First, what is the reference for the HVP round? What exactly is the speed?
National Interest describes it a Mach 7.3 round which I seriously doubt, as it makes it as fast as a railgun round.
The majority of periodicals only describe it as a Mach 3 round.
Mach 3 is 1029 meters per second at sea level. There are rounds reaching 1000 meters per second dating back to World War 2.
IJN's 100mm gun used in the Akizuki class destroyers.
Shortly after the war, the Soviets use this 100mm round and cannon as AA defense for their cruisers.
This is more of an interest since this 130mm round already reached 950 mps.
This should be familiar as this gun from Russian destroyers are passed on to the PRC as the guns on the Luda class destroyer.
Now lets go back the 76mm gun on the Type 054A, whose design is inherited or copied from the Russians, and originally as the AK-176.
The shells on this gun are already 980 meters per second. Won't take a lot to bump it over 1030 meters per second or more. Do note for a shell to attain a higher speed, without changing the propellant or the entire shell weight, this means you increase the amount of propellant and decreasing the shell weight at the same amount.
But we need to go back to history, why the USN guns do not have high velocity shells like the Russians, Germans, Italians and Japanese. The USN once did have high velocity shells, then prioritized something else. That is barrel and gun life. Shooting high velocity shells at a rapid rate will wear and warp out the gun barrels, requiring frequent changes in the barrels. The USN warships need to stay out in longer periods in the sea, so gun life is prioritized. The Russians stay much closer to their coasts and can afford to frequently change their barrels easily. Another factor for a lower muzzle shell velocity is shell dispersion. The violence and stress of higher velocity rounds would rock the gun resulting in greater shell dispersion.
So after decades, the USN turned full circle again back to high velocity shells again. The question is how they will manage barrel life, and wear and tear on the guns. I don't assume the guns will be fired a lot with these shells without some modifications. The increased violence from the rounds means some changes on the gun, but the techniques for doing that goes all the way back even before the Second World War.
Going back to the 76mm on the 054A, even if it reaches over Mach 3, I seriously doubt it can see ranges like you do with a 5" gun. That is because the shells are much lighter on the 76mm. With less mass, they store less kinetic energy to keep them on a straight flight compared to a heavier shell. The shells would be less accurate and you have a larger circle of dispersion. You are not going to see the accuracy and range compared to using heavier shells. The difference between the Russian 76mm shell and the 130mm shell is about 12kg vs. 33kg. If you sacrificed shell weight to reach a higher velocity, then you will be lower than 12kg. Due to the potential increased inaccuracy, this is where guided rounds need to come in. The question is how much guidance systems you can put on a small 76mm round compared to a 130mm round.
National Interest describes it a Mach 7.3 round which I seriously doubt, as it makes it as fast as a railgun round.
The majority of periodicals only describe it as a Mach 3 round.
Mach 3 is 1029 meters per second at sea level. There are rounds reaching 1000 meters per second dating back to World War 2.
IJN's 100mm gun used in the Akizuki class destroyers.
Shortly after the war, the Soviets use this 100mm round and cannon as AA defense for their cruisers.
This is more of an interest since this 130mm round already reached 950 mps.
This should be familiar as this gun from Russian destroyers are passed on to the PRC as the guns on the Luda class destroyer.
Now lets go back the 76mm gun on the Type 054A, whose design is inherited or copied from the Russians, and originally as the AK-176.
The shells on this gun are already 980 meters per second. Won't take a lot to bump it over 1030 meters per second or more. Do note for a shell to attain a higher speed, without changing the propellant or the entire shell weight, this means you increase the amount of propellant and decreasing the shell weight at the same amount.
But we need to go back to history, why the USN guns do not have high velocity shells like the Russians, Germans, Italians and Japanese. The USN once did have high velocity shells, then prioritized something else. That is barrel and gun life. Shooting high velocity shells at a rapid rate will wear and warp out the gun barrels, requiring frequent changes in the barrels. The USN warships need to stay out in longer periods in the sea, so gun life is prioritized. The Russians stay much closer to their coasts and can afford to frequently change their barrels easily. Another factor for a lower muzzle shell velocity is shell dispersion. The violence and stress of higher velocity rounds would rock the gun resulting in greater shell dispersion.
So after decades, the USN turned full circle again back to high velocity shells again. The question is how they will manage barrel life, and wear and tear on the guns. I don't assume the guns will be fired a lot with these shells without some modifications. The increased violence from the rounds means some changes on the gun, but the techniques for doing that goes all the way back even before the Second World War.
Going back to the 76mm on the 054A, even if it reaches over Mach 3, I seriously doubt it can see ranges like you do with a 5" gun. That is because the shells are much lighter on the 76mm. With less mass, they store less kinetic energy to keep them on a straight flight compared to a heavier shell. The shells would be less accurate and you have a larger circle of dispersion. You are not going to see the accuracy and range compared to using heavier shells. The difference between the Russian 76mm shell and the 130mm shell is about 12kg vs. 33kg. If you sacrificed shell weight to reach a higher velocity, then you will be lower than 12kg. Due to the potential increased inaccuracy, this is where guided rounds need to come in. The question is how much guidance systems you can put on a small 76mm round compared to a 130mm round.
