the weight of the new machine gun on the mount did not exceed 57 kg, and in terms of its main combat characteristics it corresponded to the Type 54-I, this weapon Due to problems with service life and reliability, it was used by the Ground Forces in a limited way. Information on the use of Type 77 machine guns in the PLA Navy could not be found.
An improved version, created on the basis of the Type 77, was the Type 85 heavy machine gun, launched into production in the second half of the 1980s. Chinese sources say that (compared to the Type 77) the Type 85 machine gun became cheaper to produce, more reliable and lighter. However, this weapon did not take root on the warships of the Chinese fleet, which, in all likelihood, was due to the presence of a large number of well-mastered Type 54 and Type 54-I, the greater weight of which did not have much significance when mounted on pedestal mounts.

However, a number of Type 85 machine guns are in service with the Chinese Coast Guard, and they are primarily intended to intercept maritime intruders, but can also fire at air targets if necessary.

In the mid-1990s, Norinco began producing the 12,7 mm QJZ89 machine gun, which is very light for its caliber. Without cartridges, together with the mount, it weighs 32 kg. The rate of fire is 550-600 rounds per minute. The combat rate of fire is about 100 rounds per minute. The QJZ89 has a mixed-type automation: a mechanism with direct gas discharge from the barrel bore to the bolt through a gas tube under the barrel is used to unlock the rotary bolt, and the recoil energy of the movable block is used to drive the automation. The controls include a pistol grip with a trigger and a butt with a buffer-shock absorber.
Currently, the QJZ89 machine guns have been adopted by the PLA Ground Forces and Navy, and are also actively sold to foreign customers.

12,7 mm QJZ89 machine gun on the PLA Navy frigate Type 054A
The QJZ12,7 89mm machine guns have been spotted on Chinese warships engaged in anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. They are also seen as a last line of defense against drones-kamikaze and speedboats.
14,5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounts
In the 1950s and 1960s, the PLA Army and Navy were armed with 14,5 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, which were significantly superior in firing range and destructive power to machine guns chambered for 12,7x108 mm cartridges.
As it turned out, the 14,5 mm twin-barreled guns were well suited for arming boats, small minesweepers, landing and patrol ships of small displacement, as well as logistics vessels.
The first Chinese 14,5-mm naval "twin" was a deck pedestal mount known as the Type 59-I, a copy of the Soviet ZPU 2M-7. The official adoption of the naval ZPU Type 59-I into service occurred in 1963.

14,5 mm twin anti-aircraft machine gun mount Type 59-I
The operating principle of the 14,5 mm naval machine guns was no different from the KPV. However, some of the parts of the Soviet 2M-7 and its Chinese clone were made of corrosion-resistant alloys. The weight of the "twin" was 560 kg. The tabular firing range for air targets was 2000 m, the effective range was slightly more than 1000 m. Each machine gun was fed from a 100-round box. The total rate of fire was 1100 rounds per minute. The practical rate of fire was 200 rounds per minute.

The installation was controlled by one shooter. The vertical aiming angles are in the range from -10° to +90°, and there is the possibility of circular firing. However, given that aiming was carried out by muscle power using shoulder rests, shooting at fast-moving targets is difficult.
Based on the experience of operating the Type 59-I naval installation and the Type 58 land-based twin-barreled gun, the Type 65 naval ZPU was created, which was not widely used and was mainly installed on boats.
The twin ZPU Type 1970 was produced in large quantities for the PLA Navy since the early 69s. This one differs from previous versions of the 14,5 mm mounts by having finned barrels, which should improve their cooling when firing long bursts.

14,5 mm twin anti-aircraft machine gun mounts Type 69
In addition to various floating craft, Type 69 installations were permanently placed in fortifications on the coast and covered structures on disputed reefs in the South China Sea.

The twin Type 58 ZPUs were phased out of service in the PLAAF's combat units in the second half of the 1980s, but the Navy continues to use the Type 69 mounts on ships and vessels built in the 1980s and 1990s.

Although the twin 14,5mm Type 69 mount weighs approximately twice as much as the Type 59-I, it is better suited for naval use, can accurately fire at air targets flying at speeds of up to 300 m/s thanks to its mechanized guidance, and provides more comfortable conditions for the shooter.
In addition to the twin 14,5 mm ZPUs, the Chinese Coast Guard vessels also have quadruple mounts of the same caliber, but their designation and characteristics are unknown.

About 20 years ago, the PLA adopted the 14,5mm QJG02 machine gun and began mounting it on the decks of warships.

In the early 56s, a twin-barreled mount, structurally reminiscent of the Type 2000 ZPU, was tested on the Type 69 corvette.

But the most simple single-barrel ZPU on a pedestal, without mechanical drives for vertical and horizontal guidance, directly controlled by the shooter, went into production. Chinese sources write that 14,5-mm machine guns installed on the sides are needed for defense against high-speed surface and low-altitude air targets, as well as for the destruction of surfaced sea mines.
25mm Type 61 anti-aircraft guns
In the 1950s, China received 25mm twin mounts 2M-3 and 2M-3M along with Soviet boats, ships and auxiliary vessels.

25mm twin mounts 2M-3
The 2M-3 artillery mount used 25 mm 110-PM automatic guns, designed in the late 1940s on the basis of the 25 mm 84-KM automatic cannon used in the 72-K anti-aircraft gun. The 2M-3 AU with the 110-PM automatic gun was accepted into service in early 1953. Production of the modernized version in the USSR continued until 1984.

The total mass of the installation exceeded 1500 kg. The crew consists of 2 people. Armor thickness of 4 mm protects the installation and the crew from light fragments. Guidance is carried out using mechanical and hydraulic drives, which allows firing at fast-flying air targets. Vertical guidance angles from -10 to +85°. On early-production installations, loading was carried out with clips of 7 rounds, and the rate of fire of one gun was 270-300 rounds/min. The machine gun with belt feed gives a rate of fire of up to 450 rounds/min. Belts are placed in boxes of 65 rounds, weighing 55 kg each. A projectile weighing 281 g has an initial velocity of about 900 m/s. The fragmentation-incendiary projectile contains 21 g of explosive. An armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 1000 m at a normal is capable of penetrating armor thickness of 26 mm. Maximum firing range – up to 7500 m. Altitude reach – 2500 m. Effective range against anti-ship cruise missiles and jet combat aircraft does not exceed 2000 m.
The licensed version of the 2M-3M anti-aircraft artillery mount, designated Type 61, went into production in the early 1960s.

In the second half of the 1970s, an improved 25mm mount with horizontal barrels was tested, but this model did not receive widespread use.
Chinese sources write that boats armed with 25-mm machine guns took part in combat clashes with Taiwanese artillery boats with 40-mm Bofors L60 guns, and at a distance closer than 800 m, the rapid-fire 25-mm guns performed very well.

The Type 61 naval artillery mounts are currently considered obsolete, but due to their simple design and high reliability, they still remain part of the armament of patrol, landing and auxiliary floating craft.

Type 74 landing craft armed with a Type 25 61mm twin gun mount
It is expected that Chinese 25mm twin guns will be retired in the next decade along with ships built 20-25 years ago.
30mm Type 69 anti-aircraft guns
Shortly before relations between Moscow and Beijing deteriorated due to ideological differences and military-technical cooperation between the countries ceased, Chinese specialists managed to get acquainted with the drawings of the then newest 30-mm twin naval anti-aircraft mount AK-230.

30mm anti-aircraft gun AK-230
For the late 1950s, this was a very advanced and high-tech anti-aircraft gun, which was remotely aimed at the target by a control radar or an optical sight, in the range of vertical aiming angles from -12 to +87° and had the ability to fire all around.
The installation weighing slightly more than 1900 kg gave a rate of fire of 2000 rounds/min. Fire is conducted in bursts of up to 100 rounds per barrel, after which cooling with sea water is carried out for a certain time. Firing is allowed until the ammunition is used up (500 rounds per barrel) with breaks every 100 rounds for 15-20 seconds. After this, the barrel must be replaced and the machine gun must be repaired.
The original 30x129 mm ammunition with electric primer ignition was used for firing. The ammunition load included high-explosive incendiary, high-explosive and armor-piercing tracer shells. The armor-piercing tracer shell weighing 360 g had an initial velocity of 1050 m/s. The maximum slant firing range reaches 4000 m, effective against fast-moving air targets – no more than 2500 m.
Work on cloning the AK-230 in China began in the mid-1960s. In 1970, testing began on the first prototype of the unit, designated Type 69, which was destroyed during firing. In mid-1971, three more prototypes were tested, and more than 7500 shots were fired from them. During the tests, it was established that the automatics were generally functional, but there were problems with reliability and survivability, and the military demanded improvements.
However, due to economic and technological difficulties caused by political upheavals, the development was delayed, and encouraging results were achieved only in 1973, and the first production samples were manufactured in 1975.
But the problems did not stop there. During acceptance tests, several installations experienced shell explosions. It seemed that after refining the automation, the problem had been solved - 3000 shells were fired from one installation without failures, but in 1976, such an incident occurred again. Research showed that the cause was insufficient strength of the breech, and the installation was sent back for further revision.
In 1978, 30 shots were fired from the modified 4400-mm mount, while the designated resource was 4000 shots. In addition to strengthening the artillery part, attention was paid to the corrosion resistance of critical parts and the tightness of the mount as a whole. New materials were introduced and the most modern radio-element base available in the PRC at that time was used. And only in 1982, after thorough testing, the PLA Navy command decided to install the 30-mm mount on new warships.

However, the 30 mm Type 69 machine guns were not widely used in the Chinese Navy, which was due to the high cost of production and the need for careful adjustment of parts. In addition, sailors accustomed to relatively primitive 25 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns were not enthusiastic about the rather complex 30 mm machine guns with ammunition unique to the PLA. The situation was also complicated by the fact that the Soviet Union did not transfer the MP-104 Rys radar fire control system to China, and Chinese specialists had to independently create their own analogue, which was inferior to the Soviet FCS.

Missile boat Type 37-II
As a result, only the Type 30, Type 69G and Type 21-II missile boats were armed with 21 mm Type 37 mounts.
37mm Type 61 anti-aircraft guns
The Chinese version of the Soviet 37 mm twin B-11 is known as the Type 61. This anti-aircraft mount, like the 25 mm vertical twin of the same name, has a very simple design, but the 37 mm artillery machine guns are located in the horizontal plane. Since the Type 61 mount weighed 3400 kg, it was used to arm larger ships.

Twin 37mm Type 61 anti-aircraft gun
The design of the V-11 artillery mount began during the Second World War, but it entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1946. The oscillating part of the 37-mm twin naval mount consisted of two machine guns created on the basis of the 70-K anti-aircraft gun, which traces its lineage back to the 40-mm Bofors L60.
The guns are mounted in a single cradle. The monoblock barrel has forced water cooling. Manual aiming mechanisms with two speeds (for fast and accurate aiming). In the vertical plane, the mount was aimed within the range from -10 to 85°. One person could control the mount. The crew is 7 people. The feed is from 5-round clips loaded manually. The rate of fire is 360 rounds/min. The firing range at air targets is up to 4000 m.
The ammunition load includes fragmentation-tracer and armor-piercing-tracer projectiles. The fragmentation tracer projectile weighing 0,735 kg has an initial velocity of 880 m/s and is loaded with 34 g of explosives. The all-metal armor-piercing tracer projectile weighing 0,785 kg, accelerated to 875 m/s, could penetrate armor 1000 mm thick at a distance of 38 m.

The 37-mm Type 61 anti-aircraft gun was produced in China until 1978 and in terms of the number of units produced, it surpasses all Chinese-made naval artillery guns.

In total, more than 1000 of these installations were manufactured. In addition to boats and ships, the 37-mm Type 61 machine guns were placed in fixed concrete positions and used for anti-aircraft cover of naval bases and anti-landing fortifications.

Chinese frigates with 37mm automatic guns took part in the battle with South Vietnamese ships for the Paracel Islands in 1974 and with Vietnamese patrol ships for the Spratly Islands in 1988.

Frigate Ture 065
During production, improvements were made to the design of the 37-mm Chinese twin-barreled rifles aimed at simplifying production technology and ease of use.
The Type 37 artillery boats, Type 055 small patrol ships, Type 062 minesweepers, Type 6610 and Type 053 frigates, Type 065H053 and Type 2K guided missile frigates, and Type 053 and Type 051G destroyers were armed with 051-mm twin anti-aircraft guns.

Small patrol ship Type 062
At present, all minesweepers, frigates and destroyers that had 37-mm Type 61 mounts have been decommissioned. Machine guns of this type could have remained on boats and patrol ships transferred to the Coast Guard, as well as in coastal anti-aircraft batteries.
Продолжение следует ...
Information